All Discussions Tagged 'nature' - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T07:32:12Zhttps://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=nature&feed=yes&xn_auth=noSave the Redwoods League Art Contest for Kids!tag:www.classroom20.com,2012-09-11:649749:Topic:8734902012-09-11T16:20:54.004ZSave The Redwoods Leaguehttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/SaveTheRedwoodsLeague
<p>Help Save the Redwoods League protect the magnificent redwoods - encourage the K-12 students in your life to enter our <strong>free redwoods art contest</strong> starting on September 10, 2012!<br></br> <br></br> K--12 students across the nation are invited to create a work of art that features them <strong>playing, learning or exploring</strong> in the redwoods. Their art will help Save the Redwoods League raise awareness of redwood forests. Students can draw, paint or sketch their way toward a…</p>
<p>Help Save the Redwoods League protect the magnificent redwoods - encourage the K-12 students in your life to enter our <strong>free redwoods art contest</strong> starting on September 10, 2012!<br/> <br/> K--12 students across the nation are invited to create a work of art that features them <strong>playing, learning or exploring</strong> in the redwoods. Their art will help Save the Redwoods League raise awareness of redwood forests. Students can draw, paint or sketch their way toward a chance to win fun and fabulous redwoods prizes while learning about the tallest and some of the oldest and largest living beings on Earth. The League's <strong>Find Me in the Redwoods</strong> art contest is a simple way to encourage America's students to have fun, connect with nature and help protect one of our country's natural wonders.<br/> <br/> Contestants compete in the following three grade categories: K-3, 4-8 and 9-12. Winners will be announced via email and on the League's website. Winning artwork will be announced November 15, 2012, and will be showcased in League publications or featured on our website. All entries will be mailed to Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior. <br/> <br/> <strong>Teachers also win.</strong> Educators associated with the first-place winners will win fabulous redwood prizes. The hope is to inspire teachers to educate students about the wonders of the redwood forests.<br/> <br/> No fee is required to enter the contest. Entry forms are available in <strong>English and Spanish</strong>. To download an entry form and learn more please visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://education.savetheredwoods.org/kit/art-contest.php">http://education.savetheredwoods.org/kit/art-contest.php</a>. Or email us and we'll mail you enough entry forms for your class!<br/> <br/> All entries must be postmarked no later than <strong>October 19, 2012</strong>. Send them to Save the Redwoods League, c/o Art Contest, 114 Sansome St., Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104.<br/> <br/> Questions? Contact the Director of Outreach at Outreach@SaveTheRedwoods.org or (415) 362-2352.</p> just started an exploration of Andrew Goldsworthy, an artist for our time...tag:www.classroom20.com,2008-10-27:649749:Topic:2057812008-10-27T18:33:23.552ZConnie Weberhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/connieweber
Has anyone explored the works of <a href="http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html">Andrew Goldsworthy</a> as part of class learning? We've been studying him, and tomorrow the kids are scouting the school grounds for "nature-scapes," project places. Students will build their own sculptures and watch them change with the passage of time. We'll be doing this three or four times this year, in all seasons. We're recording it all digitally, and making iMovies of the…
Has anyone explored the works of <a href="http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html">Andrew Goldsworthy</a> as part of class learning? We've been studying him, and tomorrow the kids are scouting the school grounds for "nature-scapes," project places. Students will build their own sculptures and watch them change with the passage of time. We'll be doing this three or four times this year, in all seasons. We're recording it all digitally, and making iMovies of the experiences. If you've done something like this with your students, or are interested, please reply. We could share our projects. I could use some tips, too: got ideas about how to go about things? (I'll try to keep them out of the poison ivy, beyond that, it's a pretty open project. We'll use our school nature area.)<br />
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By the way, the movie "Rivers and Tides" is exquisite.<br />
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This forum is running at <a href="http://firesidelearning.ning.com">Fireside</a> as well. bird songtag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-15:649749:Topic:274142007-06-15T16:03:38.184ZConnie Weberhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/connieweber
Today I woke at dawn, and listened. I live in wild country, and the morning bird symphony is richly layered, complex, thick. I listened and kept listening, with acute focus and attention, not my usual "ah, how wonderful, the birds are singing" sleep-blurred oblivion.<br />
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I listened with acute awareness because of a Nature (international weekly journal of science) article that just came out, about the devastation of some bird populations, due to West Nile virus. My favorite bird, the American…
Today I woke at dawn, and listened. I live in wild country, and the morning bird symphony is richly layered, complex, thick. I listened and kept listening, with acute focus and attention, not my usual "ah, how wonderful, the birds are singing" sleep-blurred oblivion.<br />
<br />
I listened with acute awareness because of a Nature (international weekly journal of science) article that just came out, about the devastation of some bird populations, due to West Nile virus. My favorite bird, the American robin, has been affected, along with the American crow, blue jay, tufted titmouse, house wren, chickadee and Eastern bluebird. Here's the article from Nature, "West Nile virus emergence and large-scale declines of North American bird populations"<br />
<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7145/abs/nature05829.html">http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7145/abs/nature05829.html</a><br />
and here it is in simpler form, from MSNBC news, "West Nile virus devastates backyard birds":<br />
<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18701604/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18701604/</a><br />
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Well, today the morning birdsong was rich, layered, complex, and yet... not as intricate as usual. A voice was missing: robin song. Oh my gosh, this call I've taken for granted all my life, THE bird song of birdsongs. Not here, not this morning.<br />
