From the Classroom

A Few Favorite Environmentally Conscious Children’s Books

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A Few Favorite Environmentally Conscious Children’s Books

After the long summer, students are all heading back to school. Reading together is a great way to promote open communication during this busy transitional time. A thoughtful selection of books can facilitate conversations about feelings, giving parents and children the opportunity to benefit from an honest, open discussion.

Books can also serve as a way to address current cultural topics and issues that children hear about, but are perhaps unsure of how discuss or understand. Currently the Amazon rainforest, often called the earth’s lungs, are burning and conversations about climate change are very prevalent. The fragility of our environment can be terrifying for adults, and for children it can be entirely overwhelming. Luckily, we have brilliant books that make environmental issues digestible for younger audiences and provide examples of positive change.

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Strategy Share: Environmental Literacy and Connections with STEM Californians

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Strategy Share: Environmental Literacy and Connections with STEM Californians

Hi to all the global citizens, explorers, and educators! In my previous post, I shared how I use National Geographic Young Explorer Magazine as a powerful tool to empower my students to make interdisciplinary connections and explore like paleontologists, ichthyologists, and oceanographers. Kindergartners have a natural sense of wonder and curiosity, and they inspire me to see the world in all its interconnected beauty. I want them to appreciate all of the amazing beauty on Earth, as well as the beauty in their own world, which is California!

This time, I’m writing to share about two other resources I frequently pair together in my classroom: the California Education and the Environment Initiative Curriculum (EEI) and local, real-world scientists. The EEI are free K-12 units are aligned with social studies, Common Core and NGSS standards: Interdisciplinary connections for an interconnected world! Most importantly, to empower my students and make what we learn with EEI tangible, I connect them to STEM Californians (like National Geographic Explorers) who are making the world more awesome by protecting, studying and conserving these natural resources on land and in water.

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Friends of the Petaluma River's Professional Development Workshop

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Friends of the Petaluma River's Professional Development Workshop

Our recent Professional Development workshop was so enjoyable, not only due to the great presenters, but because of the teachers’ participation, collaboration and discussions. The two-day workshop began with Neal Ramus's introduction to Sonoma Land Trust and their restoration of the San Pablo wetlands. He also discussed the importance of wetlands in light of climate change and sea level rise. As Director of Community Programs at Sonoma Land Trust, Neal is excited for Sonoma educators to bring field trips out to explore, investigate and learn more about the wetlands and the restoration process. 

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Center for Community and Citizen Science Reflects on Recent Workshop

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Center for Community and Citizen Science Reflects on Recent Workshop

REFLECTING ON THE WOOLMAN CENTER WORKSHOP

Named after a mythical land from a novela when the Spanish first arrived, California was said to be paradise on Earth. However, times have changed since the Spanish first laid their eyes on the place we now call home. Social activists have spoken openly about the disasters of environmental change and many, from the top of California’s government to grassroots organizations are beginning to create much more systematic and widespread awareness and change with initiatives. The California Department of Education’s Blueprint for Environmental Literacy is one such initiative that puts forward the ambitious goal of educating all students about the environment. The initiative’s focus on not just basic environmental knowledge but also how to to make rational decisions to help preserve our ecosystem.  

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