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 We must endeavor to instill in our children a feeling of responsibility—personal as well as social—towards our planet. It is essential that we all understand the interconnectedness of all living and non-living things on Earth, so that we can create generations of people leading people to an understanding of the web of life and towards positive action. We must encourage children to become active, informed stewards of the Earth.
Environmental Education Curriculum from The Field Museum
The Field Museum wants to facilitate creating connections between our children and our Earth. We are in the process of creating a kindergarten through eighth grade sequenced environmental education curriculum that involves young people in exploring the connections between culture and the environment. The curriculum units are hand-on, are integrated across the disciplines (science, social studies, language arts and math), and include the use of problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Our curriculum leads to service and positive action for the environment at the community level. We are creating this curriculum in hopes of encouraging children to become active, informed stewards of the Earth. For more information about this curriculum, please email us at greencurriculum@fieldmuseum.org.
Other Programs That Help Your Students Get Involved
GLOBE
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment is a program funded by NASA that encompasses a worldwide network of students and teachers. Globe students make observations about their environment and report their data through the Internet. Scientists from NASA and other governmental firms then use the students' data in their research and report their findings. To find out more, go to www.globe.gov
 Earth Force
Earth Force, a national, non-profit organization, is young people changing their communities and caring for the environment now while developing lifelong habits of active citizenship and environmental stewardship. This mission is carried out through our two programs: Community Action and Problem Solving (CAPS) and Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN). Both programs provide youth ages 10 to 14 experience in environmental education, service learning, and civic education as they learn important problem solving skills in their own community.
Since 1999, hundreds of youth and their educators have made a difference in their Chicago-area communities through Earth Force’s programs. As you saw on the broadcast, Thornton Fractional North High School ninth-graders in Calumet City, IL, are deciding what plants to use for their Little Calumet River bank restoration project. Join these young people and change your community! For more information check out www.earthforce.org, or call (312) 665-7445.
Mighty Acorns
The Mighty Acorns program introduces 4th-6th graders in the Chicagoland area to prairies, woodlands and wetlands through stewardship activities and exploration, in a way that fosters a personal connection to our natural areas. Mighty Acorns' students participate in seasonal field trips and engage in activities such as seed collecting, brush cutting, and planting. Over 7,000 students, from 80 different schools are working with 19 Chicago Wilderness partners to help restore and preserve the native ecosystems of northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. For more information visit www.chicagowilderness.org, or call (312) 665-7442.
Illinois UrbanWatch
Illinois UrbanWatch is a volunteer monitoring program for urban green spaces. This hands-on adventure in environmental learning combines science and technology with community action to track the condition and extent of urban green spaces statewide. UrbanWatch is a joint program of The Field Museum and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Through UrbanWatch, Illinois high school teachers and students conduct biological inventories of their local open green spaces. Scientists can then use the data collected to identify long-term changes in urban natural areas. UrbanWatch provides students and teachers with an opportunity to learn more about urban ecology and enables them to influence wildlife habitats, while helping scientists gather data on urban wildlife statewide. To find out more, go to http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/inrin/ecowatch, or call (312) 665-7443.
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