Balancing Technology and Nature

Technology offers an exciting way to engage your students with the natural world. Use these suggestions to help your students learn new ways to interact with nature and each other.

Get Digital

Take students on a nature walk. Give students opportunities to photograph things in their outdoor environment and bring this information back to the classroom. Early elementary students could make an alphabet book or assemble a display about colors in nature. Upper elementary students could monitor changes over time by photographing plants or trees at different times of the year. Older students could use digital cameras to collect data about the amount of litter in given areas to use in math or science lessons.

Digital Recording Device

Record environmental sounds in a variety of areas around the school. Replay them in the classroom and have students use the information collected to construct a sound map. Or interview several students about a playground event and use the recordings to discuss point of view in writing. Or collect opinions about improving the playground and use the data to construct a variety of graphs. Expand the lesson to teach persuasive letter writing and have students synthesize the data and report it to the school community or leadership.

Apps for Connecting to the Natural World

• Creek Watch - Be stewards of your local watershed by using this app to snap photos of a local waterway and report how much water or trash there is. The app aggregates the data and shares it with local water agencies to help them track pollution and water resources.
• Google Earth - Help students explore their natural environment from a bird’s eye view and compare and contrast it with habitats around the world. Layers, including roads, borders and places, provide additional perspective of the surroundings.
• iNaturalist - Equip your students to record their observations of the natural world and share them with a social network for naturalists, potentially contributing to scientific research.
• Journey North - Transform your students into citizen scientists by equipping them with this app which allows them to track wildlife migrations and seasonal changes in the environment around them.
• Nature’s Notebook - Observe and record plant and animal lifecycle events (also known as phenology), such as flowering and bird migration. The observations also help scientists understand how species respond to environmental changes.
• Project Noah - Engage students in documenting local wildlife by uploading photos to Project Noah as part of a “mission”. A global community can help I.D. their “spottings” which in turn can help scientists keep track of wildlife populations.
• WeatherBug - Give your students access to the world’s largest network of real-time weather sensors for forecasts, alerts and more. Students can check weather conditions before heading out for field study or collect weather data over time and study how it impacts the local environment.
• WildLab Bird - Learn the basics of bird identification. This application uses audio, photographs, maps, and the process of elimination to help identify over 200 bird species. Sightings can also be entered into a national bird watching database for comparison.
• WildObs Observer - Search for and identify thousands of species of mammals, birds, snakes, plants, and more. Log your wildlife encounters for your own calculations or upload them to a national database for comparison.

Field Guides for Outdoor Discovery

• eNature FieldGuides - This free, comprehensive site provides animal and plant field guides, “ZipGuides” that help you find wildlife based on zip code, mobile apps for iPhone and more.
• Technology for FieldInvestigations: Scientist-Driven Technology Practices - Developed by the Pacific Education Institute for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’North American Conservation Education Strategy, this guide describes the technology used by natural resource professionals and available to K-12 students to conduct field investigations, problem solve through stewardship planning and projects and participate in outdoor recreation.

Websites for Digital Exploration

• BioBlitz Education - Whether participating in a National Geographic/National Park Service BioBlitz (an event that brings together naturalists and citizen scientists, including students, to take a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity) or a schoolyard bioblitz, the experience helps students study biodiversity firsthand with activities that support students to make observations, record data, understand classification and map their findings.
• Encyclopedia of Life - Educators and students can work within the Encyclopedia of Life to create a collection of schoolyard bioblitz results, generate a field guide to share with the community, and listen to a collection of podcasts that will familiarize students with the diversity of life on Earth.
• National Geographic FieldScope - National Geographic FieldScope is a web-based mapping, analysis, and collaboration tool designed to support geographic investigations and engage students as citizen scientists investigating real-world topics - both in the classroom and in outdoor education settings.

Nominate an Outstanding STEM Teacher Today!

Do you know a STEM teacher that goes above and beyond?

Nominations are open for the STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching sponsored by Kemin Industries. This award will celebrate educators whose leadership and dedication to STEM in Iowa increases students' interest and awareness in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. One teacher from each of Iowa's six STEM regions will receive a $1,500 award along with an additional $1,500 to be used in their classroom.

Deadline for submissions is December 12, and winners will be announced March 2015. You do NOT need to be a Scale-Up recipient to participate--excellence is everywhere!

