Why Environmental Education at PLSAS?

Research illustrates time and time again that outdoor instruction or instruction blending environmental topics into core curricular areas creates authentic learning opportunities allowing for increased critical thinking opportunities; decreased symptoms of ADD, Autism, etc.; increased reading scores; decreased behavior discipline issues, etc.

For details on the research visit Children and Nature Network or click here

Don't Trash the Phone Book

Did you know a 1992 Minnesota law bans the disposal of telephone directories in trash?  Did you know 100% of telephone directories are recyclable?  Directories today are printed on paper that is either recycled or made from leftover woodchips from the lumber industry so no new trees are necessary to make directory paper.  Publishers have also turned to soy-based inks and have repaginated and redesigned their phone book layouts to minimize paper usage. 

Don't want a phone book delivered to you any more?  Minnesota has a brand new site providing the option for MN residents to opt out of receiving the phone book.  Check it out here

Thank you Sailer's Greenhouse!!!!

A BIG THANK YOU to Sailer's Greenhouse for the donation of 15 flats of native perennials for our outdoor classrooms across the District! 

Please support their business!  They have the most beautiful mums right now.

Check out Sailor's here

Here are some Kids Company students planting Big Bluestem, Sideoat Grama and Indian Grass in the Jeffers Pond prairie.

Why should you recycle?

Feeling overwhelmed and hopeless about the state our of natural resources? Recycle.
Realizing how much you spend on waste removal each month? Recycle.
Observing trash along the roadside? Recycle.

Here's a top 5 for why you should RECYCLE....

• Saves Natural Resources - By making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials, we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
• Saves Energy - It usually takes less energy to make recycled products; recycled aluminum, for example, takes 95% less energy than new aluminum from bauxite ore.
• Saves Clean Air and Water - In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
• Saves Landfill Space - When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don't go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
• Saves Money and Creates Jobs - The recycling process creates far more jobs than landfills or incinerators, and recycling can frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.

Bringing Real Events into the Classroom

What better way to make learning authentic then by bringing real-life events into the classroom.  The National Environmental Education Foundation EE Week project has compiles a list of resources and curricula on the BP oil spill that are tied to educational standards from the EPA, NOAA, Smithsonian and National Geographic. 

Catch the link here

Just the Facts

The importance of teaching outdoors or about the environment isn't just one of those 'trendy' new curriculum packages.  Research shows over and over again how outdoor instruction lends itself to more authentic learning experiences, decreased student behavior issues, and increased test scores in math, language, social studies, and yep, of course, science.  Of course there are many, many, many more reasons.  For a comprehensive showcase of research in multiple media formats, check out the Children and Nature Network site.  You can find it here. 

Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge (SEEK)

SEEK (Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge) is the self-proclaimed 'home of Minnesota's environmental education (EE) resources'.  The site has a directory of over 1200 EE resources, web links, a calendar of events (including family events and professional development) and so much more. The site also includes links to documents such as 'A GreenPrint for Minnesota', 'Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence', and 'Minnesota Report Cards on Environmental Literacy'...all guiding documents for our PLSAS EE program. 

Take a moment to explore the website. You'll be amazed with the discoveries.   SEEK Webpage