It’s Easy Bein’ Green: The Environmentally-Friendly Classroom

In the spirit of St. Patty’s Day let’s talk green. Share these tips with fellow teachers and you’ll be blessed with the gift of insightful gab, without even having to kiss the blarney stone!

• Get out!
  -Leave the classroom and get today’s “indoor generation” outside!
  -Take students outside for more than just experiments that apply to natural science courses. Consider taking your students outside for reading time, stretching exercises and more.
  -Always take advantage of pleasant weather by opening windows to let fresh air in.
  -Grow some creative energy: reawaken the senses by inviting students to turn their desks to face windows. They will see the sun, trees or lawns instead of concrete walls.
  

• Bring the outdoors in…
  -Decorate your classrooms with aquariums, plants, terrariums and more!
  -Don’t stop there! Bring snow and icicles inside during the winter in tubs or coolers for examination.
  -Research and teach your students about the early versions of tools that they may use in today’s classroom and how they were found in nature. For example, an art teacher may find it inspires students to use “natural paints” made from leaves, mud and flowers for their next creation.
  

• Eat green!
  -So many kids these days don’t connect the food they eat with the farms that grow it. Help students to understand their local environment by teaching them about seasonal fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers. Consider sharing your favorite recipes for seasonal fruits and veggies with them or taking a field trip to a local nursery, farm or farmer’s market. They will gain a first-hand appreciation for farming and land conservation practices.
  -Encourage students and parents to pack lunches in re-usable dishes instead of disposable products. For older students, help them to motivate fellow students in other classes to do the same by creating awareness bulletin boards or posters from recycled paper.
  
  
• Teach about nature…
  -Help students to start a compost pile on school grounds.
  -Start a gardening club for recreation or competition!
  -Nearly every subject in school has been influenced by nature. Think about how you can incorporate the changing seasons or other natural elements in everything that you teach. Ask students how the weather has impacted historical events, scientific discoveries and the role it plays in the literature they read!

• Do your part!
  -Allow kids to submit papers and homework in electronic formats to cut back on paper.
  -Don’t mandate the research papers be accompanied by paper copies of the sources that were used. Allow electronic copies or do your own investigating from bibliographic information provided by students.
  -Partner with fellow teachers to help kids cut back on overlapping supplies. For example, students can be encouraged to purchase a day planner at the beginning of the school year and teachers can offer a syllabus on a chalkboard, email or overhead projector that can be entered into the day planner instead of handing out countless paper copies.
  -Encourage students to work with pencils with graphite that can be renewed instead of one-use pencils. Do you part by setting a good example.
  -Reward students who come up with environmentally-friendly solutions and approaches.
  
  

Students learn best from teachers who are passionate about what they do. So remember to keep green thinking at the forefront of your classroom by always asking yourself and your students, “Is this the smartest, or greenest, way to do this?”