Nominate a STEM teacher today at: stemaward.fluidreview.com 

2015 Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher Supplement Grant

Funds Available to Aid in Teaching Students about Agriculture through Social Studies and Literacy

The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation in partnership with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is offering grants up to $200 to support the integration of agriculture into regular classroom instruction or after school programs. Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher Supplement Grants are designed to initiate new projects or expand existing projects that promote agriculture literacy. Grants can be used to fund innovative lessons, activities, classroom resources, guest speakers, outreach programs, field-trips and other projects.  

The 2015 grant program focuses on Social Studies and Literacy and will only fund projects relating to these curriculum areas. The focus of the grant changes each year, to allow a variety of projects to receive funding. 

Grant applications must be submitted electronically by January 9, 2015.   The online application is available at: http://www.iowaagliteracy.org/news/teacher-supplement-grant.html

Spring STEM-based Natural Resources On-line Courses

Registration is open for the spring sessions of our on-line courses. For more information, contact Shannon Hafner, 641/747-2200.

Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course (K-12 Educators)
January 19 – May 3, 2015

“This course has provided me with information and resources to make lessons more relevant and engaging. The focus on inquiry, sense of place, and many other important aspects of teaching have been beneficial in terms of planning lessons and remembering to keep students and student activities at the core of what I do. It’s not just about the content and this course helped rejuvenate my interest in making lessons more student centered.”

Learn how to utilize local natural resources as unifying themes to implement a STEM-based approach in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course.

Each week a new course module focusing on a specific environmental education topic, strategy or skill will be available (time requirement 4-5 hours per week). You should be comfortable navigating web pages, have access to internet and a computer on a daily basis, and possess basic computer skills.

Registration deadline is January 12, 2015 - you must register electronically. Registration fee: $225 (includes course materials and 3 license renewal credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

Leading Authentic Place-based Student Investigations: Water On-line Course(6-12 Educators)
February 2 – April 16, 2015

"I have gained so much from this class. ...what the others in this class have shared shows me ... I can adapt all things to meet my students’ needs along with my own, the schools, and the district’s needs. I have learned that I need to allow students [to] question more in science and encourage them to explore to discover solutions for problems they face. Letting go a little and letting their questions lead the class in inquiry projects is not as scary as I originally thought. Accepting their thoughts and ideas but directing them when they need guidance is a wonderful way to learn together." 

Engage your students in real scientific research of a local water issue while you improve your own content knowledge and pedagogy. With your students, you will develop and conduct a place-based water student investigation unit (or enhance a current unit).

Each week a new course module focusing on a different topic related to the 5 Essential Features of Inquiry, place-plased learning and Iowa water issues will become available (time requirement 4-5 hours per week). You should be comfortable navigating web pages, have access to internet and a computer on a daily basis, and possess basic computer skills.

Registration deadline is January 23, 2014 - you must register electronically. Registration fee: $150 (includes materials and 2 license renewal credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

2015 Take It Outside Art Contest

Celebrating wildlife artist, Maynard Reece & Iowa Fish

Category III First Place 2014 Winner 

Carmen A

“We really had a good time doing the contest. It brought in a lot of good discussion and even the teacher aides were surprised at some of the facts I shared from the DNR website. The kids loved it.”

The Department of Natural Resources invites you to enroll your class in our fourth annual “Take It Outside” Art Contest.

This year’s contest will celebrate the great contributions of wildlife artist, Maynard Reece. Reece is considered one of the founding fathers of wildlife art. As a child, he spent many hours exploring Lake Okoboji. His teachers discovered his artistic ability at the age of 13 and entered one of his drawings in the Iowa State Fair. As a young adult, Maynard worked at what is today known as the State Historical Museum collecting specimens for the museum’s collection and painting fish to create the plates for the original publishing of Iowa Fish and Fishing – this was instrumental in launching his career as a freelance artist. Reece’s fish drawings can be viewed on the DNR website. 

Students are encouraged to use their artistic skills to create an image of their favorite Iowa fish (see the eligible fish list in the complete contest rules) in its natural habitat. Fish species fact sheets are available on the DNR Education website (click on Fact Sheets/Fish in the Document Library). Starting next month, check out our Take It Outside: Fish Iowa! blog for more information about Iowa fish and Maynard Reece.

New This Year!

