Natural Balance Collect natural materials, or have students


collect them. Suspend them with string under a crossbar of two sticks. Driftwood, acorns, and pine cones are among materials that are effectively used. Hang these in the classroom to brighten the scenery.


3-5 GRADES Science Evaluating Growth Growing plants in crowded and


uncrowded situations will show the effects of overpopulation. Fill milk cartons about three- fourths full of soil. Plant several cartons with seeds — some with two or three seeds, several cartons with a small handful and several cartons with a large handful. Varying the amounts of seed in the different cartons creates different conditions under which the plants will grow. After the seeds have become seedlings, measure and record their heights on a piece of paper and draw a line graph on graph paper to represent each group of seedlings. Evaluate the plants’ growth periods in terms of the number of plants under the different conditions. —CTE


Forest Community Discuss as a group the items a city has


and make a list. Suggestions include people, factories, subways, cemetery, apartments, treffic, plumbing, stores, garbage collectors, streets, etc. Divide the group into smaller ones of 3


to 4 each. Send each group out in a forest or wooded area and have them try and identify the natural item that corresponds to the ones on the list. —ECO


Social Studies Non-Pointing the Finger Take a walking tour of the neighborhood. List


possible examples of non-point source pollution, both natural and human-caused. Back in the classroom, compile a class list to see how many sources were pin- “pointed.” Use magazine or newspaper pictures to make an informational display of possible sources of non-point water pollution. — FSS


Water, Water Everywhere...NOT! Point out that last year water was rationed in


parts of California. It was shut off altogether in parts of Rhode Island when a leaking gas station tank polluted it. Our carelessness can hurt the water supply. Also, it is important not to waste water if we want to be sure of having enough for our needs. Have students name some ways each of us can help protect our water supply. (Ideas include using less water, not running water needlessly, not littering near bodies of water. Also some environmentalists suggest eating less meat to save water. A vegetarian diet requires much less water in its production than is used in the raising of cattle, for example.) —KT


Mathematics Shoot the Moon


Knowing that the moon returns to a given


position every 29 1/2 days, have students figure out the dates that will have full moons for the coming calendar year. From this they can make their own calendars and check up on themselves. —JOD


Language Arts


Get Your Story Straight! Invent or find a story that conveys an


environmental message you wish to have your students think about. Divide the story into individual events that have ideas or words that allow the student to sequence them in a particular order. As a group, or individually, have the students


read the passages. Have the students number the passages so that the story can be read in the correct order. Read the story aloud in the correct sequential order.


Use discussion and questioning to


strengthen the story’s message. —IEEIC Wet Words


How important is water to our society? Just


think how many different words we have to express it. Have students brainstorm words that mean water or a form of water (e.g., splash, drip, etc.) while the teacher lists them on a large sheet of butcher paper. Can your class reach one hundred? Save the list and use it later for creative writing activities.


Fine Arts Water Drop Necklaces Give each student a sheet of paper onto


which a large water drop has already been drawn on both sides. On one side of the paper, printed inside the water drop are the words, “I’M TOXIC, DON’T FLUSH ME.” On the reverse side of the paper, inside the water drop are


CLEARING Fall 2017 www.clearingmagazine.org


written the words, “WATER IS PRECIOUS, AS PRECIOUS AS...” Instruct students to draw one or several toxic items that should not be flushed down the toilet (e.g., paint, oil, chemicals) inside the water drop on the “toxic” side of the paper. On the other side instruct them to draw pictures of one or more persons or items that are precious to them (e.g., grandma, grandpa, a pet, a bicycle). Once the drawings are completed, have


the students cut out the water drop, then punch a hold near the top of the drop using a paper punch and finally thread a string of yarn through the hole to create a necklace. The necklace has a positive “precious” side and a negative “toxic” side depicted by the students’ drawings. — CON


Torn Paper Art To help the students understand the fibrous


make up of paper, tear a scrap of paper and hold one of the torn edges up to the light. Along that edge will appear a slight fuzz. Here and there tiny strands will project separately, like fine hairs. These strands are cellulose fibers. Discuss with the children all the different


materials from which fibers can be harvested to make paper. Show them fibers from a small piece of cloth to illustrate the point. Using scraps of construction paper, tear and


glue different colors to represent the forest and creatures who depend on the forest for survival. Display these pictures throughout the school to heighten awareness of the need to conserve and protect natural resources. - CON


6-8 GRADES Science Rainforest Pyramid Use artistic talents to create blocks


symbolizing rainforest creatures. Build a pyramid, putting the prey species such as insects at the bottom - building up until the top predators like the jaguar and harpy eagle are at the top. Show what happens when prey species are taken away - such as if insects are killed by pesticides, or small rodents are killed as pests. The same activity can be done for temperate forests of the Northwest as well, or any other particular ecosystem. —RC


Adopt a Part of Nature


Adopt part of a stream, creek, river, lake or ocean. Clean up the beaches or shores and spend time there as a class enjoying these special places.


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