From Learners to Leaders: Using Creative
Problem Solving in Environmental Projects...pp. 6-12
by David Bauer, David Hetherly and Susan Keller-Mathers
Developing, implementing and constructing environmental
projects from inception to end gives students the confidence,
empowerment and leadership skills they’ll need later to make
a difference in the world. Using a case study of Buffalo area
high school students who developed a schoolyard pond ecosystem as
a model, the authors show how the step-by-step creative problem
solving approach is an effective tool for environmental learning.
Haiku-writing: Learning from the Pine...pp.
13-14
by Naomi Beth Wakan
Writing haiku poetry helps students to pay attention to the
moment, and grasp the interconnectedness of all things –
important tools to developing environmental awareness.
Creating a Map for Eco-Art Education…pp.
15-18
by Hilary Inwood
Environmental art teaches ecological concepts as well as
artistic ones, and can strengthen students’ connections with
the places they live. Perspective article that includes
suggestions for green art projects.
Earth’s Magic Mud…pp.
19-22
by Kathleen Bailer
Reusable, biodegradable and infinitely transformable, clay is
nature’s perfect classroom material and one that enables
children’s hands to come in contact with the following
elements and forces that make up the Earth: water, rock, ice and
erosion. Bailer offers guidelines for using clay with pre-school
and school-aged children.
Teaching Water Awareness Through
Xeriscaping...pp. 23-29
by Cheri Vogel
Xeriscaping, a landscaping technique that minimizes water use
in gardens, can provide ideal hands-on projects that help
students learn about the water cycle and the interrelationship
between soil, plants and water. The author outlines the seven
principles of xeriscaping and provides several teaching
activities that explore these principles.
Forecasting Congress: Envisioning the
Future…pp. 30-33
by Jan Cincera
A secondary level teaching futures activity that asks
students to consider eight preferred and possible future
scenarios, stimulating discussion about impending global
problems, and generating ideas about what can be done now to
ensure a better future.
The Water Game…pp. 34-37
by Jennifer Baron
A fun activity that teaches young children about the many
phases and forms of H2O, while reinforcing the message that we
must protect our limited supply of fresh, clean water.
Museum Internship Programs for Young
People: Ten Tips for Success…pp. 38-40
by Sharon A. Hollander
Using the New Jersey State Aquarium’s highly successful
museum internship program for high school students as a model,
the article offers ten tips, based on the experience of the
successful program, for anyone interested in developing
innovative and inclusive programming for youth.
And as always, over 20 innovative, new educational resources are profiled and evaluated in this issue of Green Teacher.
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