We are partnering with the Wildlife Forever^® State-Fish Art^® Contest to host an Iowa State-Fish Contest in conjunction with our annual Take It Outside Art Contest. The first place artwork in each judging category will be submitted for National Awards. First place winners at the state level will be honored at the annual State-Fish Art Expo this summer.

For more information visit our website.

Complete Contest Rules
Student Entry Form
Educator Registration Form

Seasonal Visits to a Special Outdoor Place

Find a special place outdoor where you and your students can observe nature throughout the school year. Your county conservation board naturalist is a great resource to help you find the perfect spot. Visit this same place each season and observe the changes.

Let each student identify their own special spot within your selected area. To help students select their personal space, play one or both of the following games:

• Eagle-Eye Game - Close your eyes and pretend to be an eagle soaring over the area. The eagle needs a place to land that is its own special place – find a place to land.
• Cat-Walking Game - Walk as if you are a cat. Slip along quietly in the shadows on the edge of cover. Walk a few steps and then stand still to sense danger. Turn your eyes and whiskers left, right, behinds, and up. Use your “body radar” to feel which way to go next. Walk a few more steps, the again stop, look, listen, and adjust your course. Keep walking with cat-like awareness until the perfect spot attracts you – settle in.

Have students record their observations in a nature journal or science notebook.

• Write down what you see, hear, smell or feel.
• Draw what you see, record how many you see- was their more than one animal?
• Can you tell the story of what happened when they walked by?
• Write down what sounds you hear, where do you think they are coming from?

Nature Journaling

Notable scientists, naturalists, and philosophers such as Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and John Muir were all known for keeping journals of their observations, poems, and discoveries. Many of their famous literary works and groundbreaking observations were published from their journals.

Check out these great resources with tips on creating nature journals and using science notebooks.

A Sense of Place Nature Journaling
Interactive Science Notebooks

Looking into Students’ Science Notebooks: What Do Teachers Do with Them?

Nature journaling

Science Notebooks: Tools For Increasing Achievement across the Curriculum

Science Notebooks in K12 Classrooms

Using Science Notebooks to Assess Students’ Conceptual Understanding

Signs of Fall

Lead students on a walk through a wooded area, schoolyard, local park, or neighborhood sidewalk to look for signs of fall and investigate why leaves of deciduous trees change color.

• Point out the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees.
• Ask students to look for signs that indicate winter is approaching and record their observations – encourage students to look for animal signs as well (e.g., birds migrating, squirrels storing nuts).

Encourage critical thinking by asking:

What signs of fall can you see in the trees and on the ground?

How many different leaf colors can you find?

How do leaves change after they fall?

What will happen to the leaves?

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

With fall’s colder temperatures and shorter days, the cells of deciduous tree leaves begin to die. The dead cells block water and nutrients from the leaf. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaves, breaks down and the yellow and red pigments begin to show through.

Native Americans had legends to explain the fall colors. Invite students to create their own imaginative stories.

For more information about Iowa Fall Colors, visit the Iowa DNR website.

STEM-based Natural Resources Professional Development

Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course (K-12 Educators)

January 19 – May 3, 2015

“This course has provided me with information and resources to make lessons more relevant and engaging. The focus on inquiry, sense of place, and many other important aspects of teaching have been beneficial in terms of planning lessons and remembering to keep students and student activities at the core of what I do. It’s not just about the content and this course helped rejuvenate my interest in making lessons more student centered.”

Learn how to utilize local natural resources as unifying themes to implement a STEM-based approach in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course.

Each week a new course module focusing on a specific environmental education topic, strategy or skill will be available (time requirement 4-5 hours per week). You should be comfortable navigating web pages, have access to internet and a computer on a daily basis, and possess basic computer skills.

Registration deadline is January 12, 2015 - you must register electronically. Registration fee: $225 (includes course materials and 3 license renewal credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.

New Iowa Core Website

IowaCore.gov, a new website created to increase public understanding of the Iowa Core standards and to help educators put the standards into practice in schools statewide, is now live.

The Iowa Core standards set consistent expectations for learning in schools across the state. The standards are a set of academic goals, not a curriculum, so decisions about how to help students reach the standards remain in the hands of local schools and teachers.

