The Love-A-Tree Environmental Education Program is one way the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ensures that North Carolina's public and private school teachers have educationally sound resource materials that teach students how to be good stewards of our precious natural resources. There are four main objectives for the 2006-07 School Year
Love-A-Tree program:
• Provide hands-on, inquiry-based resources on ecosystems and natural habitats that support the NC Standard Course of Study.
• Encourage students and teachers to explore their school grounds and backyards. You don't need a nature trail or butterfly garden to learn in the outdoors. Every school ground is an outdoor classroom!
• Define "ecosystem services" and show that land and resource conservation is vital to North Carolina's economy and its people's quality of life.
• Provide resources that will encourage school administrators, teachers and students to conserve native plants and create wildlife habitat on the school grounds, at home and in the community.
This program is made possible through a grant to the Environmental Education Fund from the International Paper Foundation. It showcases environmental education activities from the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
The 2006-07 kit includes these items and more:
Biodiversity Bingo Fundana. This is a great instructional tool to teach about biological diversity and ecosystem services. It also gets students outside, moving and doing inquiry-based learning.
Attracting Wildlife Guide. The NC Wildlife Federation donated this excellent "how-to" sheet on creating schoolyard and backyard wildlife habitats. It's easy to enhance wildlife habitat in your area. Even on a small scale, it is an important conservation action and provides homes for native wildlife, preserves native plants and sometimes prevents stormwater runoff. Schoolyard habitats can also be used as outdoor classrooms and living laboratories. Several grants are available to assist your school in creating habitats and outdoor classrooms as well.
Wildlife-Focused Educational Resources. This was provided by the NC Birding Trail and the NC Chapter of the Wildlife Society. It lists just about every curriculum guide, workshop, program and field trip available that pertains to NC wildlife. It also provides grant and fellowship information. Learn more about the NC Birding Trail at www.ncbirdingtrail.org.
River Basin Cards and Poster. These items are used with the "River Basin Riddler" activity in the Love-A-Tree Environmental Education Activity Book. The map is also helpful with several other activities and will complement your River Basin Playground Map (see below) if your school chooses to create one. More posters, as well as Discover NC's River Basins booklets and individual basin inserts, can be ordered at www.eenorthcarolina.org.
River Basin Playground Maps. This is a first! 2006-07 Love-A-Tree Schools will be eligible to request a stencil to create a 10'x20' North Carolina River Basins playground map. This map is similar to the United States playground maps. Teachers will also receive activity ideas for using it as an instructional tool. There are a multitude of ways to use the map to teach students about North Carolina's geography, ecosystems, natural resources, history, culture and more!
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The 2006-07 Love-A-Tree resource packet is based on the
