Reviewed and Written by 4th Graders My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan. This book is about how the Earth provides so many things that help us, plants, and all the animals. The Earth brings us water and food that we need. The book helps us understand that if we don’t take care of the Earth, then we might not have what we need! (ZT – 4H) Save the Ocean by Bethany Stahl This book shows you what would happen if too many plastic bags were put in the ocean. It also shows that turtles and other animals can mistake plastic bags for food. When they eat the plastic bags they can get hurt.(MMS-4W) What if Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick This book shows you what would happen if everyone did something they were not supposed to do. It shows […]
Catching Rainwater Keeps Rock Creek Clean!
As you drive or walk around our beautiful 35 acre campus, you might ask yourself, “why does Stone Ridge have so many landscaped swells in the ground?” If so, this article is for you! The landscaped swells in the ground are stormwater retention ponds. In Montgomery County, Maryland, when you construct any new building or add a parking lot you are removing permeable surface, where water can soak into the soil. So the law says that you must install stormwater retention ponds to compensate. The size of the stormwater retention pond is calculated based on the size of the roof structure or parking lot, so that they can hold all of the extra rainwater that falls on these surfaces and runs off. The cost of designing, constructing and maintaining stormwater retention ponds must be calculated into any new construction project […]
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
While enjoying all the festivities of Halloween, Middle School students sponsored a school wide fundraising event to support Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, adding some deeper meaning to their Halloweening. UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, initiated its first Trick-or-Treat event in 1950 to help children left vulnerable after World War II. Popularity of the program continued to grow, and was fueled by TV appearances in 1959 on Lassie, when the beloved collie carried an orange collection box, and in 1969 when an entire episode of Bewtiched highlighted the cause. In the 1990’s, famous poet and writer, Maya Angelou, served as the organization‘s Ambassador. Funds collected in 2002 were dedicated to the eradication of polio. More recently, in 2015, the 65th anniversary of Trick-or Treat for UNICEF was celebrated by teaming up with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of […]
Summer CampUs is for Nature Lovers
Stone Ridge Summer CampUs encourages all campers to “choose their own adventure” for the summer. Often this means campers take camp classes that embrace the natural beauty of our own campus (Eco Art & Nature’s Crafts) as well as classes that take advantage of our local Rock Creek Park and surrounding natural areas (Wilderness Survival Camp/Adventure Camps). Campers who are interested in sustainability can feed their interests by taking classes such as Solar Power Playhouse and Gator Bike Shop. Campers who are interested in both engineering and nature are taking the class “STEM in the Wild”. Upper School students have the opportunity to take “Environmental Field Studies” in which they will conduct studies to look at wildlife species populations, stream water quality, soil analysis, and more, to learn how humans interact with their environment both positively and negatively.
Summer Environmental Field Studies
Each summer, Stone Ridge Environmental Sciences teacher Casey Robertson brings her classroom outdoors for Stone Ridge’s 3-week Environmental Field Studies program. Any high schoolers looking to spend some time outside learning about the environment, wildlife, and habitats can apply for this Summer CampUs experience. In this 3-week lab and field studies based course, students conduct hands-on activities to look at wildlife species populations, stream water quality, soil analysis, and more! Some past activities have included banding baby ospreys, restoring wetlands, creating track plates, setting wildlife cameras, and tracking down box turtles with GPS! No previous biology or environmental science experience required – all it takes is an enthusiasm for life and an appreciation of the natural world!
Sustainability: What teachers say…
We all try to help the environment. We know all about the 3 R’s, not to litter, and not to waste water. But there is so much more we can do to be sustainable and eco friendly. Many people have lots of things they do at home to be green- and sometimes we forget how many ways there are to help the environment. In this article, we will show you the ideas from some of our most important influencers: teachers. If you look in a dictionary, you will find that the definition of ‘sustainable‘ is “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” But it can be hard to apply that definition to being eco-friendly. So what does it really mean to be sustainable? In terms of ecology, which is the study of ecosystems and how they […]
“I am here to say, our house is on fire” – Greta Thunberg
“Our house is on fire. I am here to say, our house is on fire.” Greta Thunberg If your house is burning, what would you do? What would you save? Who would you save? Ask yourself these questions. Many of you quickly respond, “My family.” In this house we call planet Earth, every living creature is our family member. From every atom to the largest tsunami, we are all connected and related. Yet, even though our common home is on fire, we turn our gaze away from our burning house with our family stuck and struggling inside. We pass the responsibility of saving our loved ones to others. We dismiss the guilt of leaving our family to die and placing it on those who cannot afford to run into the burning house. Now the question becomes, why should we care […]
The Lower School in Action: Carbon Footprint
The “Big Foot” game In the Lower School, Bess and Elinor (grade 4) are working on the “Big Foot Game”: an adaptation of the Carbon Footprint game created by the Unitarians for Social Justice to assist congregations in taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. The goal of the game is to cover as much of a big cardboard footprint with green “action-stickers” as possible. Bess and Elinor are working on the stickers: they decided they should only include actions that a Lower School girl could take independently. The big foot will stay in the STEAM room. The lower school girls will have opportunities to choose the sticker(s) they think they have earned over the past few days, by taking a new action or renewing one. They will stick them to the foot, thus turning it greener every day. Everyone […]