Earth Day -Best Day Squad (4/22/16)

Today was a huge success! For those of you who don’t know, Penn State Berks invited 5th graders from the Glenside Elementary School to our campus today. The main goal was to educate the students on the importance of being environmentally aware. First, we set up different stations where the kids could work on activities related to the environment. Some of these stations included: building bird feeders, creating a globe out of recycled paper, painting pots for plants, and many more. My group helped out with the group that had the amazing idea of painting pots. They actually were able to get the pots and soil donated to us from Home Depot, so a big shout out to them! The kids were incredibly thrilled that they would be able to get their hands dirty and create a masterpiece of their very own, and the pots turned out beautiful. After these activities, the kids were asked to paint the environment on a canvas. A lot of the kids ended up painting the sun, grass, trees, clouds, the sky, and plants. However, a lot of them forgot to add in roads, buildings, humans, and animals. So, we educated them about the definition of the environment and that it is literally everything around you. Following the canvas painting, the kids brought poems they wrote and read them to each other. They were about the environment and mentioned things like water and protecting the Earth. After the fun activities, it was time for lunch. We headed to the pavilion and enjoyed a nice meal. But, after the meal, the kids were asked to separate their trash items and see what could be recycled. We ended up recycling almost everything that was used! Following lunch was the tour. We took the kids to the garden and greenhouse area across the street. There, they learned about bees, bats, plants, and how the sun can be used for energy. After the tour, we went back to the Perkins Student Center building and had a raffle. A few kids won some environmental prizes. Then, my team handed out our brochures on everyday things that are harmful to the environment and what you can do to help. Sadly, after that it was time for them to leave. However, Earth Day turned out to be a major success. It was a great day filled with fun and education that the kids will never forget. If you want to see pictures and videos from the event, we are having a presentation on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, at 1:40PM in room 246 Gaige building on Berks Campus. All are welcome, and we hope to see you there!