Kendall and Bentley Snodgress
Submotted by Kenneth Dawson
With all the chaos the last couple of months have brought, it can be easy to forget the holidays as they come and go. However, Pleasant Hill Elementary staff and students have worked hard recently to celebrate a very important one: Earth Day. This is a day that serves as a reminder of how important it is to preserve our environment, a message that may ring truer now than it ever has before. The PHE staff has created some excellent Earth Day engagement activities, a few of many great ideas are highlighted here.
In Kindergarten, Mrs. Batten has had her students working on enjoyable hands-on activities such as scavenger hunts. The students have continued to practice letters, sounds, sight words, numbers, and shapes through these hands-on engagement activities. To celebrate Earth Day, the kids have planted flowers and vegetables, as well as practicing being a good friend and discovering what it means to be kind, a highly valuable lesson for all ages.
Jasmyne Tingler (L) and Anessia Kerby
Izabella Nicholas (L) and a virtual tour of high tunnel
Students were encouraged to help with household chores and help parents with cooking and baking. Parents were encouraged to read aloud with their children and ask questions to further comprehension.
In First Grade, Mrs. Hardway and Mrs. Price have created some great Earth Day themed engagement activities. The students were given a couple of options to celebrate the holiday, all with the intention of fostering care for the environment. They could either pick up trash, help plant flowers, or help with a garden. All the choices are wonderful ways to show care and concern for the environment.
Starleena Marks (L) and Eloise Carpenter
In Fourth Grade, Mrs. Ritchie and Mrs. Whited have their students working on hands-on Earth Day activities. Like the first graders, fourth grade students have been helping to clean up the community by picking up trash, as well as planting and helping with gardens and flowers.
Many are aware that PHE has a high tunnel where numerous vegetables are planted and growing. There have certainly been some excellent yields from the effort, and fourth grade students were lucky enough to get a virtual tour of the plants that are currently in their high tunnel. Even if they cannot see them in person, its nice to know that they are doing well.
Alauna Smith
Earth Day may have passed now but protecting the environment will always be important. Hopefully seeing the activities the wonderful PHE students and staff have participated in can serve as an inspiration, showing that everyone can help in this important issue.
Visit the site links below for help with ideas for next Earth Day, as protecting the environment is just as important for future generations as it is for us now.
earthday.org
epa.gov/earthday
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