"The Best Earth Day Ever!"

Earth Day 2009 in the Jacobus household was declared "the best Earth Day ever" by the kids.

The day kicked off with Steve and I heading off into the rain forest with an additional cameraman and Will's 4th grade class to shoot video for an upcoming Super Natural Adventures segment on the eco-system of the rain forest. What a fulfilling way to recognize Earth Day!

Late in the afternoon, Michael called from school to say his teacher was offering extra credit to kids who went to see Earth, the "new" movie from DisneyNature (who knew Disney had a nature division?? Everyone's getting in on the act!). The movie in fact is the massive documentary Planet Earth re-edited into a kid-friendly, movie-length feature. Those Disney people are SMART.

Normally, a movie on a school night wouldn't be remotely in the cards. But the kids had little homework and we all decided it would indeed be a great way to cap off Earth Day together (after playing outside for while first, of course!). The movie, like the original documentary, was gorgeous, concerning and inspiring. As we watched, each of us was thinking of our own Super Natural Adventures filming and the role we are trying to play to, like Planet Earth/Earth, get kids concerned about the state of the environment but also encourage them to positive action, not despair.

As we walked out of the theater, a massive lighting storm was lighting up the mountains. "Who wants to head up the mountain to check it out?" Steve asked. We were all in!

We drove and drove and drove--higher, darker night, brighter lightning--until we were at an amazing look out point, where we felt closer to the sky than the city far below. The lightning show was a spectacular, wondrous display by Mother Earth of her natural beauty and power. The fact that this was happening on Earth Day wasn't lost on any of us.

As we got back in the car, one of the kids starting singing, "Happy Earth Day to you..." to the tune of happy birthday. We all joined in and the lyrics sounded most poignant as we added the "...and many more!' line at the end of the first verse. We all then had a big laugh as Will started in on Verse 2: "How old are you?"

As we wound our way in the darkness back down the mountain, the conversation turned melancholy, with the kids stating they felt human beings had really messed things up for nature. "Would you be willing to radically--radically!--change your lives to make a difference?" I asked them. Without hesitation, they all chimed, "Yes."

This is how these seeds get planted with the Jacobus Family. Don't be surprised if in a year or so we REALLY have fallen off the grid...

Earth Day 2009!

One way to celebrate Earth Day is to gather the family together to watch The Story of Stuff.

Your life will never be the same!

Don't Forget to Turn Out the Lights

One of the most serious global challenges the planet is facing right now is climate change. What are we doing about it? Well, for starters, on Saturday, March 28th at 8:30 pm millions of people are expected to participate in the WWF's Earth Hour, a movement dedicated to the global concern for climate change.

From the US to Dubai, from Paris to Sydney, people all over the globe will turn out their lights in order to send a clear message about the urgent need for action. Earth Hour is expected to be four times as successful as last year with some 2,500 cities in 82 countries participating in the record breaking event by turning off the lights for one hour. A call for action this loud simply cannot go unheard.

Some of the high-profile landmarks around the globe committed to Earth Hour include:
Empire State Building (New York City, USA)
Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)
Stockholm Castle (Stockholm, Sweden)
The Egyptian Pyramids (Egypt)
Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)
Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
The Las Vegas Strip (Las Vegas, Nevada)
And many, many more...

Global warming is effecting the environment as well as human life more seriously than ever before. Melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and extreme weather all over the world are just a few of the consequences caused by climate change. And it's only expected to get worse unless serious actions are taken to reduce carbon footprints around the globe.

In Dan Forman's article "From Sea to Shining Sea," WWF CEO Carter Roberts says that "Turning off the lights is just the beginning. We're asking everyone to also make commitments to reduce their energy use during the rest of the year and to ask their elected representatives to do the right thing because we need climate legislation now." (Click here for the whole article)

And he's right; we can't just turn out our lights for one hour, one night and expect change to happen on its own...but it can happen with our continued efforts and education. The first step is a willingness to adhere to new, eco-friendly behavior, such as using fluorescent light bulbs and unplugging appliances when they aren't being used.

Let's work together to fight global warming, reduce the effects of climate change and improve the prognosis for the future of our planet, even if it means turning off one light switch at a time!

