Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 2-6 Subject: Environmental Science

Environmental Awareness for Kids

On April 18, 2002, the U.S. Senate defeated an energy bill that would let companies drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Those who voted against the bill were worried it would harm the wildlife, and they thought that America could do without the oil. Those in favor of the bill were sure it wouldn't harm wildlife, and thought America needed the oil.

The Arctic refuge is made up of 19 million acres in northeast Alaska. The 1.5 million-acre plain along its coast (about the size of the state of Delaware) probably holds a lot of oil and natural gas. The plain is also home to caribou, polar bears, birds and other animals that environmentalists want to protect.

The decision not to drill for oil in the Arctic reserve comes just in time for the Earth Day celebration on April 22. In this week's online lesson you will visit two great environmental awareness sites for kids where you will find fun activities and plenty of learning about the Earth.

EcoKids

First stop for some great eco-fun is EcoKids Online, an Earth-friendly kids site from Canada. From the home page, click Enter. Getting around is easy; roll your mouse over anything you see in the clubhouse. Start with the Games section by clicking the TV. You can play games about wildlife, energy, environmental issues, science & nature, or just plain fun.

After you've played a few games, return to the clubhouse and click the globe. This leads you to the Eco-Info Notebook. Click Hot Topics and then Energy. Since we started with the topic of drilling for oil, click the first link listed, which is Energy and Fossil Fuels: An Introduction. Name a few things energy can do. How long have people been using energy? Click More Info at the bottom and read the next page. Name three fossil fuels. What are two problems with using fossil fuels for energy? Name several renewal energy resources.

Go back to the main Energy page and click Fossil Fuel Eco-Stat. Here you can learn about fossil fuel using an online handheld computer. Click the Start button and then click the screen to choose and read topics. When you're done reading, click Energy Quiz on the right. Click Start to test your knowledge of energy. See if you can get a perfect score!

You can come back to this site and explore later, but for now there's another cool Earth Day site waiting to be discovered.

EPA Explorers' Club

The United States Environmental Protection Agency or EPA is in charge of making sure people and businesses keep the environment clean and healthy for everyone. Go to the EPA's Explorer's Club site for more fun and learning about keeping your community and your world clean and safe. Like the EcoKids site, you can click anything you see on the screen to get around. For now click Art Room, and then click When Greenville Turned Brown. This is an interactive storybook about a town you wouldn't want to live in. Find out why by reading the story. Click the pointing hand button on the right to turn pages. Keep reading and clicking until the end. From the story, what was the plan to clean up the town? Who helped?

Go back to the Art Room and click Planet Protectors Coloring Book. If you like to color, this may be your favorite. Use your mouse to choose a color, and then click on any part of the picture to color it in.

Return again to the Explorers' Club page, click Plants & Animals, and then click Save Our Species. Each of the pictures you see is a threatened plant or animal. Click the picture to learn more about it an why it is threatened. How many of these are endangered because of something man is doing?

For one last activity, return to Explorers' Club and click Air. Now click On the Trail of the Missing Ozone. Do you like comic books? If so, you'll really like this comic book about a reporter searching for clues about ozone reported missing from the atmosphere. Click Illustrated Panels to begin, and then click the red arrow to move on to the next page. What does the ozone layer do? What is the ozone layer's big enemy? What does Farley learn about ways to reduce CFCs?

Newspaper Activity

Pretend you are a reporter like Farley in the Explorers' Club comic book. Search through a current issue of the Rapid City Journal for things that are Earth-friendly or not Earth-friendly. Make two lists. Examples of Earth-friendly things may be trees to plant, small cars to drive, or windmills for producing energy. Examples of non-Earth-friendly things may be things that pollute the air and water or endanger animals. Share your list with a parent, teacher, or friend.

Oh, and don't forget to recycle the newspaper.

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Learners Online, Inc.