Dear Friends,
The seasons are turning. It’s no longer Fall and not yet winter. A week yet to the Winter Solstice. This last week of ecology classes I am going to emphasize song, since song brings us together, even virtually. I hope to plant many earworms that will stay with our students through the break. We have studied so many things these past weeks, on line. The kids are so smart and so dear. I was teaching 2nd grade about watersheds and how the Chicago river was disconnected from the lake and instead attached to the Desplaines River and Mississippi watershed. We were also talking about the water cycle and how lucky we are that rain water that flows from Chicago to the ocean, picking up a lot of sediment and pollutants, is eventually distilled by solar energy, and returned to us by the clouds. A girl in the class asked, “If the Sun cleans the water by evaporation and distilling, why didn’t it do that when the Chicago River went into Lake Michigan?” Dang! She was listening! Another child asked if a baby skunk could spray their nasty smell. Maybe he was hoping for a baby skunk holiday present. There were a lot of great drawings of our native Turkey, and our endangered native Piping Plover. Remember you can see all lesson plans and links for each grade level at watersecology.org Thanks to all who contributed to the Waters Today fund raiser and Waters Ecology Program. One Last way that you could help during this season is to purchase my book: The Fight Between Quiet and Noise. It’s a picture book for people between 3-90+. I had hoped to sell it at the craft fair. It sells for $10 and all proceeds will go to Waters Ecology Program. Email me to arrange payment and pick up of book.
