earth day 2013

Celebrating Earth Day is so rewarding as a teacher, especially with my younger students.  They get so hyped up about recycling and helping our planet - they start saying "organic" and "go green" because I tell them it's cool, and they're willing to try some new food.  Each year I make a healthy snack in attempt to expand their horizons.  (They like french fries.  That's it.)  So when I brought in Earth Day Bars they were a little hesitant.  Oats?  Raisins?  COCONUT? 

But then I told them it called for butter and Bisquick too, so they agreed to try them....and loved them of course.

Have you ever heard of Spoonful?  It's Disney's blog!  They have a ton of cute ideas for kids, including recipes, which is where I found this one.

We also started making birdhouses that each student can take home and hang in their backyard.  I was really looking for a kit that could be put together with wood glue and ended up finding the perfect ones at our local craft store - $1.34 each with our school discount.  Score.  Since they were so cheap and I already had the purchase order approval, I made the (non-authorized) exective decision to load up on wood glue, acrylic paint and paintbrushes. 

Tomorrow they can bring in stencils and paint all the details they want on them.  They have loved it!  Well, not so much the parents whose children got paint on their pants.  I tried warning them it wouldn't come out - must bring a smock!  In one ear and out the other.

And Earth Day wouldn't be complete without the nerdiest science teacher's kid dressed in a globe.