In our service learning program, students chose and research their own projects. In Grade 1, we started with a brainstorm of problems students are aware of in our community and the world with ideas ranging from homelessness to pollution to supporting our troops to endangered animals. After discussion, the vote was close between endangered animals and the rain forest, and they realized these are connected - so they could help both at once! Using books as guidelines, the students excitedly built their own rain forest to remind the school to conserve paper and be careful of litter, along with earning Penny Panic money to save rain forest acres. Students began their forest with tall trees, bushes, flowers, rocks, and water and added a river teaming with many kinds of undersea life (mostly) from the rain forest, insects, birds, jaguars, other animals, and many drops of rain as well. Here are some of their words about saving the rain forest: Arianna: If you destroy the rainforest, you might not realize, but you’re destroying animals’ homes and the environment where animals live. Animals make food for us that we need to survive. Everett: There are a lot of different kind of animals and they are very interesting, it is cool to learn about them. Nikita: People are cutting down the rain forest and that is habitats for animals and they are dying because they don’t have habitats to live in. It is sad to see animals dying. Bora: We should protect the rain forest or almost all animals in the world could go extinct. We really like animals. Niyaa: If people are cutting down the rain forest, then other people will think it is ok and they will do it too, and soon it will be gone and animals will die because they don’t have an environment to live in. Valentina: If there is litter in the rain forest, animals can eat it and they die. Trees give us oxygen so if we cut down too many trees, we won’t survive. A video of creating the rain forest and their thoughts about problems and saving it: vimeo.com/manage/videos/555528638 Enjoy more pictures in vidigami: www.vidigami.com/trinityschool/albums/327952/media
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