This entry was prepared for the Eco-Schools Sustainability coordinators meeting. It will be published as part of the general BNS Ecorama Blog statement. Please send comments and additions. Deletions too!
Collaborative
Full-time sustainability and science coordinators who work closely together with classroom teachers and other staff, children and their families, to plan, implement and innovate.
Authentic
Students do authentic work as environmental stewards, scientists, farmers, cooks, and recyclers, political activitists.
Integrated
Science, social studies and sustainability are linked together and reinforced throughout the curriculum. Some examples:
- Pre-K students figure out what makes playgrounds fun for them; they add plants to the playground area.
- K students study pigeons and other birds. They make feeders for birds in the winter.
- First Graders study green space and farm at BNS to make it greener.
- Second Graders study bridges and other structures and make structures using natural materials.
- Third Graders make recycled paper as part of their study of China's inventions.
- Fourth Graders study stormwater runoff and flooding and work in our tree pits to make them more like "wetlands."
- Fifth Graders care for pollinator beds as they study monarch butterflies and climate change.
Connected
We reach out to other parts of the community to collaborate with us including Added Value, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Edgemere Farms and GLOBE.
Experiential
Our students are out in nature on a regular basis including daily recess, pigeon hunts, Plumb Beach and Gowanus Canal greening projects, bug hunts, gardening...
Powerful
As a community we believe that our efforts can make a difference. We can have a voice. We will be heard. We can be part of building a sustainable future.
