Green Machines

The pace is picking up with the Think Green Summit group. This past month we've had more chances to work with the kids at Boyd, and I couldn't be more excited. 

A few weeks ago, several of us went over to Boyd Elementary to help lead the after school meeting of the Green Team. The main theme of our visit was recycling. We led two different recyclable crafts for the kids to do. They were semi-gender-specific, but of course we weren't going to tell them which one to do or not do. 

The boys helped make paper monsters out of recycled newspaper, but ended up getting frustrated by the project and making paper airplanes instead. Another mighty fine way of reusing paper. 

And the girls helped make jewelry using plastic shopping bags.

 After all, thinking green isn't just about being sustainable, it's about looking good, too. ;-)

Some girls got extra creative and used the crafting techniques to make other accessories...

I think they were fun activities for everyone. By showing them the material opportunities of different things, we reinforce resourcefulness. Sure, a newspaper can be a newspaper. But when the news is old, what do you do? Make it into something new! A monster chain or an airplane. Oh, the things you can do.

And shopping bags? You can use them to line your trash can, or you can take them back to the supermarket to be recycled. But when you have a fancy dinner party to go to and no jewelry to go with your taffeta ball gown, you cut those babies up and turn it into fashion! Are they pearls or plastic? No one will ever know.*

Then, last week Monica, Anna, Amy, Taylor, Ethan, and I did in-class presentations for a couple third grade classes. Although I love working with the Green Team, it was neat to work with a bigger group of kids. We told them about the nitrogen cycle, and they all seemed to enjoy it. They were fun and lively, and eager to learn and answer questions. After we presented the nitrogen cycle, we had an activity for the group. The kids were nitrogen particles. I represented plants; Anna represented animals; Amy represented soil; and Taylor represented the sky. The four groups of kids each started at one of the stations and went through the cycle. Each student had a nitrogen passport and had to tell us how they got to this station and where they were going next. 

Next week the group is going to do in-class presentations again. This time for first graders. Their teachers said they're learning about weather right now. I thought it would be a good chance to talk about how the wind effects the weather, and maybe we could also tie in a little information about wind-power or solar power. Right now we're still in the brainstorming process, but I'm sure that whatever we decide on will be great. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Desirée

*Not actually true.

November - Smith

     This month has gone pretty well for the Think Green house. We have been to the Green Team meeting at Boyd and even had in class presentations. We have had a couple snags here and there but everything ended up working out in the end.
     At our first meeting with Boyd's Green Team we made recycled crafts with the students. We had two separate crafts, newspaper monsters and plastic bag bracelets. For the monsters, we folded up a strip of newspaper and then the kids drew half of a monster on it. After that the monster is cut out and when unfolded should make a string of identical monsters. Jared was the only one who got it on the first try, for some reason it was difficult for the rest of us to figure out. The bracelets were made by twisting plastic bags around little pieces of newspaper, making the bracelet look similar to pearls. Towards the end we made a couple of paper planes out of the leftover newspaper and had fun throwing them around with the kids.
     Last week we also did two in class presentations about the nitrogen cycle. First we talked about each step in the cycle, drawing what occurs so that the class could better visualize the cycle. We also had a toy cow head that we used to represent animals eating plants that contain nitrogen, and the kids got a kick out of it. They all laughed when a plastic cow head was taped to the board, and then in each class someone asked why we were using a cow head. After explaining the cycle we split the kids into four groups; clouds, soil, plants, and animals. Each group told us about what happens in the step of the nitrogen cycle they were in and we answered any questions they had. Then we checked off their "nitrogen passport" and they would go to the next station. At the end we passed out organic snacks and told them what happens when pollution gets into the cycle.
     When it comes to interacting with the Summit community, I have been unable to attend any of the events. Unfortunately most of them have been on Thursday nights, and on Thursdays I have class from 5:20-9:00pm. I was hoping to make it to the November social that happened on Wednesday night, but I was studying for a test. I have mixed feelings about the wellness program. I really enjoy Yoga and Tai Chi, and am looking forward to acupuncture (though I don't know if I feel like getting poked with needles yet). The rest of the wellness program doesn't really make sense to me. I feel like a wellness program shouldn't be something taught online, but something that should be experienced. I thought the speakers we had in September were interesting, and hope the rest of the speakers are equally so.

