Caring For Our Earth & Ourselves
Connecting the Environment and Health
Our 2022-23 theme was Caring for Our Earth and Ourselves, with an emphasis on climate change. In our Spring 2023 Magazine, our reporters considered the environmental and health benefits of such activities as walking instead of riding in a vehicle, drinking water from reusable bottles, and disposing of electronics appropriately. They also explored their own feelings about the impact of climate change on the planet and neighborhoods, and discovered solutions that people are testing and implementing.Â
Classroom Activities
Climate Change
Letter to the Editor: After reading the article Taking action to stop climate change, do a little extra research with the help of your teacher or classmates. Identify a situation that contributes to climate change and come up with a plan to address it. Rachel Valletta says we should tell people about the problem, so share your plan by writing a letter to your principal or the local newspaper.
Eco-anxiety
Write a reflection: Amia Hines shares advice for dealing with anxiety. After reading the Q&A with her, reflect on a time when you experienced anxiety. Describe how it felt and what you did about it. Illustrate your reflection.
Biking
Create a PSA: Riding a bicycle is a healthy activity and helps the environment. Create a PSA—a public service announcement poster—to encourage kids to ride a bicycle. Make sure you include an illustration to support your message.
Plastics
Write a biography: As a child, Anna Du created a robot to help remove plastic from the ocean. With the help of a your teacher or classmates, do some research to find other kids who are working to help reverse climate change. Write a brief biography of one of them, describing who they are and what they are doing.
Nature in the City
Research: The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is a protected spot in Philadelphia where animals have a safe home. Visit the refuge’s website and find facts about birds that live there.
Conservation
Consider conservation: Michael Stern encourages kids to be conservationists, no matter what their future jobs will be. Brainstorm potential careers and list how each career could practice conservation. You could create a table or even a comic strip about this—be creative!
Locally Grown Food
Create a chart: Megan Carrier shared her thoughts on the importance of locally grown food. Create a T-chart that provides information about how locally grown food keeps us healthy (on one side of the T) and how it keeps the earth healthy (the other side.)
Garden Benefits
Start a school garden: Would you like to have a garden at your school? Write a letter to your teacher or principal explaining why you think a garden would benefit students and what type of garden you think the school should have—one that requires soil or an aeroponic, hydroponic, or aquaponic garden.Â