“Our statewide standards are at the heart of work in schools to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce, and we must do more to help educators, parents and other Iowans navigate them,” Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck said. “IowaCore.gov will help bring the standards into focus for all Iowans and will put much-needed resources into the hands of educators who are working to put the standards into practice successfully in schools.”

IowaCore.gov has three components:

·        Explore the Iowa Core enables users to search the Iowa Core standards by grade level (K-12) and subject (math, science, social studies, English language arts and 21st century skills, such as financial and technology literacy) to understand the knowledge and skills that children are expected to master.

·        Parents and Community includes materials that parents and other Iowans can use to understand what the Iowa Core is, what students are expected to know and be able to do, and how parents can help at home.

·        Educator Resources includes a collection of optional classroom resources and materials that educators may use to implement the Iowa Core. More than 8,000 resources are available at no charge in a central, searchable online location called IowaLearns.org, which is accessible through IowaCore.gov. The materials are adaptable to fit the individual needs of local classrooms.

Iowa lawmakers passed the Iowa Core into law in 2008, with the expectation that schools would fully implement the standards by the end of the 2014-15 school year.

“Having clear statewide standards for what students should know and be able to do from kindergarten through 12th grade is critical not only to their success, but also to our state’s effort to prepare tomorrow’s workforce in a fast-changing economy,” Buck said. “We still have work to do to clarify what the Iowa Core looks like in schools. This new website is a big step in the right direction.”

IowaCore.gov was developed with state funding from the 2013 legislative session. The website is managed by the Iowa Department of Education.

Ask an Expert: Stay 'Up All Night' to Watch the Oct. 8 Lunar Eclipse!

Join NASA experts on Oct. 8 to observe 2014's second total lunar eclipse. A live Ustream feed of the eclipse will be offered.

Mainly clear skies should make for very good viewing of the total lunar eclipse early Wednesday morning. It will be a bit chilly with temperatures generally ranging from the upper 30s to middle 40s. The total eclipse phase is expected to begin around 525 am CDT, and end around 625 am CDT, viewable low in the western sky.

The moon will appear a coppery red, so it's been called a "blood" moon. It'll look red because of all the sunsets and sunrises from the Earth that will reflect onto the lunar surface. (During the eclipse, although it's completely in the shadow of Earth, a bit of reddish sunlight still reaches the moon.)

You don't need special glasses or gizmos to view it, unlike a solar eclipse, so feel free to stare directly at the moon. Binoculars or a telescope would improve the view.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and the full moon form a nearly straight line so that the full moon passes through the Earth's shadow, called the umbra.

Upcoming Classic and Digital STARLAB Trainings

A Classic STARLAB training is scheduled October 8 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m at Norwalk (Lakewood Elementary gym) . For more information, visit the Heartland AEA website.  This is not only open to Norwalk teachers, but any of you who may be interested in taking this training or feel you need a refresher course.Please register if you plan on attending.  

A Digital STARLAB Training is scheduled at Des Moines Lincoln H.S. small gym, October 27 from 3:30 PM-6:30 p.m.  Fore more information, visit the Heartland AEA website.  This is not only open to Des Moines teachers, but any of you who may be interested in taking this training or feel you need a refresher course. Please register for this if you plan on attending.  

This workshop addresses the care and use of the Digital STARLAB portable planetarium. Participants will learn how to setup and take down the STARLAB, as well as learn the basic functions of the software (Starry Night Small Dome) that powers the Digital STARLAB. 

A MacBook Pro computer that comes with the kit operates the planetarium software. If you have an laptop (preferably an Apple, but PC will work), please bring that with you so the Starry Night Small Dome software can be installed on your computer. (Check with your district to make sure it is OK to install this software onto your laptop and obtain any passwords that you might need in order to do this.) Once installed on your computer, you can explore the various functions of the software on your own, prior to receiving the Digital STARLAB at your school. 

Manufacture Your Future Virtual Field Trip and STEM Career Overview

October 3, 1:00-2:00 PM EST
Live from Davenport, IA
Register 

In celebration of National Manufacturing Day, Discovery Education and Alcoa invite you to a LIVE Virtual Field Trip on October 3rd from Alcoa Davenport, a high-tech aluminum manufacturing plant on the banks of the Mississippi River. Students will be given an exclusive tour of the plant, where Alcoa employees will share a unique perspective on the new face of manufacturing and showcase the cutting-edge technology in the industry today.

