Ashley is an RN with a passion for science. In fact, she teaches the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) class that Michael takes at a local homeschool co-op. So, in celebration of Earth Day, she put together a program for the kids.
Fittingly, when we arrived at the park, someone had left a lovely chalk drawing on the floor of the pavilion.
I
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| Anonymous art |
The first exercise was a demonstration of how streams, lakes and other waterways become polluted by various sources. She lined up a dozen or so small cups, each filled with a liquid or material representing waste, and labeled accordingly (factory sludge, agricultural fertilizer, car oil, etc.). At the end of the line of cups was half a milk jug with water in it representing a natural body of water.
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| Line up your toxins! |
One by one, Ashley and the kids talked about each pollution source; where it came from, why it was created, how it got to the water source; and then dumped the little cup of pollution into the jug of water.
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Michael's "learning" face |
The jug of water got pretty nasty.
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| Nastified water ... poor little lake :( |
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| "That's kind of nasty" |
Once the water pollution exercise was finished, the kids were set loose on a pile of recycled materials which all of the families had pitched in and brought along.
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| Raw materials |
The first objective was creating planters and planting seeds.
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| Michael's seed silo |
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| More "traditional" seed starter |
Next was the "free form make whatever you want" portion of the program.
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| Intently creating |
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| Collaborative creation |
And, of course, what would any learning experience be without books?
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| Additional resources |
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