We appreciate the opportunity to talk to you tonight about our Sunnyside Pond Water Habitat Science Project. Since 1993, my primary classes have been making science observation of the pond habitat at our local City of Pullman Sunnyside Park. We walk from our school to the park to observe the pond water and wildlife. At the pond, we take pictures and talk about our observations. We greatly appreciate having this city park so close to our school because the pond habitat makes a wonderful outdoor environmental education site!
After each trip to the pond, the children create a photo journal about their observations. Each school year the children read the photo journals from previous years and talk about changes they are noticing in the pond habitat. Each year the children exchange water habitat observations by email with classmates in schools around the country and around the world. Classmates around the country in Washington State, New Mexico, and New York, and in countries of Argentina, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Australia, and Puerto Rico have learned about Pullman's Sunnyside Park pond water habitat. One year, the class was invited to do a workshop on their water habitat project at the YouthCaN Environmental Earth Day Conference for Youth at the New York City Museum of Natural History. From Pullman, they used Internet video conferencing to present their data about changes in the pond and to respond to comments and questions from youth in New York City. During that workshop, students from New York City responded to our students concerns about restoring the island habitat by suggesting that they get a lot more people to care about the ponds and work with them to restore the island. That is when the class started to meet with Parks' Supervisor, Alan Davis, to talk to him about the changes in this water habitat and to find out what how they could help care for the pond and island.
Tonight, the children are hear to invite you to join them in caring about the pond habitats. They are going to present their science data about changes in the pond habitat and their recommendations for taking action.
Thank you.
***All documents on our classroom web pages are copyrighted. The text and images are for educational use only. Please honor the integrity and original ownership of all text, design and images. We request that you not replicate the webpage designs nor publish the images and text without permission. For permission contact Kristi Rennebohm Franz at kfranz@psd267.wednet.edu