Join us as we tour the aerospace mill to see where products are manufactured for major aircrafts, including the wings for Air Force One. Students will also tour the Auto Treatment Line that showcases state-of-the-art technology and innovation at work.

Along the way, students will be introduced to members of the Alcoa Davenport team, such as a Metallurgical Engineer, an Electrical Engineer and Process Specialists who will share the STEM-related passions that led to pursuing advanced manufacturing careers. Through the Manufacture Your Future LIVE Virtual Field Trip students will be connected with STEM principles and advanced manufacturing skills development in this exciting and interactive format. Alcoa Davenport Works Director of Manufacturing, Rob Woodall, will answer students questions live.


ALUMINUM FUN FACTS:

• Alcoa Davenport has produced metal for every space vehicle in America’s program, contributing to the moon landing and the U.S. victory in the Space Race.
• Aluminum never wears out; it is infinitely recyclable.
• 75 percent of all the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in use today.
• An aluminum can will be recycled and back on the shelf as a new beverage can in less than 60 days

Submit your questions here to be answered during the LIVE event!

No special equipment is needed to view this event online. All you need is an internet connected computer (and a way to share with students - projector and speakers). Students will have the chance to submit questions to ask live.

Green Ribbon School Applications Available

The aim of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is to inspire schools, districts and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to strive for 21st century excellence, by highlighting exemplary practices and resources that all can employ. The ED-GRS award recognizes schools, districts, and IHEs that:

1. Reduce environmental impact and costs;
2. Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and
3. Provide environmental education, which teaches many disciplines, and is especially good at effectively incorporating STEM, civic skills, and green career pathways.

The award is a tool to encourage state education agencies, stakeholders and higher education officials to consider matters of facilities, health and environment comprehensively and in coordination with state health, environment and energy agency counterparts. Unique about the award is that, in order to be selected for federal recognition, schools, districts and postsecondary institutions must be high achieving in all three of the above Pillars, not just one area.

Combined achievement in ALL three of these areas, collectively known as Pillars, serves as the basis for recognition. Each Pillar is divided into Elements, which provide further guidance on each of the three main areas. ED-GRS aligns with the Department’s cross-cutting goals for education, including improving student, staff, and facility performance and increasing efficiency at the federal, state, and local levels. At the postsecondary level, these Pillars help to support the goals of reduced college costs, increased completion rates, higher rates of employment, and robust civic skills among graduates. The recognition award is part of a U.S. Department of Education (USED) effort to identify and communicate practices that result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, and reinforce federal efforts to increase energy independence and economic security.

Green schools are critical to schools’ fiscal health and our nation's economy. Much needed improvements to school facilities create new jobs and save schools money. They prepare students to participate in the green economy, strengthen the nation's energy security and conserve precious natural resources. Healthy behaviors, environmental education and green facilities are as vital to individual students as they are to the nation. High standards of nutrition, fitness and facility conditions improve student and staff health, attendance and productivity, and enhance achievement and engagement, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Each year, all winning schools are invited to Washington, D.C. for a ceremony to celebrate their success, share information and receive a plaque to commemorate their achievement.

Three applications for the Green Ribbon Schools program are available through the IowaGrants.gov website:

• Individual School: FY15 Iowa Green Ribbon Schools – School Application
• District: FY15 Iowa Green Ribbon Schools – District Sustainability Award Application
• College/University: FY15 Iowa Green Ribbon Schools – College Application

Applications must be submitted through IowaGrants.gov to the Iowa Department of Education (IDE) by January 7, 2015. IDE will review applications based on the applicant’s demonstrated progress towards the goals of each of the three pillars. Nominees demonstrating exemplary achievement in all three pillars and every element will be ranked highest.

Instructions for applying are located on the DE website: Green Ribbon Schools. Visit the ED-GRS website to learn about the GRS program. For assistance, contact Gary Schwartz, Facilities Consultant, gary.schwartz@iowa.gov or 515.281.4743.

Travel with the Monarchs This Fall

Find out what's known about these migration mysteries, and how much more you can discover. As you embark on your journey with the monarchs, inspire students to think and act like scientists as they follow fall migration.

• What is in our school yard?
• What creatures visit our schoolyard?
• How many butterflies visit it?
• What types of butterflies are in the schoolyard?
• How many monarch butterflies are found in the schoolyard?
• How might we know if a butterfly habitat is of high quality?
• What influences and impacts our schoolyard habitat? 

