Earth Month

Earth month is always so important to Kids for Saving Earth. Thanks to founder of Earth Day, Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth month has become a festive 30-day celebration to honor and protect the Earth. I'm hearing from schools all over the US and Canada and throughout the world including India, Pakistan, Sweden, England, France, Australia. Everyone wants to use April to teach students how to protect and honor the Earth. This makes me very happy!

Kids for Saving Earth provides educational materials helping teachers empower and inspire kids to protect the Earth. My son, 11-year -old Clinton Hill, started Kids for Saving Earth one year before he died from a malignant brain tumor. His belief that kids could work with adults to save the Earth was my inspiration to provide teachers and parents the tools to do just that. I was a teacher and am a parent and I know they're very busy people and have a lot to fit into their schedules. I have found ways to make it easy to begin and easy to fit the activities into all types of curricula day after day.

Start by telling your children the story of Clinton (because it is very inspiring to them) and move on to our KSE Promise to the Earth. You can print it out and have kids say it and sign it. You could also teach them how to sing it. In addition, print out the Call to Action form. Ask the kids to take it home for their families to fill out, deciding what they will do together to help the Earth.

So now you have begun. Take a peek at this month's Kids for Saving Earth calendar to decide what might work for you and your family or students. Sign up to receive a free membership packet for teachers and parents. The Programs page is filled with ideas for easy activities.

Let us know what you are doing and we will create a Defenders of the Planet page for your school or group.

Most of all, thanks for being concerned parents and educators. We really need you to work with kids to make their only home healthy and beautiful.

Happy Earth month!

Tessa Hill
President, Kids for Saving Earth
kseww@aol.com, tessa@kidsforsavingearth.org
www.kidsforsavingearth.org
Office: 763-559-1234
tessa@kidsforsavingearth.org
37955 Bridge Road
North Branch, MN 55056

Earth Month Conserving Classroom Calendar

April 2012
Hello Friends of Kids for Saving Earth!April is Earth month and I sincerely encourage you to take action-oriented steps to protect the Earth. One important thing you can do is tell your instructor associates, parents and other friends about Kids for Saving Earth. Ask them to order a KSE membership and get a club started in their school or classroom. Send them this link http://www.ksegreenshop.org/ and tell them KSE provides wonderful curriculum to help kids help the Earth. For this special month we have many amazing Earth-saving activities for your students to help students

Celebrate Earth Day. Be sure to check the April calendar because we have more activities than I am highlighting in this letter.We have added a couple new Earth-protecting programs to the calendar. Have your students learn about Organic Gardening and Organic Farming. Ask them to read the info sheets and be ready to discuss the information they learned in class. Also, I would suggest asking them to read the history of Earth Day and All About KSE. If they are in grades 3 and under you will want to read to or with them. The easiest project you can do is to have kids and their friends and family Sign the Kids for Saving Earth Promise. The Wonders of Wind is a fun activity for kids to learn that they don't have to use electric or gas dryers to dry their clothes. Simply print out The Wonders of Wind directions and hand them out to your students. This is a family project so send the directions home. If you are thinking of Earth Day gifts kids can give their family, check out the Light Switch eco activity. It's a very inexpensive but effective way to remind families to turn off their lights when they're not needed. Another activity we just added to the calender was sent to us from a KSE advisor at Briargrove Elementary in Houston, TX. They have had great success with this program and would like you to check it out. Try having a Picnic for the Planet. Finally I hope you will consider having a fundraiser to help support Kids for Saving Earth and/or ordering product from our KSE Green Shop. Learn about the Ionator for your school or home. It safely sanitizes your room or home and it also can wash away nasty chemicals and germs on your fruits and vegetables. Be sure to use the on-line $10 off KSE coupon. Thanks so much for all you do to educate children. Having been a teacher I understand how much work it is. I also know how rewarding it is. Happy Earth Day! Make sure to click on the "Share with a friend" link below.For the Earth and its children,


Tessa Hill
President, Kids for Saving Earth
www.kidsforsavingearth.org
Office: 763-559-1234
37955 Bridge Road
North Branch, MN 55056

Get Green for March!

Hello Friends of Kids for Saving Earth!

Here comes March! It's time to think "green" (Earth friendly).   Put your "green" foot forward and check out  "The Everything Green Classroom" book or a Kids for Saving Earth membership, and also the great green  activities on our March calendar.

We have added a new educational piece about "greenwashing." Are corporations trying to make products look green that are not green? Absolutely. Find out what you and your students can do about it. It's so important for the health of the Earth to buy green but it will take some education to understand how to shop. Check out Who is Greenwashing.

Another important day to think green is, of course, March 17, St. Patrick's Day.  Your students can wear green and act green all on the same day. It's on a Saturday so ask them to report back to you about what they did. Here are some suggestions.

On March 8th you can launch a no idling campaign at your school. That way your kids won't "turn green" while standing by the idling buses and cars in your parking lot. Seriously, exhaust can make you sick. Put a stop to it.

On March 15 print out the Tune Up the Earth Challenge worksheet and have your kids make a promise to fill in the line on the worksheet. Aim for a completion date of Earth Day on April 22.

I know funding for your green activities is always an issue so try one of our fund-raising suggestions. Collect enough money to order an ionator for your classroom. I promise it is an amazing green way to clean your rooms and your students' hands. They'll have a ball using it. Who would think cleaning can be fun? You will thank me!