Here is the song--<br />
<a href="http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sounds/RobinSong_LangElliott.mp3">http://www.learner.org/jnorth/sounds/RobinSong_LangElliott.mp3</a><br />
and here it is with all the variances:<br />
<a href="http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/NameThatTune.html">http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/NameThatTune.html</a><br />
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I know this isn't really a CR2.0 topic, but investigating and sharing knowledge of what's going on globally with the environment is definitely part of Web 2.0, and you are my colleagues, so I'd ask you, too, to listen to signs and sounds of change...<br />
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I'm reminded of one of the most moving portrayals I've ever heard on what's happening ecologically. It came out in 1996, on NPR's Radio Expeditions: Life on the Brink. If you ever get a chance to hear the whole show, it's well worth the time--and really instructional for both adults and children. "How would a symphony sound without some of its musical instruments? The music would play on, but it wouldn't sound the same. Without the woodwinds or the timpani much of what creates beautiful music is lost. Biodiversity represents the same kind of symphony. When species disappear, life goes on. But, the fragile links of life are changed forever. " (from the Radio Expeditions website) Here is a link to that show, but not the whole thing.<br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/1996/brink/song.html">http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/1996/brink/song.html</a><br />
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In closing, I'll just say, together we can stay informed, notice what's happening, and work together to find ways to make a difference.<br />
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Thank you for listening.<br />
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/1996/brink/lastcalls.html">http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/1996/brink/lastcalls.html</a> anyone using technology to reduce "Nature Deficit Disorder"?tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-12:649749:Topic:267782007-06-12T16:57:30.563ZConnie Weberhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/connieweber
You've probably heard the talk about how children are losing touch with the nature around them. I read the book <u>Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder</u> by Richard Louv. It provokes a lot of thought. Here's an article in Salon magazine that talks about the book and author:<br />
<a href="http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/06/02/Louv/index.html">http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/06/02/Louv/index.html</a><br />
<br />
I'm wondering what CR2.0 people are doing,…
You've probably heard the talk about how children are losing touch with the nature around them. I read the book <u>Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder</u> by Richard Louv. It provokes a lot of thought. Here's an article in Salon magazine that talks about the book and author:<br />
<a href="http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/06/02/Louv/index.html">http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2005/06/02/Louv/index.html</a><br />
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I'm wondering what CR2.0 people are doing, or have seen done, to get kids actively in touch with nature while also using technology for discovery, presentation, and communication.<br />
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Any feedback on this? the beestag:www.classroom20.com,2007-04-25:649749:Topic:81002007-04-25T23:34:02.555ZConnie Weberhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/connieweber
At home, I use dial-up. Am I the last one? Does anyone else know what it's like to be able to go get a cup of tea between clicks? At school, things are lightning fast. The contrast is dramatic.<br />
Here at home we might shortly get Washtenaw Wireless, a county initiative to hookup the "most rural and outlying areas." Everyone would then have low-cost high-speed internet connectivity. Great, right?<br />
<br />
For connecting to the wide world, great.<br />
But...<br />
<br />
Has anyone heard about Colony Collapse Disorder? No,…
At home, I use dial-up. Am I the last one? Does anyone else know what it's like to be able to go get a cup of tea between clicks? At school, things are lightning fast. The contrast is dramatic.<br />
Here at home we might shortly get Washtenaw Wireless, a county initiative to hookup the "most rural and outlying areas." Everyone would then have low-cost high-speed internet connectivity. Great, right?<br />
<br />
For connecting to the wide world, great.<br />
But...<br />
<br />
Has anyone heard about Colony Collapse Disorder? No, it's not about social networking, not this sort anyhow.<br />
Bees are dying, all over the country, and in Europe, too. It's inexplicable. The hive itself will be intact and seemingly healthy. The honey supply will be plentiful; bodies of sick or dead bees are not to be found. The bees just simply disappear.<br />
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Why this isn't front page news in every major newspaper, I don't know.<br />
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Scientists are onto this. They're working to find out what in the world is going on, and are generating a lot of theories: climate, stress, pesticides, an accumulation of viruses. There's also a theory that I initially dismissed as "way out there": wireless connections may be disrupting the bees' ability to navigate or communicate.<br />
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I didn't give that theory the time of day until last weekend when I went for a walk with my neighborhood friend who's a beekeeper. I noticed a big red mark on her forehead and asked her about it.<br />
Her response: "Oh, I should have known better. I was so stupid. My phone went off and i just answered it, right while I was checking on the hive."<br />
"Yeah...so..."<br />
"Instantly one took a dive bomb at my face and then the whole hive was alarmed. I got out of there, fast. See my stings?"<br />
I was incredulous. "You think the phone going off made the bees mad?" (She doesn't even use the ringer, just keeps it on vibrate. She carries the phone in her pocket.)<br />
"Without doubt. Beekeepers know (or should know, I was SO stupid) that you don't use devices around bees. Very dangerous."<br />
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After talking with her, I began wondering. What if there actually is a connection between the demise of the bees and our luxurious connectivity to wireless communications? Could this possibly be a factor in the problems the bees are having? I'm wondering if I should be quite as enthusiastic about our wild area going wireless.<br />
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Is this silly?