New Rainforest Alliance Site Connects Kids to Conservation
This September, kindergarten through sixth grade teachers countrywide began logging onto www.rainforest-alliance.org to access the new, Web-based Rainforest Alliance environmental curriculum. Designed to teach children science fundamentals by way of introducing them to the organization's on-the-ground work, the curriculum engages students in some of the challenges faced by conservationists in the field. "By connecting children to our conservation projects, it helps them to understand their role in protecting natural resources," says program coordinator Julianne Schrader. "What makes this program unique is that it teaches science, math, language arts and social studies essentials while addressing the National Standards for Science."
- Kindergarteners will come to understand more about the connection between rainforests and their supermarket as they learn about Columbia's Cachalu Biological Reserve.
- The jaguars, manatees, howler monkeys and loggerhead turtles that inhabit the mystical Maya forests of Belize are to intrigue first graders.
- In second grade, children will compare the rich culture of the indigenous Yanomami with settlres seeking a better life in the Amazon.
- Third and fourth grade students will learn how chocolate is helping to protect forests in Ecuador.
- Fifth and sixth graders will study the connection between coffee and the migratory songbirds that visit their own backyards each spring.
All of the curriculum units were developed by a highly experienced team of educators who piloted the materials in the own classrooms.
"We want our children to grow up to become concerned citizens and educated voters who will appreciate the environment and protect it," said Carmen Salgueiro, an assistant principal at the Ann Street School in Newark, New Jersey.
To learn more about the Rainforest Alliance's education program, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org/programs/education