For more information about Earth Hour and ways to get involved visit www.EarthHourUs.org

Super Natural Adventures in the Classroom

Now that 2009 is in full swing we can truly appreciate what little free time we have, both as parents and teachers. I know I have my work cut out for me this spring if I want to keep all my proverbial balls in the air. One exciting new project I’m working on is getting Super Natural Adventures into the classrooms of my two youngest sons (or more accurately, getting those children out of the classroom!) Both Michael and Will are going on class field trips this spring and SNA is hopping on board to film their adventures and turn them into segments to post on the website.

Each field trip will be different in the content (and characters) but they will both get the children out of the deductive, structured style of learning they’re all too accustomed to and out into the wild world of inductive education. With inductive learning, children become co-teachers of their lessons as they are able to experience the world first hand and draw their own conclusions.

What ‘s interesting about inductive learning is that teachers don’t need to give the children information in the form of answers, but rather questions that allow them to process and interpret that information for themselves. In short, the teacher is helping the students learn on their own. In the article, “The Many Faces of Inductive Teaching and Learning” by Michael Prince and Richard Felder, it is stressed that internalization of information occurs when children are able to connect what they’re learning in the classroom to the outside world. (Cue SNA video clip…)

Super Natural Adventures is a perfect example of inductive learning and can be used in any classroom for any age group. Simply determine which unit of your lesson fits in with the SNA content (i.e. environmental issues, ecosystems, animals, and the list goes on…) and plan a field trip with your students to explore and learn first hand. The kids will be in charge of researching the content, developing a story line and ultimately shooting the video. And the real bonus is that once they post the video online, they’re able to share their experience with the rest of the world, which gets them more than a little enthusiastic about doing the project!

Let me know what video ideas your class comes up with!

Good Habits for 2009

Happy New Year!

I hope 2009 is finding you and your family happy, healthy and heading outdoors. I've been having fun brainstorming with my boys about what we can do this year to be more environmentally friendly, more connected with nature and more in touch with the needs of the world around us. Hers's a few of the ideas we came up with:

• Bring a water bottle to school to keep from buying those plastic bottles.
• Turn off the lights whenever you leave a room.
• Use both sides of the paper for homework.
• Start a compost pile in the corner of your backyard.
• Volunteer more. In Costa Rica there are plenty of indigenous peoples, like the Bri Bri, who really appreciate any help we can offer. Who needs help in your area?

Click here to check out the National Wildlife Federation 2009 Priorities and see what you can come up with to help them with their world-changing goals for 2009! And remember, even the little things can make a difference. Even if you can’t reverse global warming in one afternoon, the planet appreciates any help it can get. Let me know what you are doing this year to be more environmentally conscious.

Parents and Educators Love Super Natural Adventures!

We are receiving some great feedback on the site and on the overall concept of SNA.

Here are some of the comments:

"I found SNA phenomenal!!! What a wonderful idea and a great teaching tool. I couldn’t keep quiet about it to my friends (moms)...I am sooo impressed... The videos are educational, fun, well-done, so professional--just amazing. Your kids do a fantastic job on them. They make it so upbeat and exciting."

--Veronique, mom of two, San Jose

"My kids really enjoyed watching the videos. They can't wait to get outside now and have their own Super Natural Adventure! Thanks for inspiring them!"

--Tom, father of three, New York

"You are fantastic parents who have learned how to give your children an opportunity of a lifetime -- a REAL EDUCATION!!!!!"

--Mrs. Nash, elementary school educator, instructor for teachers, Milwaukee

Thanks for all the support, educators and fellow parents!

Let's continue to get kids excited about nature and the environment!

Ideas for Outdoor Family Fun

Well, the "Outdoor Movement" is certainly catching on!

Just about every weekend now is a designated time by some organization or other for families to get outside.

That's great news for parents, because with all these designated days comes a website and suggested family outdoor activities!

This coming weekend, October 11-13, it's the National Wildlife Federation's Green Hour campaign that is promoting Make Tracks: Family Trail Weekend.

Be sure to bring along a camera and snap some picks or shoot soome video that your kids can submit to our website.