Being a global citizen is not an easy job

Our study of the ocean has been woven together with the BP oil leak, how could it not be? The children have showed great interest and concern about the leak and also a immense empathy for the animals that are suffering.

We have also spent time wondering how long this will last. We know the greatest minds in the world are trying to find a solution. I encouraged the children to think about solving the problem as well and their interest in thinking deeply about the topic has been inspiring. J had the idea of using super strong "muscle" cement that can be put in water. M recommended using special, strong glue. K had the idea of fitting a log in the leak to stop it. And you'll see D and S have a similar idea of using really large buckets to scoop out the oil, which they represented through their artwork.


"The oil leak was coming 60 million days. And the people couldn't fix the oil leak because the oil leak is dying the animals; the jellyfish, octopus, fish, sharks, dolphins. They are all dying. All of the animals are dying in the ocean. We will take the animals out of the water. We take a really big cup, then we take all of the oil leak in the cup. And the people take the animals to the doctor and the doctor clean and check up the animals. Then the animals get really good. The oil leak gets gone. Then the animals can live in the water now. And they are safe now." By D


"This is the water and the oil leak, killing all the animals. And the oil leak is going higher and higher. And when i was going in the beach, my sister said "no" because there's an oil leak and we have to find another beach. And we see some jellyfish and they died. And we went to another beach and there was still an oil leak and my sister said "it keeps on spreading out" and I agree. We went to another beach and it was all safe. I like my sister." By I


"This is the oil spill and this is the clean water in the bottom. More oil is coming out. The animals are coming out to the beach. And the oil spill is going all the way to the beach. So the people got a big bucket, so all the oil spill will get out of the water so it can be safe." By S

little global citizens

Thanks to the children's enthusiasm and the help from parents and families, we were able to raise $90 as a class for Heifer International! After much discussion and a vote (between buying a goat, sheep, or pig) we chose to donate a sheep. Somewhere in the developing world our efforts will help to provide a sustainable source of food (milk, cheese, and meat) as well as a means for making clothes thanks to sheep wool. Thank you families for helping our Heifer project to be a success!

Calling all Pennies...Donations for Heifer International

As we move into a new topic..we're still keeping worms in mind (especially in terms of composting). If you haven't already explored our compost bin, feel free to dig in and pick up a worm!

This month we're learning about animals with the help of the nonprofit organization http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.183217/. Heifer works toward ending world hunger by providing sustainable agriculture and food sources to people all over the world. Explore their website to learn more. Today we talked in class about how lucky we are to live in a country with an abundance of food. We also began thinking about people in other parts of the world who don't have reliable food sources. This is a conversation that is great to continue at home, browse the site with your child, there are even some games here http://games.readtofeed.org/for_kids/fun_and_games/. With conversations at home and school taking place - along with some outreach and volunteering as well - we will be raising empathetic and caring global citizens.

We learned today that Heifer not only provides livestock (animals) to people around the world but also worms! Worms are excellent decomposers and help to make soil rich to grow crops. Talk with your child each day about what they're learning in school.