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May 2004April Showers Bring May Flowers As the weather warms up and the rain brings the trees, grass and flowers to life all around us, what better time to compare our own environment to that of the rainforests? This spring, use our rainfall activities and new flower profiles to make the rainforest come alive in your classroom.
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Know Your Flowers
As flowers sprout up all around us, here's an opportunity to teach your students about some of the brilliant and most interesting flowers of the rainforest. The Heliconia is actually a member of the banana family, and many of us see these flowers in gardens around our own homes. The pineapple belongs to the bromeliad family. Did you know that one bromeliad can contain an entire ecosystem? Teach your kids about the bromeliad and the tree frog's fascinating relationship with our new species profiles and our bromeliad activity in the third and fourth grade units.
It's Raining, It's Pouring
Spring is the perfect time to use the rainfall activities from the Rainforest Alliance curriculum. First graders can compare their local temperature and rainfall to that of Belize by using local weather reports at www.belizetimes.bz. Have the students measure the differences by graphing their results. Your third and fourth graders can also soak up new math skills with our rainfall graph exercise. Students will graph the rainfall of three Latin American countries and their home state, then create math problems using the phrases "less than" and "greater than" to compare the rainfall of the various regions.
Rainforest Theme Day a Success
The rainforest theme day held in April by the Rafael Cordero School of Jersey City, NJ was a great success. The school was transformed into a virtual rainforest from ceiling to floor, complete with waterfalls, vines, wildlife and rainforest sounds. In a nearby park, students participated in a bio blitz, where they compared living things in their environment to plants and animals found in the rainforest. They made rainforest jewelry and masks, performed skits, ate fruit originating in the rainforest and learned all about the wonders of rainforest biodiversity. To benefit the mystical forests and coastal waters of Belize, the school held a successful fundraiser raising over $1300 through the Rainforest Alliance's Adopt-A-Rainforest program. Read the Jersey Journal article about the event. Special thanks to science lab teacher Barbara Henderson for her leadership! EPA President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA)
Do you know a student or a group of students who have played a role in protecting the environment or who want to do more? The Environmental Protection Agency's President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) program honors America's youth for projects that demonstrate a commitment to environmental protection. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade who are sponsored by an adult can apply for the award through July 31, 2004 at their local EPA regional office. All students who complete an environmental project will receive a signed certificate from the President of the U.S. in recognition of their accomplishments. One exceptional project from each of the ten EPA Regions will be presented with a Presidential plaque at an EPA sponsored award ceremony. Learn more at www.epa.gov/enviroed/pdf/peyaapp.pdf.
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