Discuss what a monarch needs to survive and list these on a board. Using books and other resources (see below for suggestions), have students look for plants that are good nectar sources. Make a list of those they find, or write the words on word cards and put in a pocket chart.

Have each student make a drawing of a plant that is a good nectar source for butterflies. Be
sure to have them draw the whole plant, not just the flower. Use field guides, seed catalogues, books on butterfly gardening or actual plants as guides. Encourage students to draw more than one individual of the plant they choose. Make the drawings large enough to be cut out. Have students label them by copying names from the class list.

Have each student make a drawing of milkweed. Use field guides or the actual plant as a guide for student drawings. These drawings should also be cut out and labeled.

To create the monarch habitat, attach student drawings to the bulletin board or on a large piece of
paper for a wall mural.

Students may add drawings of caterpillars and butterflies to their habitat mural, as well as other plants
and animals.

Helpful Resources

University of Minnesota Monarch Lab - http://www.monarchlab.org/

Monarch Watch - http://www.monarchwatch.org/class/index.htm

September Monarchs Embark on Nature’s Most Incredible Migration - http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/Iowa%20Outdoors%20Magazine/Nature/files/MonarchOdyssey.pdf

Monarch Net - http://www.monarchnet.org/

Journey North - http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/fall2014/update091114.html

A Visual Journey Through the Monarch Life Cycle - http://blog.nwf.org/2014/09/a-visual-journey-through-the-monarch-life-cycle/?utm_content=buffer69b31&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Flight of the Butterflies Educator Guide - https://app.box.com/s/3rxomi5k6f2uwt8w3o4b

Monarch Health - http://monarchparasites.org/

Create a School Butterfly Garden

Butterfly gardens can increase student engagement and curiosity in the classroom while serving as an interactive classroom. Check out these great resources to help get you started:

• A Teacher's Guide To Creating A School Butterfly Garden
• 21 Tips for Starting (or Improving) your School ButterflyGarden

Fun Monarch Facts

• Monarchs can soar up to a mile high, and they weigh as little as a paper clip.
• Monarchs sense and avoid topographical features such as large bodies of water and high mountains, and funnel through small valley passes.
• To conserve energy, they try to catch free rides on prevailing winds or thermal airwaves, and females and males are not reproductive; the females do not lay eggs until overwintering in Mexico ends.

Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! Grant - Application Deadline September 30

Do you have an idea for a school/community native plant garden, a forest improvement project, a streamside restoration plan, a recycling program, or energy conservation project for your students? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant!

More information and an application for grants amounting to $1,000 is available at https://www.plt.org/apply-for-greenworks-environmental-education-grant. The deadline is September 30, 2015. 

• Grants must be completed in one year
• Applicants must have attended a PLT workshop 
• The proposed project must involve service-learning.
• The proposed project must demonstrate student voice.
• The proposed project must involve at least one community partner.
• The proposed project must secure at least 50% matched funds (in-kind acceptable).

For a detailed guidebook on GreenWorks! Grants, CLICK HERE.

Southwest Iowa Educator Tests the Waters with DNR through Real World Externships

Mary Carlson is a science teacher at Red Oak Schools in Red Oak, Iowa. Mary completed her Real World Externship with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) team in Lewis, Iowa.

Mary was immediately accepted as a full member of the team. They included her in every project they undertook this summer. Carlson said her experience was amazing and varied. As a member of the team she helped improve the water quality of our lakes and rivers by working with vegetation, which included starting a lily bed.

She helped determine the existing water quality by testing fish. Mary could be found netting fish one day or shocking them with electricity the next. After catching the fish the mercury levels are tested to ensure the quality of the water meets the DNR’s standards. Data collection is a large part of the DNR’s job and Mary helped not only with the collection but also with data organization.

As a teacher, Mary plans to use her new knowledge to engage her students in more outdoor activities. Her classes will be engaged in a water quality day with her local DNR representative. She also plans on having her students prepare a presentation for the DNR based on the question, “would you eat that?” when presented with a fish dinner. This will allow the students to get an expert’s feedback on their research. The students will also get to ask questions, find out what the DNR employees do and the schooling that is needed to get a job with the DNR. 