Besides the always-needed financial contributions, the biggest way you can help Kids for Saving Earth is to tell fellow teachers and parent friends about Kids for Saving Earth. Get them to join for free or as paid members. Make sure to click on the "Send to a friend" link below.

For the Earth and its children,

Tessa Hill

President, Kids for Saving Earth
www.kidsforsavingearth.orgOffice: 763-559-1234
37955 Bridge Road
North Branch, MN 55056

February Activities for the Environment

Happy February!

Our monthly Conserving Classroom Calendar has several events and activities for kids this month, including KSE's Healthy Cleaning Week, which starts February 20th. Check out the calendar for cleaning tips, such as using baking soda as a non-toxic cleaning agent, cutting back on paper towel use, and purchasing non-toxic, waste-free products such as the ActiveIon Spray Cleaner, which uses ionized water to clean and disinfect surfaces. Let us know your tips on how to clean green.

Speaking of non-toxic products, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families -- an organization whose mission it is to update our antiquated regulations on chemicals in our everyday products -- has introduced the Safer Chemicals Art Contest. Kids of all ages are encouraged to enter this creative contest to spread the word about the harmful chemicals in everything from baby bottles (BPA), to carpets (formaldehyde), to shower curtains (phthalates). Kids have until February 29th to submit artwork"describing what a healthy future for our families and environment means to them."

We at KSE have always used kids' artwork -- colorful drawings, paintings, and photos -- to spread the message of protecting our Earth. It's a positive way to learn and share what we love about the Earth and why we need to protect it. We take submissions year-round for use in our publications and on our website. We welcome you to submit artwork to us from your classroom or family at any time. Just email us at kseww@aol.com, or mail it to KSE Worldwide, 37955 Bridge Road, North Branch, MN 55056. We'd love to share your Earth-saving artwork with the world!

Have a great February, everyone!

Universal Pictures: Let the Lorax Speak for the Trees!

Mr. Wells' 4th Grade Class -- the gang behind CatalogCancelingChallenge.com, the initiative to reduce unwanted, wasteful mail catalogs -- was excited about Dr. Seuss's The Lorax coming to movie theaters in March. But when they saw the movie trailer and visited the Universal Pictures website, they were disappointed at finding almost nothing relating to what The Lorax story was about: protecting the environment.

But that disappointment didn't lead to discouragement; it led to action! These 4th graders from Brookline, Massachusetts have created an online petition urging Universal Pictures to "green up" the promotion of this film. Complete with a video, suggestions, and a convincing argument, the petition now has over 3,500 signatures and counting.



The class writes:

Our world, like the Lorax’s, is facing major environmental problems like pollution, global warming, oil spills, littering, a Great Pacific Garbage Patch, deforestation, and loss of animal habitat. These problems will affect our future.

The Lorax movie, with its millions of dollars in advertising and massive audience has the potential to help heal the Earth. This movie can show the world we should not take our sky, water, trees, and animals for granted. It could inspire more and more people to treat Earth with the same respect you would give a child.

We’d like to see the movie live up to the potential of the book. We’re encouraging Universal to make an improved Lorax movie website that Dr. Seuss would be proud of. We recommend a “Lorax Tips” button shaped like a Truffula seed sharing ways people can help the planet. Maybe a Truffula Tree overflowing with tips and links pops up when you click on the seed! We can help you make this list, too!

With this film, Universal Pictures has an opportunity to spread the word about caring for the Earth, which is at the core of Dr. Seuss's original story. Kids for Saving Earth fully supports this tremendous effort by these ambitious 4th graders. If you love this story as much as we do, please sign this petition.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better, it’s not." - Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Happy New Year! Earth-saving activities for 2012

Hello Friends of Kids for Saving Earth!

Happy January and Happy New Year to all! It's not too early to begin planning your activities for Earth Day. Check out suggested and inspiring activities included in our January calendar.

One good way to get started is to send letters and drawings about environmental issues to Kids for Saving Earth. We will create a Defenders of the Planet web page for you on our KSE web site by Earth Day. You can also attach it to your school web site to spread your Earth-saving message to your school community.

To help you get started with your Defenders page, join our Write On letter writing challenge. It will encourage your students to think about what they might want to do for Earth Day. Writing a letter can cover many of your curriculum requirements: printing/writing lessons, grammar, social studies, science, geography and even music. You might want students to write a letter about polar bears and the problems they face due to global warming.

Print out these post cards on Friday the 13th and give them to your students. It will be a lucky day for the Earth when your kids agree to notify those businesses that are water-wasters. Letting these companies know that their faucets are dripping or toilets are running will help conserve the Earth's precious water. You can learn even more about water issues by checking out H2 Oh Oh. After you have studied water issues ask these water related questions to your students. Next print out the test form and ask them to test an adult to see how well they do. You can email your test results to KSE.


Finally have you ever wanted to give a special Earth-saving gift to a fellow teacher, friend or a child? Here's your opportunity to order a Kids for Saving Earth gift card. Check it out. You can order it and have it emailed or mailed to you or directly to your recipient. It's easy to redeem by using the code on the gift card. Think about Valentines Day, Earth Day, and birthdays as possible days to give gifts.

I'd like to give a special thank you to Naturepedic for fabulous donations this year to Kids for Saving Earth. We so appreciate them. Check Naturepedic out on our KSE Green Shop. The products have "no harmful chemicals, period."

For the Earth and its children,

Tessa Hill
President, Kids for Saving Earth
www.kidsforsavingearth.org
Office: 763-559-1234
37955 Bridge Road
North Branch, MN 55056