| |
A New Thanksgiving Tradition: Save a Turkey
Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary's Adopt-A-Turkey Project has encouraged people to save a turkey at Thanksgiving through sponsorships that help to rescue animals and provide care for them at sanctuaries, as well as educate and advocate for turkeys, and other farm animals, everywhere. Now is your chance to join us in saving even more lives this year...just click here to sponsor a turkey.Sponsor a turkey who lives at the Watkins Glen, New York or Orland, California shelter for farm animals. For a one-time $25 adoption fee, you will receive: A special Adopt-A-Turkey certificate with color photo of and fun details about your new friend, A Farm Sanctuary membership for one year, A one-year subscription to Sanctuary, our quarterly newsletter.
As a turkey sponsor, you will not only contribute funds for the care of the rescued animals at our sanctuaries, but will also help us educate and advocate for turkeys, and other farm animals, everywhere.
From: Farm Sanctuary
A Brand New Mercer Slough
A few weekends ago, I drove a familiar route to my old workplace: the fantastic Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. It seems a long time ago, but I spent four years here, first as a part-time teacher, then a full-time program coordinator, and lastly, supervisor of the facility, programs, and staff. I have so many memories of this place: Surprising groups of school kids by making the ground shake during a Bog Bounce. Paddling canoes silently alongside night herons. Surviving the Nisqually Earthquake in a very old building amidst a landslide of shelving units and a very nervous group of Kindergartners. Breaking through a layer of pond ice on a winter morning to take samples of pond water and critters.Back in the day, one of my responsibilities was to meet with an architectural firm to help plan a brand new multi-million dollar facility. It was exciting--and at times, frustrating--to meet across the table with Pacific Science Center executives, architects, and City of Bellevue staff. I tossed in ideas, advocated for the children who would use the space, tried to help everyone understand the magic of the Mercer Slough and its educational programs, and pleaded for more bathrooms (we had about 12,000 visitors a year, and one (!!!!) toilet). Once I left my position, the cause was taken up by other dedicated Slough staffers, ensuring an incredible final product.It has been a long time coming....and those original plans have evolved into something entirely different and totally amazing...but here it is. A brand new Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. The new buildings were dedicated on October 11th. If you haven't dropped by to visit yet, I highly recommend it. Make sure not to miss a climb up the observation tower, a walk down the plank, and a peek at the green roofs. Oh, and there are lots of toilets, too! Find out more about the new Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in this Seattle Times article. Information about the Center's top-notch education programs can be found here.
Spend a Year in Washington D.C.
Einstein Fellowship - Application Now Open!
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship is a paid fellowship for K-12 math, science, and technology teachers. Einstein Fellows spend a school year in Washington, DC serving in a federal agency or on Capitol Hill. To be considered for an Einstein Fellowship for the 2009-2010 school year, apply and submit three letters of recommendation online by January 13, 2009.
Apply online at https://applicationlink.labworks.org/applicationlink/default.htm. For more information about the Einstein Fellows program visit here or contact Liz Burck. From: Einstein Fellows Program
Cool School Challenge Teacher Workshop
What: Cool School Challenge Teacher Workshop ($300 Stipend) Where: Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center When: December 4th, 4-7pm Just imagine your students involved in one of the most interesting and timely topics of the 21st century. They are learning how they can lessen their environmental impact, reduce their individual "carbon footprint" and get their school involved in the same process. They are involved because their teacher took the time to learn about the Cool School Challenge. Teachers of grades 7-12 from Bellevue, Lake Washington, Renton, Issaquah, Northshore, Riverview and Snoqualmie Valley School Districts are invited to participate in a 3-hour workshop to learn about this exciting new educational program. Free Washington State Clock Hours will be provided. Additionally, teachers who attend a workshop and then get their students to participate in the Challenge will receive a $300.00 stipend after they have submitted their results and a program evaluation. Please RSVP by November 24th to Antonina Bolotina or 425.456.2419. From: EEAW
Reading, Writing & Rings
(Grades 1-4) Reading, Writing, and Rings utilize the planet Saturn and discoveries from NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission to engage elementary students in reading and writing.The teacher-developed, standards-based materials are divided into two grade level units. For free lesson plans, click here.From: NASA Spacegrant newsletter
Smart Bodies--Free Class for Teachers
Smart Bodies: Activities for Teaching Health is a free evening course for middle school teachers featuring hands-on, investigative science for the classroom. The course is being offered January 8- March 5 at the University of Washington. Participants who successfully complete the course will receive 2 credits of BIOL 491. Topics include an introduction to experiments with cells and human genetics; activities and resources target nutrition, reproduction, bioethics, and more. Materials may be adapted for upper elementary and high school classes. For additional information, click here.From: NASA Space Grant Newsletter
Imagine Tomorrow Energy Competition
May 29-31, 2009
Washington State University, Pullman Washington high school students, Imagine Tomorrow wants you to answer the question, "How would you Power Your Future?" Form a team and choose from four challenges. You could win thousands of dollars in prize money for you and your school. Registration opens November 3rd, and only the first 150 teams get to compete.....so don't delay! For information, click here. From: WSU
Real World Design Challenge
The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual event that provides high school students, grades 9 – 12, the opportunity to work on real world engineering challenges in a team environment. Each year, student teams will be asked to address a challenge that confronts one of our nation’s leading industries. Students will utilize professional quality computer-aided design software to develop their solutions and will also generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions. The RWDC provides students with opportunities to apply the lessons of the classroom to the technical problems that are being faced in the workplace. For more information, click here. From: US Department of Energy
Finland: City and Country
    A few more images of Finland to share.