Fall Fitness Day

Help your students stay active this school year participating in the annual Live Healthy Iowa Kids Fall Fitness Day – register today. Live Healthy Iowa Kids will award 25 - $100 mini-grants to support Fall Fitness Day activities at Iowa schools. Applications due September 12!

The activity options are endless for this fun day - check out these fun nature games that will get your students up and moving while learning about nature and wildlife.

Deer Tag

Select 2-4 students to be hunters. The remaining students are deer in a forest. Hunters are positioned across the play area. Deer start at one end of the “forest” and try to get to the other side without being tagged by a hunter. As deer are tagged, they become hunters. As an extra challenge, include restrictions on how the hunters can tag the deer (e.g. right hand only, one hand behind their back, hopping on one foot). 

For older students, partition the play area in fourths or halves. Limit the number of hunters allowed in each area.

Migration Maze

Students are migratory birds traveling between nesting habitats and wintering grounds. Divide the playing area into three areas: one end - nesting habitat; middle - Iowa stopover (safe zone); other end - wintering grounds.

Place 1 carpet square per 2 students throughout the Iowa stopover (middle area). Students start in the nesting habitat and “fly” (flap their arms) like birds as they race to the Iowa stopover. In the stopover area, they must have at least one foot on the carpet square; only 2 students can be on each carpet square. Students who are left without a carpet square are out and must wait on the sidelines. Students then “fly” to the wintering grounds.

Remove a carpet space from the Iowa stopover. Students fly back through the Iowa stopover on their way to the nesting habitat. Repeat rounds (flying from nesting habitat to Iowa stopover to wintering grounds and back). Remove a carpet square every time the students leave the Iowa stopover.

Leap Frog

Mark off two parallel lines (using chalk, masking tape, or rope) two to three feet apart to create a stream.  For large groups, create several streams to keep all students active.

Students line up on both sides of the stream, facing each other (towards the middle). Outside of the lines are the “banks of the stream” and the middle is “in the stream.” The leader will call out one of two commands: “in the stream” or “on the bank.”

Students must leap like frogs according to the command. If a player follows the wrong command, they must sit out. The leader can repeat the command “in the stream” while players are in the stream and if any student moves, they are out of the game. To add further challenge, the leader can give false commands like the “in the lake” or “in the ocean.” Students should only move to the commands “in the stream” or “on the bank.”

Pheasant Hunt

Students form a line alternately facing in opposite directions in a squatting position. The first student in line is the "pheasant" and may run around the line in either direction. The last student is the "fox." The fox must run around the line in the same direction he/she starts, trying to catch the “pheasant.” The "fox" can step into line behind a player, tap his/her shoulder, and change places with him/her. When the "pheasant" is caught, the "fox" becomes the "pheasant" and the tagged "pheasant" gets in line opposite from the "fox" starting end. A new "fox" starts the chase anew.

Metamorphosis Relay

Students are butterflies racing through their various life stages. Divide students into two teams. Students begin the race in a curled up position to represent an egg. 

Station 1 – the caterpillar: students wiggle through a maze, searching for food

Station 2 – the chrysalis: students climb into a burlap sack and race to the next station

Station 3 – the adult caterpillar: students grab a colorful scarf and “flies” to the finish line

How Many Coyotes Can Live in this Forest?

Students are coyotes collecting food to survive. For a group of 25 – 30 coyotes, spread 25 each of 4 colors (green, blue, yellow, red) of rubber bands throughout the playing area. Each color of rubber band represents a different food in the coyote’s diet (green – plants; blue – cottontail rabbits; yellow – mice; red – deer).

Place a plastic bag at the start line for each student. Students must gallop through the play area, pick up one colored rubber band, gallop back to the start line, put the rubber band in their plastic bag, and gallop back to collect more food. Students can pick up only one rubber band at a time.

Continue until all the rubber bands have been collected. Have each student count how many of each color rubber band they collected in their bags. In order to survive, each coyote needs to have 7 green rubber bands, 7 blue rubber bands, 6 yellow rubber bands, and 2 red rubber bands.

Plant a Tree Relay

Students race to complete the task of planting a tree.

