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.