Posts tagged Children
5 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Stormwater
Jul 26th
The kids are out of school and it’s starting to heat up here in Southern California. We all remember those lazy summer days of our youth, trekking to Disneyland or hanging out at the beach. Well, what if this summer your kids went back to school with a new found interest in something important, like stormwater issues? We think that would be pretty cool, so here are 5 ways to help get you started!
#1: Do a Beach Cleanup
Nothing like a little reward for hard work. Every month Heal the Bay and other organizations coordinate beach cleanups which we list in our community calendar. So why not pick one and have the kids chip in for a morning? They will learn a little about how litter from the streets ends up at our beaches, and they will feel good about doing their part to make the environment a better place. Plus, you can reward them by hanging out for the afternoon at the beach, so they can play in the water!
#2: Plant a Native Garden
Not many kids enjoy mowing lawns, so why not have your kids help you get rid of one! Have them join you in turning your lawn into a More >
Big Change Happens in Small Ways at New School-West
Mar 16th
by Kristin Sherman
As a preschool director I’m witness to change over time and certain shifts in social consciousness. The philosophy in our school, The New School-West Preschool, is influenced by schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy. There’s a great respect for the children’s ideas, and curriculum is based on their reactions and interests in the world around them, of which the environment is a major part.
Our curriculum, guided by the students, becomes communication about the hazards of littering and its impact on stormwater and the ocean at large. They insist on making signs and setting up phone trees to inform their community that littering hurts our environment. Underneath their efforts, I begin to understand that their solution to the unchanging habits of older generations like mine is to inform-because they think we don’t know.
This is such an innocent, sweet, and terrifying realization, that I begin to wash my Yoplait cup each morning, and toss it in the recycling bin. After all, I know better, and I’ve been held to a higher standard, a new normalcy struggles to take hold.
I think about the world around me in regard to our environment and it is something our staff strives to share with the More >
QuikScience Challenge 2011!
Oct 20th
The USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies and Quiksilver, Inc have teamed up for a new science education program that is sure to make a splash!
It is the QuikScience Challenge 2011 and is described as a multi-faceted competition for student teams to spark their interest in science and the ocean. The Challenge will also foster leadership, environmental awareness and stewardship. There are two Challenges, one for middle school teams as well as one for high school teams.
QuikScience Challenge projects will include an ocean science lesson, a community service project, a solution to an environmental problem, a portfolio and a creative presentation of the team’s work.
If you live in California or Hawaii you are eligible to enter the Challenge. First place winners will travel to USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island for an entire week for education and fun! Second place teams will receive a 4 day trip to the same location.
But every team is a winner with many prizes and drawings for all. Who knew science education could be so much fun?
Registration ends October 29, 2010. For more information, please visit the QuckScience Challenge site.
*Photo courtesy of EarthZine.org
LASWP Conducts Middle School Presentations at Valley Alternative
Apr 7th
As part of the LA Stormwater Program’s school outreach component to educate students about stormwater pollution issues and encourage young people to be environmentally conscious, 6 middle school presentations were conducted at Valley Alternative Magnet School in Van Nuys on April 1, 2009.
A total of 202 students grade 6-8 were educated on the connection between the storm drain system and the ocean, the environmental impacts of stormwater pollution and simple steps, such as recycling and not littering, that every student can take to improve water quality in their community.At the end of each presentation, 3 questions about stormwater pollution were posed to students. When the students answered the question correctly, he/she was rewarded with a t-shirt highlighting the message “Clean water starts with me”.
The Los Angeles Stormwater Program regularly conducts presentations at City of LA schools. To request a presentation at your school, please email LAstormwater@lacity.org.
