Reduce Reuse Recycle Replenish ART

Hello Duke and Grey Owl,


It looks like you have taken action on water conservation, we have too!  Have you seen ‘Gyre’ by artist Christ Jordan?  It is based on the famous Japanese painting ‘The Wave off Kanagawa'.  His piece is made of over 2.4 million pieces of plastic garbage, the estimated number of pieces of garbage that end up in the ocean each hour!  We couldn't believe this!

Inspired by ‘Gyre’ and other examples of recycled item art, the grade ones and twos created pieces to promote environmental awareness and water conservation made entirely of previously used items.  Their environmental messages are everything from 'save the fish', 'don't litter', to 'save the people'!

They did a wonderful job working as both artists and environmentalists!

The Humber Watershed Over Time

Hi Grey Owl,

Grade 1/2 students at Bala did a similar activity about the story of our watershed over time.  We used finger puppets of early settlers, present day people, animals, houses, factories, and farms.  After many people, farms, and factories moved in along the Humber River we noticed the water level going down, and that the water wasn't as clean as when it was just animals and First Nations people living in the area.  It's complicated because the factories and farms make the most pollution, but they are making the things that people in the city need.  Students thought that Torontonians should ride their bikes instead of driving, and that we should all use less 'stuff'.

Here are some pictures of our cast in front of 'Lake Ontario'.

This activity was adapted from one in The Project Wet Curriculum Guide.

Duke of Connaught Watershed Study

Hello again!

A few days ago we went on a walk around our schoolyard to see the impact that we have on our watershed. We were shocked by all of the things that we never really notice in our own yard. Here are a few pictures that we took to help share our journey with you.  

We were most shocked by the clogged drain at the edge of our sports field. Which image do you find most shocking? Have you found similar things in your schoolyards?

We each filled out an observation chart of both natural and unnatural things that caught our eyes in the yard.  Most of our findings were unnatural items that had negative effects on our watershed. Below are some examples of our observations.

Water Saving Tips

Hello Grey Owl and Bala,

To follow up on our Big Splash survey, we have created quick tips for improving our water use. We have been learning about writing for different audiences. The other day we visited a Grade 1-2 class at Duke of Connaught and they seemed to like our tips. We hope you do too! We didn’t forget about our grade 3-4 friends either. We have added more detailed facts on our images for you. Feel free to send us some more tips to add to our list.

Talk to you soon!

-Grade 7s of Duke

Which Water Use is Most Important?

Today Bala's grade 1s and 2s had some important decisions to make. We made a list of all the water uses we could think of--it was a long list!  There is only so much water on earth to share with everyone, so how do you decide which use is most important?

We decided there were four categories, human use, animal use, plants (including plants that we eat), and fun uses.  We cut and pasted pictures of these four categories in order from most important to least important.  We then tallied our results and made a bar graph as a class.

 Overall we thought human use was most important, although some people thought it was plants, others thought it was animals, and a few thought fun uses were most important.  We had an interesting discussion about it.   Here are eight samples of our work.

This activity is adapted from The Project Wet Curriculum Guide

Duke of Connaught - How Big is Your Splash?

Today we did a great survey to measure our use of water. It made us all take a closer look at our daily activities and how much water we are wasting. Did you know that the average person only needs 20 – 50 L of water per day to survive? In Canada, the average person uses 331 L of water per day! We couldn’t believe it!

Here are a few examples of our Splash Surveys:

Greetings from Duke of Connaught

Hey Bala and Grey Owl,

We are a grade 7 class at Duke of Connaught. It’s nice to finally say hello and see some of the work that you have been doing.

At our school, we are known as  the water experts. Throughout the school year we have learned about how lucky we are to have access to fresh water. Did you know that not everybody has clean water in their homes and schools? In some parts of the world people have to walk far distances to collect clean water every day. Earlier this year we did a “Water Walk” to raise awareness of the lack of access to water in Uganda.

We are celebrating World Water Day by looking at our use of water and our effect on our watershed. We will be making posters around our school to give students tips on using water responsibly.

We can’t wait to see how you celebrate World Water Day.

Talk to you soon!

Who Polluted The Rouge River?

 On Friday, March 11th, the grade 3/4 class at Grey Owl did an activity about the Rouge River. We read a story about the Rouge River and how it has changed from the time of early settlers to now. As the story went along, we added different pollutants to the river. Have a look at our pictures to see how the story turns out...

Picture 1: The water is still very clean because there is only leaves. You can still drink it and take a bath in it. If the fish are still alive that is how you know it is safe. 

Picture 2: At first the Rouge River was clean, then it got polluted by people throwing stuff like dirt, soil, trees and construction waste into it. I wouldn't swim in the water because there is a lot of polluted stuff in it and I definitely would not drink it. 

Picture 3: As you can see in the picture, there are leaves and mud in the water. I think you don't want to drink that. There is antifreeze in the water and antifreeze can kill you if you drink it so stick to not drinking it. 

Picture 4: Everyone polluted the Rouge River because they added bad chemicals that made it get dirty and thats why it looks the way it does. It became so dirty that bubbles started. They added car oil, dirt and other chemicals to the river. 

Picture 5: The water is being polluted from all the waste that the people put in the water like trash, soap, manure from the farms, expired medication (medicine that is not good), lead, fishing lines from fishermen and oil from the boats and cars that have leaks. It's a hazard to plants, animals and humans alike. A lot has changed over the past 500 years and on day the water is going to stop flowing. The Rouge River was not always polluted. It was clear enough to drink and swim out of. It is an important resource in the community. Polluting the Rouge River is not a good idea. 

Tuesday March 22nd is World Water Day!

International World Water Day was created by the United Nations as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.


The students will continue to learn about both local and global water issues that affect us all.


www.worldwaterday2011.org

Greetings from Grey Owl Junior Public School!

Hey Bala Avenue and Duke of Connaught,

We are the grade 3/4 class at Grey Owl Junior Public School. How are you doing?

We wanted to let you know that we are looking at water conservation near the Rouge River. That is the watershed that our school is located in. We have looked at a lot of the ways that water is wasted. Have you noticed any water being wasted at your schools?

And don't forget - March 22nd is World Water Day. We are thinking of different ways to raise awareness in our school.

Talk to you soon!

This map represents the three starter schools for the studentsforenvironment project: Bala Avenue Community School, Duke of Connaught Junior and Senior Public School and Grey Owl Junior Public School. 

About

Students for Environment is an online forum created for the purpose of encouraging collaborative learning among and across Toronto schools on topics that are central to Environment and Sustainability Education. It is our goal to create a networking system that stresses community and effective communication, heightens media literacy and raises awareness of our shared environmental concerns, questions and actions in response. Our online community is intended to inspire students and educators alike and ensure them of the common environmental interests and support systems that exist within our city.

Greetings from Bala Avenue Community School!

Dear Duke and Grey Owl:

                  Hello from Bala.  We are grade one and two students who are learning about maps.  We are learning about types of maps, so far we know about TTC maps, maps of lakes and waterways, bicycle maps and G.P.S.  Maps tell us how to get from place to place.  Tuesday we mapped our route to Bala.  We heard you are learning about important features of your community.  We are looking forward to seeing what you post.

                 Warm Regards, 

                 Grade 1/2 students

My grade ones and twos are developing a sense of place as they learn and experience their own community.  Their environmental learning starts locally, with knowledge and appreciation of their own environment.

-Ms. Brewer (practicum teacher)