Earth Day might be officially over, until next year, but that doesn’t mean we can forget any of the lessons we’ve learned about keeping our planet green, and recycling, and using earth-friendly products, etc.
It seems as though styrofoam, for example, is EVERYWHERE. At the beach. In restaurants. At home. At school. In the workplace. Coffee? Styrofoam. Cola to go? Styrofoam. Tailgate party? Styrofoam. What is it? What happens to it when we throw it away? What’s it made of?
A parent, or a teacher, or an environmentalist, or a celebrity can talk ’til they’re blue in the face about cutting back, and using recyclable and biodegradable products, but until a student sees, with his/her own eyes, exactly what styrofoam is, it doesn’t really mean much. Educators must know how to get the information into a student’s head. Just reading about it in a book, or listening to an adult explain it, isn’t good enough.
Science has such incredible potential to amaze, and entrance, and ENCHANT. As teachers and parents and citizens of the planet, we all need to strive to show our children that when we understand how our world is put together, and how all parts interact and don’t interact, how cause and effect impacts our daily lives, and how much FUN it can be to learn it all.
Siku ya Dunia inaweza kuwa rasmi juu, mpaka mwaka ujao, lakini hiyo haina maana tunaweza kusahau yoyote ya masomo tumejifunza kuhusu kuweka sayari yetu kijani, na kuchakata, na kutumia bidhaa za kirafiki dunia, nk. Inaonekana kana kwamba, kwa mfano, Styrofoam ipo kila mahali. Kwenye ufuo wa bahari. Katika mikahawa. Nikiwa nyumbani. Shuleni. Katika mahali pa kazi. Kahawa? Styrofoam. Cola ya kwenda? Styrofoam. Chama cha mlango wa nyuma? Styrofoam. Ni nini hicho? Ni nini hutokea tunapopiga? Imefanyizwa kwa nini? "Mzazi, au mwalimu, au mwanaharakati wa mazingira, au mtu mashuhuri anaweza kuzungumza ""hadi wanapokuwa na rangi ya bluu"" juu ya kupunguza, na kutumia bidhaa zinazoweza kurejeshwa na kuharibika, lakini mpaka mwanafunzi aone, kwa macho yake mwenyewe, ni nini hasa styrofoam, haina maana sana. """ Walimu lazima wajue jinsi ya kuingiza habari katika kichwa cha mwanafunzi. Kusoma tu juu ya hilo katika kitabu, au kusikiliza mtu mzima aeleze, si jambo zuri la kutosha. Sayansi ina uwezo mkubwa sana wa kushangaza, na kuvutia, na kusisimua. Kama walimu na wazazi na raia wa sayari, sisi sote tunahitaji kujitahidi kuwaonyesha watoto wetu kwamba tunapoelewa jinsi ulimwengu wetu unavyounganishwa, na jinsi sehemu zote zinavyoingiliana na hazihusiani, jinsi sababu na athari zinavyoathiri maisha yetu ya kila siku, na ni jinsi gani inaweza kuwa ya kufurahisha kujifunza yote.