Yesterday I gave the Barn Swallows time to brainstorm a plan to celebrate and honor the earth for Earth Day today. (Even though we talked about how EVERY day really is Earth Day!) The students had many great ideas and in the end, this is what they decided to do. They wanted to plant trees, but needed trees and a place to plant them. They decided that they could plant a fruit tree in the school garden, but we would need money to buy the tree(s). A student said that we could sell our free verse poems that we have been working on and use the money to buy the fruit tree(s). In the end, we had an Earth Day parade, with students holding handmade signs (on the back of old posters) that gave tips and reminders about things everyone can do to help make a difference for nature. For example, 'Turn off lights, Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth, Take shorter showers, Buy from organic farms, Ride bikes, Turn off the T.V. and go outside, Compost, Protect our wildlife, Keep Gale's Creek clean, Grow your own food...' Students made book marks (with reused paper and reused yarn for tassels) that had their free verse poems about nature written on them. During the Earth Day Parade in downtown Forest Grove they sold the bookmarks for a dollar each! The parade made its way to Pacific University, where many bookmarks were sold! (Students also had a chance to see their artwork on display at the student union. (In Ms. Teresa's art class the students are focusing on the Western Snowy Plover. Through making large fabric banners of this endangered Oregon bird, which will be temporarily displayed on the beach in the near future, the students are learning that public art can send messages and communicate important ideas. (The Western Snowy Plover's eggs are sandy colored and laid in the kelp and driftwood on beaches. People and pets accidentally step on the camouflaged eggs, which over time has made a large impact on the population of the plovers.))
In the end, the Barn Swallows earned 35+ dollars for the fruit trees and there are many bookmarks left! The News Times took photos of our Earth Day paraders and I wanted to let you know that we might appear in the paper! Such an exciting day for the students! I think that they learned a lot from today's wonderful experience!
Sherry
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