50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth

This is a great gift idea for the environmentally-minded child in your life. I recently borrowed The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth from the library and am now inspired to go out and buy a copy. This book is packed with ideas and activities to encourage stewardship. As a teacher, there are several projects that would easily translate into lesson plans. Visit their web site at http://www.50simplekids.com To check out some cool eco craft books I also borrowed from the library, check out my thrifty/eco teacher blog The Foolscap Flyer. I'll add it to the links to the right, or you can click here http://erin-thefoolscapflyer.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by,

E. Hawkins

Save Those Christmas Cards

Here's a crafty way to repurpose those pretty Christmas cards. Cut up details from your old cards. Punch a hole in the corner and voila - instant gift cards. Of course, this requires time and the ability to remember where you put them the following year. That reminds me, I have to go hunting for our Christmas stockings in the basement today. Phone the police if you don't hear back from me.

This idea was taken from http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/paper_crafts

Speaking of paper art, here's possibly one of the most artistic short films I've ever seen. This clip was put out by the New Zealand Book Council as a way to show how books come to life. Have a look. You'll want to watch it over and over. Enter NZ Book Council in the search engine of YouTube if you want to enlarge the picture. There are so many things you can do with old books that nobody wants anymore. I'll try to post some attainable project ideas down the road.

Thrifted Bears in an Oil Spill

Frugal and eco-minded teachers can hit gold at local thrift shops. In Science, my class is learning about Energy Conservation. We've been exploring fossil fuels and the environmental damages caused by oil spills. Last week, I bought two bags of brand new stuffed bears (10 bears in total) for $4.00 at Value Village. Yesterday, the class recreated an oil spill using cooking oil, black powdered paint (scooped for free at Artsjunktion), and water. Look at the poor bears.

The kids were a little excited. Perhaps a little too excited...

Teddy awaits a last minute pardon.

Greasy horror.

Soap and water did not get them clean.

The students wrote about this activity and their questions and comments will soon be posted on the Room 204 Student Blog. Needless to say, this hands-on activity made the class really think about the damage caused to wildlife following an oil spill. Next week, they will perform autopsies on the bears to see what they look like inside.

E. Hawkins

Paper Diet

Last Friday, Ms. Kumagawa assigned a photocopy password to every staff member at Clairlea. The aim is to save money, reduce paper consumption and reduce our dependency on the regular photocopiers by forcing us all to be accountable. The more efficient Risograph copier does not require a password to use. Staff are already making a point of using the Risograph. We all need to make photocopies throughout the week, but the aim is to make use of new technologies (Smartboards, computers, blogs, etc.) along with notebooks, texts, chalkboards, whiteboards, and various teaching strategies that do not require copious amounts of worksheets.

It took Ms. Kumagawa some time to get the passwords entered, but her efforts will be worthwhile as we all look to reduce paper consumption at our school.

Reusing All Those Old Crayons

Here's a fun activity if you have a whole lot of old broken crayons you don't have the heart to throw away. Remove all of the paper, mix up the colours and put them into cupcake tins. Bake at 275 degrees F for 7-8 minutes and voila! Below, you'll see the marble crayon pucks that come out of the oven. Kids can use these pucks for colouring, or as blocks. For complete instructions, visit http://thriftedtreasure.blogspot.com or http://www.makeandtakes.com/recycled-chunky-crayons My four-year-old is excited about this activity and is sifting through his big tin of crayons as I type. * Kids, don't forget to ask an adult for help before using the oven! Have fun.

Energy Blues

I think School House Rock used this song to illustrate the Energy Crisis. The lyrics are as timely as they were 30+ years ago. Enjoy.