Overwhelmed by the amount of inspiration here… have a pencil and paper ready when you hit play!

“At the INK Conference, Arvind Gupta shares simple yet stunning plans for turning trash into seriously entertaining, well-designed toys that kids can build themselves — while learning basic principles of science and design.”

Oh my… just discovered these TUTORIALS!

I just can’t get enough of Growing Schools. I am so thankful that this organizations has the will and the ability to share their projects with us online. Inspiring, educational and fun.

Watch more videos from Growing Schools on their YouTube Channel

“The Food for Life Partnership is a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture.

By developing a whole school food policy and action plan for your school, you can influence and improve the health of your students and the whole school community.

Schools can play a key role in equipping young people and their families with the skills and knowledge they need to maintain lifelong healthy and climate-friendly eating habits.

The school environment provides an excellent opportunity to help establish these good habits from a young age.”

Directed & Produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow

“Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth’s climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth.

Yet most humans ignore, abuse, and destroy our most precious living natural resource. Consider the results of such behavior: mass starvation, drought, floods, and global warming, and wars. If we continue on our current path, Dirt might find another use for humans, as compost for future life forms.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Another world, in which we treat dirt with the respect it deserves, is possible and we’ll show you how.

The film offers a vision of a sustainable relationship between Humans and Dirt through profiles of the global visionaries who are determined to repair the damage we’ve done before it’s too late. There are many ways we can preserve the living skin of the earth for future generations. If you care about your food, water, the air you breathe, your health and happiness…”

Click the image below for a variety of education resources (pdf), useful with children of any age and you might learn a new thing or two. Happy Earth Day, EVERY DAY!

Just discovered The North American Association for Environment Education, a “network of people who believe in teaching people how to think about the environment, not what to think.” I have spent the last hour exploring the Teachers section, I highly recommend that you take some time out to do the same.

A Conference !

While visiting Extremadura, the western region of Spain, I had the pleasure of taking a ride into Monfrague National Park. “The landscape includes dry open pastures, woodland of cork and holm oak, rocky outcrops, a reservoir, and is a bird watchers paradise.”

It was in Monfrague Nation Park that I saw the Quercus Suber aka Cork Oak Tree for the very first time. I knew that cork was a renewable resource but I had never thought about how it grows or where, that is, until I had the pleasure of seeing a Cork Oak forest.

Upon returning home, I turned to wikipedia to find out more — The “tree forms a thick, rugged bark containing high levels of suberin. Over time the cork cambium layer of bark can develop considerable thickness and can be harvested every 9 to 12 years to produce cork. The harvesting of cork does not harm the tree, in fact, no trees are cut down during the harvesting process. Only the bark is extracted, and a new layer of cork regrows, making it a renewable resource. The tree is widely cultivated in Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, France, Italy and Tunisia. Cork Oak forests cover approximately 25,000 square kilometres in those countries (equivalent to 2.277.700 hectares). Portugal accounts for 50% of the world cork harvest.”

“Films for Change is a bilingual National Film Board program designed to integrate documentary films on the environment into secondary level education.” Don’t be intimidated by “secondary level education” as these resources are valuable for children of all ages, as you know, it all depends on how you use them. “A comprehensive Teacher’s Guide is available to help students develop media literacy and environmental skills as well as to create an opportunity for students to implement environmental action projects in the classroom.

“Last week I (Mariah Bruehl) had the opportunity to participate in a lively discussion on the radio with Bob Deluca from Group for the East End and Anita Wright, an amazing environmental educator who works with many of our local schools. It was a great discussion about how to nurture an environmental consciousness within children.”

Going Green: A Radio Interview with Mariah Bruehl of playfulearning.com ——– Listen.

“I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!” – Jamie Oliver

I have always been troubled by the ‘bean sitting in a damp paper towel on the window sill in a clear plastic cup’. It is easy, mess-free and rather quick to reward – parents expect it, but is it a true learning experience? I think it is time we scrap this yearly ritual and look into what other options we have for ‘growing’ in the classroom. Grow Great Grub is a book I would like to see being used by teachers and children to explore the possibilities that may exist around them.

“Your patio, balcony, rooftop, front stoop, windowsill, or planter box is a potential fresh food garden waiting to happen. In this book, Gayla Trail, the founder of the leading online gardening community You Grow Girl, shows you how to grow your own delicious, affordable, organic edibles virtually anywhere.”

Congratulations Gayla! Your drive and accomplishments never cease to amaze me.