This week, April 10-16, 2011, is National Environmental Education Week, also known as EEWeek. EE Week is held every year the week before Earth Day to promote environmental learning and stewardship among primary and secondary school students.
This year’s theme is “Ocean Connections.” There are many activities for students to participate in, including the 2011 Photo Blog Contest, and an electronic field trip about pollinators taking place on April 13. Additionally, broadcast meteorologists have put together presentations explaining how the ocean affects weather patterns, which are available for students to view online. If you want to participate, register today and begin learning about your surroundings!
There are great resources for teachers on the EE Week website as well,
such as webinars, a curricula library, and service-learning ideas. It
is like a one-stop-shop for environmental teaching both inside and
outside of the classroom.
One of the best activities I have found is called “Nature-Deficit
Disorder: Do You Have It?” The activity asks students to assess their
interactions with nature, and then interview their parents to see how
the adults’ environmental relationships compare with their own. In my
book, you can never have too much interaction with nature, but then
again, I am from a mighty rural area in Nebraska.
No matter where you live or how much time you spend outside, I encourage
you to celebrate National Environmental Education week. I hope it is
warm and sunny where you are so you can spend lots of time outside