Ethan Graham - NOV!

We have been busy with Boyd this month.  Everyone in the house has been going over to play with the kids at Boyd during recess.  I have not been able to go over and play with the kids because of class, but everyone says that it has been really fun hanging out with them and just spending time with them.  We have also been going over after school and showing the kids different ways to use old news paper.  We showed them how to cut up the paper and make different shapes just like you make snow flakes when you was a kid.  It was fun to show them how to do that.  I like to never figured out how cut the paper the right way to make it work. 
We also went over and did a presentation over the nitrogen cycle.  The kids really like us being over there and showing them how it works.  We took food and drinks with us to show them its important to eat organic foods.  Its been a really good month for us in the green house working with Boyd.  We are looking foward to working with them more next month and to spend more time with the kids.

Thinking Green in November!

    November has been a busy, busy month for Think Green at Boyd!  It seems as if these past four weeks have really gotten our project off the ground and into a good groove with the Green Activities at Boyd. During the last week of October, we headed over to Boyd for our first "Green Recess" where we made Pine Cone birdseed feeders and Mini-Frankenstines out of recyclable materials.  After that we have had one activity after another over there and are really starting to connect with some of the kids and faculty.  After our green recess, we were able to go over a couple days later for our first meeting with the Green Team- a preexisting student group that we are hoping to help out with and eventually expand.  At the meeting we split up the boys and girls and had the girls make necklaces out of recycled plastic bags and newspaper while the boys cut up old newspapers to make "monster chains" or cutouts of other creatures that they decorated with markers.  After the meeting some of the group emptied all of the recycling bins in the school.
     Finally, the most exciting recent activity from our group was a series of two in-class presentations we made to two third grade classes.  Using an interactive lesson plan, we worked to explain the Nitrogen Cycle to an eager group of kids who, we were pleasantly surprised to find, were extremely receptive to learn about.  After explaining the Nitrogen Cycle we got down to the fun stuff and played a "nitrogen cycle themed" game with the kids and munched on organic snacks which we explained to the kids would help promote green agriculture and help combat one of the detriments of the Nitrogen Cycle as it is altered by pollution.
   Overall, I think this month was extremely successful for our group and I am now looking forward to the future of working with the kids now that we have a better idea of what sort of activities can be effective and how we can most efficiently prepare for them.  To date, the most encouraging part of our project has been the enthusiastic feedback that we have received from teachers, administrators, and (most importantly) the kids at Boyd.  Everyone has been extremely encouraging and accommodating to help us make our project a success and it is so fantastic to start getting feedback and excitement from the kids as they are more exposed to "green thinking" and how they can help out in their community.

Anna Regan

It's not that easy being "Think Green"- Scherrer

       Kermit definitely said it best: "it's not that easy bein' green, but I think it's what I want to be." And, although this Summit project hasn't been easy, it's definitely what I want to be doing. November was a spectacular month for our group and we've been logging a lot of hours. We had our first "green" recess at the end of October and we are planning to have another one tomorrow! We also had our first Think Green meeting at Boyd last week and our first in-class presentations yesterday! We're really working hard to get things done and be green.
     The Think Green meeting at Boyd went very well. We made recyclable crafts with the students and emptied the recycle bins and we scheduled another meeting for December (something to look forward to!). And, in my opinion, our in-class presentations went even better. We presented to both of the 3rd grade classes and taught them all about the nitrogen cycle. We had a fun game for them to play that dealt with the cycle and we made sure to include information about how pollution affects the levels of nitrogen in the cycle. The students were very receptive and caught on quickly; but they were especially happy when we passed out the organic snacks for them and explained to them that everytime they eat organically, they're making a healthy choice for themselves and the nitrogen cycle. These presentations really made me feel like we're doing something important for the school and contributing to the overall "green" health of the surrounding community.
      Life has been great living in Summit with my 7 other roommates. We all get along well and try to attend the Summit socials together too. The wellness program has helped our group get even closer. We go to the yoga/tai chi classes together and discuss what we're learning from them. For that reason, I'm enjoying the wellness program. Although it's difficult to remember to listen to the meditation everyday, I'm working at making it a regular part of my routine.

Until next month--
Amy