Make fun experiences at home educational for your students this spring
The hustle and bustle of everyday life often allows us to easily forget about special real-world learning opportunities that are available for students throughout the year. Earth Day on April 22 is a perfect opportunity of this as you can help your students learn about a variety of environmental issues that they are impacted by daily.
Reading books, watching documentaries, and having discussions are a few ways you can cover issues such as food, water, energy, waste, deforestation, transportation, global warming and climate change. However, around Earth Day, it’s fun to do something a little extra. I know the teachers at Wisconsin Connections Academy will be raising eco-awareness in their online classrooms, and this time of year also presents an opportunity to engage your student in hands-on learning at home with these fun activities:
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Purify Polluted Water
Teach your student about water issues and construct this water filtration activity created by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Take Part in a Community Cleanup
Coordinate a time to pick up trash in the community, while teaching students about the dangers of pollution.
Make Earth Day Crayons
Create Earth Day crayons to teach your student how to recycle objects around the house.
Visit a State or National Park
Take your students on a nature walk or visit with a forest ranger that can explain more about local ecosystems and what you can do to help preserve them. Find a park near you!
Go on an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
Look for endangered animals at the zoo, plant and animal species at a park, or even eco-friendly—or not-so-eco-friendly—products and practices around the home.
Build a Homemade Solar Oven
Make a solar oven out of a pizza box! Students will understand the benefits of solar power firsthand while discussing other kinds of natural, renewable power resources, such as wind power and hydro power.
Plant Real “Family Trees”
Educate your student on the benefits of trees. Purchase tree seeds, plant several seeds in one spot, and then divide up the rest and mail them to relatives. Encourage your child to record the progress of the “family trees”!
Take our Earth Day Quiz
This year, we’ve launched an online Earth Day quiz to help raise eco-awareness and test your knowledge. The quiz can be found here and is a great game to play to determine your environmental know-how.
With the open enrollment period for Wisconsin closing on April 30, many families across the state are in the process of deciding what education option is the right fit for their student. Whether your family chooses an online school or traditional brick-and-mortar school option, it is important to remember that engaging with your student and taking part in hands-on learning activities can only help them succeed.
Families interested in enrolling in Wisconsin Connections Academy, an online public school, for the 2014-15 school year can learn more about the school at an upcoming online or in-person information session at the school’s website, www.WisconsinConnectionsAcademy.com. And remember, Wisconsin open enrollment ends on April 30.
