Green Partners Newsletter: Virtual resources for exploring ecosystems and online professional development opportunities
Thursday, June 25, 2020 at 10:09AMExcepts from Hennepin County's June 24 Green Partners Newsletter:
Environmental education resources
Big River Journey Online is the next best thing to a riverboat field trip on the Mississippi River! Filled with fun and exciting video clips and interactive learning modules about birds, boats, bugs, water quality and much more, the new Big River Journey Online allows kids to explore the mysteries of the Mississippi from school or home. Kids can peak into an eagle’s nest, spy on a romp of otters, spend time in a riverboat pilot house, imagine a waterfall greater than Niagara on the Mississippi, and solve river crimes.
Each of six learning modules plus a Welcome Aboard module features an introductory video along with topic specific multi-media interactives, videos, games, reading, word-finds and more. Teacher resources include assessments and other “go deeper” opportunities. The program was developed by the National Park Service, Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, and Mississippi Park Connection. Big River Journey Online is targeted for upper elementary grades and is available for free!
Project Learning Tree videos
The Project Learning Tree community is creating video demonstrations of some favorite PLT activities that students or participants can easily do at home. These are also great to share with parents for ideas of activities families can do together!
- How Big is That Tree? (grades 3-5 math): measure tree height and circumference
- Name That Tree (grades 5-8 science): basics of tree identification
- Forest for the Trees (grades 5-8 science, social studies): basic forest management
- Adopt a Tree (grades 3-5 science, ELA): students adopt and observe a tree over time
- The Fallen Log (grades 2-5 science): students observe all the signs of life and death on and under a fallen log in the forest
- Tree Cookies (gr. 3-8 science, social studies): students learn tree rings and make a timeline
- The Shape of Things (K-1 math): students learn about shapes and find them in the forest
- Looking at Leaves (K-3 science): students learn how observe and compare leaf shapes, textures, sizes, colors, and other characteristics
New online lessons available from Wolf Ridge
As learning remains primarily online for schools, organizations and families, Wolf Ridge continues to release online, standards-based lessons. Students explore Wolf Ridge and their own backyards, experiencing nature from a variety of perspectives including science, history, culture, art, and literature. The following five lessons have been released since our last newsletter.
Geology
If we know how to read them, rocks can tell us a story of how our landscapes were created. Geologic history shows us the shaping forces of our land long ago. Participants in the geology lessonwill learn about the rock cycle and see how geologic forces shaped the land, use a bedrock map, and create a rock cycle model.
Food and farming
Who grows your food? Have you ever met your farmer? Visit the Wolf Ridge farm to meet Sarah who helps grow tons of food. Participants in the food and farming lesson will explore the farm-to-table chain, track nutrition and physical activity for 2 weeks, and gain a better understanding of dietary habits and where food comes from.
Spring Plants
How can close observation and documentation of plant characteristics help us understand their success in ecosystems? Participants in the spring plants lesson will gain an understanding of flowering plants and how features like their shapes and colors help them reproduce, follow a plant in their neighborhood or yard as it grows and changes, make observations of flowering plants in their area, and create nature journal entries for a few of them that documents their features and labels their parts.
Frogs and toads
Go behind the scenes with the pond singers. Before you know it, you’ll be personally acquainted with the frogs and toads around you. Participants in the frogs and toads lesson will learn about what species live in Minnesota and understand their life cycle via metamorphosis, learn how frogs serve as an indicator species where they live, and solve math problems about frog survival rates.
Mysterious animal signs
kWhat is living in your neighborhood? What can we learn about animal behavior from the evidence they leave behind? Join us for this adventure, and don’t forget to bring your powers of observation! Participants in the mysterious animal signs lesson will solve a mystery with naturalists, explore and interpret some animal signs, and use knowledge of the animals to write a story about their interpretation of animal signs.
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities responds to increased need in south Minneapolis
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities have an environmental education grant to help youth learn about natural ecosystems and recycling at their Minneapolis clubs and at the Voyageur Environmental Center in Mound. Due to increased need in south Minneapolis communities, they are placing volunteers to help with sorting and packing food and supply donations at their Southside Village and Little Earth Clubs. Learn more and get involved.
Spark-Y provides victory gardens to inspire a movement of growing healthy good
Spark-Y recently gave away 750 free victory gardens to individuals, families, and organizations in Minneapolis in partnership with the African American Community Response Team (AACRT). The goal of the victory gardens is to inspire a movement of growing healthy food on our decks, homes, and community spaces.
Each victory garden contains a variety of vegetables so that young people and their families can learn to grow their own produce at home. At the request from the community, a Victory Garden site will be dedicated to George Floyd. Spark-Y also developed a series of videos and resources to provide instructions and inspiration for growing your own victory garden.
Three Rivers Explorer Club: outdoors every week afterschool
During the school year, youth at Robbinsdale, Plymouth, Sandburg, and Brooklyn Center middle schools participated in an outdoor afterschool environmental education pilot program called Explorer Club. This youth-driven club taught by Three Rivers Park District educators met weekly in all weather conditions. Activities focused on building relationships and inspiring authentic and positive experiences in nature. Favorite activities included snowball fights, exploring wildlife cameras, fat tire biking, snow sledding, guided plant and animal walks, meeting live animals, playing outdoor games, and building snow and stick forts.
Through spending time outdoors, students created a deeper connection with the natural environment surrounding their schools. Students also had a chance to volunteer at the outdoor “Embrace the North Festival” at Mississippi Gateway Regional Park. In the spring, the Explorer Club moved online and continued to provide weekly lessons plans, providing ideas for students to continue to connect with nature at home.
Youth Environmental Activists of Minnesota (YEA! MN) featured in Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine
Youth with Climate Generation's YEA! MN program were recently featured in the Minnesota DNR’s Conservation Volunteer magazine for their work planning the youth climate justice summit. The summit involved teaching other youth how to effectively talk to elected leaders about climate change. Read the full article.
