SMA 1 Sendana: Environment Class

Nature Appreciation

·         Get students interested in the environment by exposing them to the beauty and complexity of nature. Take a walk to a nearby park, forest or pond and give students time to explore the area. Have students find a spot on their own and sit quietly for some time (the length depends on their age). You could ask them to take a notebook and write a journal entry, a poem or just take notes on their observations. If you can't go for a field trip, bring some plants and animals (an ant or worm farm, for example) into the classroom for students to observe and care for.

Crafts

·         Nature is inherently beautiful, and you can bring that into the classroom with arts and crafts projects using items from nature or benefiting nature. In autumn, go outside and collect colorful leaves to use in a collage. You can also press the leaves between the pages of a book - don't forget to line them with wax paper. In winter, make snow or ice sculptures. Turn recycled objects into art projects. Teach students to dry flowers. You could have students collect pretty stones to paint. Have students sketch or paint things they found outdoors or specimens you've brought to the classroom.

 

Eco-friendly Classroom

·         Get your students to participate in "greening" the classroom. Set up a compost bin where students can put the organic waste from their snacks or lunches. They can observe it turning into dirt, which they can then put in the school garden or a classroom planting project. Make a reuse bin to put beside your recycle bin. Use it for scrap paper, containers or art supplies that can be reused. Have a waste free lunch week, to encourage your students to use plastic containers and bottles for their food instead of disposable wrappers. This will also help them to eat healthy fresh food instead of processed packaged food.

Projects

·         Move from observation to action with some environmental projects. Science projects can be used to teach specific concepts about nature, or creative projects can get students active on an environmental issue. Some science projects might include indoor sprouting to see germination, dissecting insects, feeding a flower with colored water to see the petals change color, making a weather vane or tracking weather changes, making paper or even making a solar oven. Creative projects could include making Earth Day posters, a letter writing campaign to local businesses or politicians for better environmental practices or greening initiatives for the school.

Games

·         Games can be used to teach something about the environment or just to get connected with nature and have fun outdoors. If you can get to a forest or wooded area, you can play the tree hugger game. In partners, one student is blindfolded and the other will lead them to a tree. The blindfolded student has one minute to hug the tree, feel the bark, smell it and experience it. The partner will then lead him away and take off the blindfold. The student then has to try to find their tree. Another activity that can be done on school grounds is a scavenger hunt, geared to your class' age group and interests.