Sleepy Seaside Town
   Images from a visit to Hanko, a sleepy seaside town in Finland where Russian aristocrats used to summer. It is a town of Victorian-era villas, each one iced and decorated like a gingerbread house. It is a town of pink pebble beaches and old-fashioned wooden changing booths. It is a town with a seaweed-scented fishing port and a diesel-scented trucking center. It is a town asleep in the post-summer season.
Finnish Forests
    During a recent trip to Finland, I spent time wandering several forests. These Finnish forests seemed alive with magic. The trees are rooted in a country rich with folklore and mythology. It wasn't just the cool green carpet of moss, the distant gobble of a wild turkey, or the flitter of yellow birch leaves raining down from the canopy that inspired me. It was imagination gone wild. Over there, see it? Perhaps it is a forest fairy sitting atop a silver toadstool. There she is, washing her hair with dew drops collected in a buttercup. Oh, there is another fairy, using pine needles to knit together soft strands of moss and spiderweb silk. Look at that acorn. Another fairy is fashioning it into a smart little cap. Hear that chatter? It is the sound of a party as the fairies gather in a woodland meadow to dance in the moonbeams.
Views of Rural Finland
    After returning from a trip to Finland, I'd like to share some photos. Here are some rural images of southwestern Finland.
Teacher Workshops at Woodland Park Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo-Teacher Professional Development for Fall 2008
All workshops are open to educators of all grades, including pre-service teachers
Thanks to grant funding and support from the King County Parks Levy, these teacher professional development opportunities will be offered at minimal cost to teachers. The workshops are held at Woodland Park Zoo and include presentations, tours, discussions and hands-on activities. Advance registration by fax or mail is required for these workshops.
For more information and to receive workshop applications call 206.548..2424
or see the Education section of the zoo's Web site.
FORESTS: TEMPERATE AND TROPICAL
Saturday, October 18, 2008 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Most appropriate for grades K-9
Take this opportunity to learn more about forests of the world! This workshop will focus on the plants, animals and natural history of Pacific Northwest temperate forests and tropical forests of Central and South America.. Participants will take part in classroom and outdoor activities that can help students to understand and appreciate forests as well as take action to protect biodiversity.
Cost: $10 materials fee. Clock hours (7) will be available.
Application due date: Monday, September 22, 2008.
FELIDS: CATS OF THE WORLD
Saturday, December 6, 2008 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Most appropriate for grades K-8
What makes a cat a cat? How many species of felines exist in the wild and how do they survive? How many species of big cats are there and where do they live in the world? Join us to learn about the exciting world of cats, enrichment programs here at the zoo and our conservation efforts abroad. This workshop will examine the physical and behavioral characteristics of felines, as well as the roles they play in the various ecosystems they inhabit. Cost: $10 materials fee. Clock hours (7) will be available.
Application due date: Monday, November 3, 2008.From: Woodland Park Zoo
Cool School Challenge Workshop
Saturday, October 25, 2008 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wild Horse Wind Farm, Ellensburg, WA Teachers of grades 7-12 are invited to participate in a 6-hour workshop, which includes a 2-hour guided tour of Wild Horse Wind/Solar Farm, to learn about an exciting new educational program called the Cool School Challenge. The Cool School Challenge engages students, teachers and school districts in a school-wide initiative to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2,000 pounds or more per classroom, per school year. The Challenge empowers students to become leaders, take action, and make a difference. The program can be administered by any teacher interested in becoming a "Challenge Coach" and is especially suited for science and math teachers. The workshop will include an overview of the program, special guest speakers and a demonstration on how the Challenge can be used to educate students about practical climate solutions and effectively reduce CO2 emissions at your school. Participants will receive program materials and supplemental background information. Puget Sound Energy will offer six FREE Washington Science Teachers Association clock hours and lunch. Additionally, teachers from schools within PSE's service territory are eligible to receive a $300 stipend if they implement the Challenge at their school, submit their results and complete a brief evaluation. Led by educators and representatives from Puget Sound Energy, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and the Northwest Clean Air Agency, this workshop will help you make the Challenge a big success at your school! Please RSVP by October 17th to Tyler O'Farrell or 425-456-2419. From: Cool School Challenge
Young Naturalist Award (G.7-12)
Deadline: March 2, 2009 Presented by the American Museum of Natural History and sponsored by Alcoa Foundation, the Young Naturalist Awards-an inquiry-based research competition--invites students in grades 7-12 to conduct research in the natural world. Students investigate questions they have in the areas of ecology, biology, Earth science and astronomy and present their findings in an essay. Winners (2 from each grade) receive cash awards, from $500 to $2,500, and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to attend the awards ceremony at the Museum. There they take a behind-the-scenes tour and meet with Museum scientists. The winning essays are published on the Museum's website and excerpted in Natural History magazine. 36 finalists receive a $50 award. All participants receive a certificateand a letter from the judges who read their essays. The letters highlight the strong points of the investigation and suggest ways they could be improved. The contest is open to students in the U.S. and Canada. For more information visit the website or email the Young Naturalist Awards Administrator . From: AMNH
|
|