Station 1 – dig the hole: students put on a straw hat and perform 5 squats

Station 2 – plant the tree: students put on a pair of work gloves and perform 5 jumping jacks

Station 3 – move mulch: students put a small trash can on a scooter and push it to the next station; if the trash can falls off, they must go back and try again

Station 4 – water the tree: students pick up a jumping rope (represents water hose) and must jump rope to the finish line

Fungus Among Us

All the wet weather this August is making conditions perfect for fungus! These pictures feature Xylaria polymorpha which is commonly known as Dead Man's Fingers. What a fun name and perfect if anyone is starting to get into the Halloween spirit a little bit early! 

The scientific name helps us understand a little more about the fungus. "Xylaria" means "to grow on wood" and "polymorpha" means "many shapes". Dead Man's Fingers is often found growing at the base of dead or dying trees in deciduous forests. It comes in many shapes and sizes but always bears a little bit of a resemblance to fingers or hands. 

Fungus is an important part of the life cycle of a tree. When a tree is at the end of its life, fungus begins to grow as it digests parts of the wood and aids in decomposition.

For more information about researching and collecting fungi common in Iowa, check out the Is There A Fungus Among Us? activity from the Springbrook Education Center.

The Very Last Passenger Pigeon

“There will always be pigeons in books and museums, but these are effigies and images, dead to all hardships and all delights. They know no urge of the seasons, they feel no kiss of sun, no lash of wind and weather." ldo Leopold

Today marks the centenary of the very last passenger pigeon, Martha, and her death at the Cincinnati Zoo. The species went extinct due to man’s over-exploitation, and the skies remain forever void of the billions of birds that once flew freely. This extinction helped spark the creation of conservation laws that curtail and regulate the type of hunting that caused their demise.

Species extinction is analogous to a machine losing pieces. The machine can keep running for a while, even if it is missing a bolt, washer, or other seemingly nonessential part. But if parts keep falling off, how long can it go on functioning?

That is what is happening on earth. Small parts of our working ecosystems are being lost. How long can all the systems that support life continue to operate, while losing pieces? This analogy can also be used to describe the effects when an endangered species is able to recover. If we save all the pieces, we can make the machine work again.

Several factors have contributed to successes with endangered species. Habitat preservation and reconstruction are essential. Changes in human behaviors and attitudes toward these species often are necessary for successful reintroductions. Laws now protect deer, turkey, geese, and beaver. They cannot be harvested during their breeding seasons and limits are set on the numbers taken during hunting and trapping seasons. Large predators are no longer thought of as vermin.

Classroom Connections

Read “On A Monument To A Pigeon” from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac . He writes of the extinct passenger pigeon. This essay conveys a sense of the importance of trying to save endangered species. It may inspire students to write their own essays on how they would feel if a species now endangered became extinct. Endangered means there’s still time, extinct is forever.

• Federal Endangered Species Program (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
• Iowa Endangered and threatened plant and animal species list
• Iowa's Threatened and Endangered Species Program
• Living on the Edge : Endangered Species in Iowa

Have students research species of wildlife extirpated from Iowa. Which ones have returned or been reintroduced?

• Osprey Restoration
• Peregrine Restoration
• Prairie Chicken Project
• Trumpeter Swan Restoration

FAll STEM-based Natural Resources Professional Development

Exploring Iowa’s Natural Resources On-line Course (K-12 Educators)
September 8 – December 21, 2014

“This course has provided me with information and resources to make lessons more relevant and engaging. The focus on inquiry, sense of place, and many other important aspects of teaching have been beneficial in terms of planning lessons and remembering to keep students and student activities at the core of what I do. It’s not just about the content and this course helped rejuvenate my interest in making lessons more student centered.”

Learn how to utilize local natural resources as unifying themes to implement a STEM-based approach in your curriculum. You will work in small groups and individually to create a network of contacts and resources to teach natural resource concepts. Group and individual assignments will build on each other throughout the course. 

Each week a new course module focusing on a specific environmental education topic, strategy or skill will be available (time requirement 4-5 hours per week). You should be comfortable navigating web pages, have access to internet and a computer on a daily basis, and possess basic computer skills.

Registration deadline is August 29, 2014 - you must register electronically. Registration fee: $225 (includes course materials and 3 license renewal credits). This course is being offered by AEA PD Online, a joint initiative by all of Iowa's Area Education Agencies. This course therefore uses AEA PD Online's alternative fee schedule for license renewal credit. Transcripts and credit will be issued by AEA PD Online instead of Heartland AEA.