Newrochellejeffersonschool | We Future Cycle

We Future Cycle had the pleasure of taking the 4th and 5th grade students of Jefferson Elementary School in New Rochelle on an environmental Scavenger Hunt.

The students were eager participants and it was a huge success!

12 colorful boards were highlighting a series of environmental problems with some shocking data and pictures. Students read through the “Did you know?” posters and and while searching for clues, learned many details about their impact on the environment.

They learned just how Westchester County disposes of all of our waste by burning it into our air. They learned the effect of plastics on our environment and how bits of plastics end up in our marine animals and ultimately killing them. And they learned about the shocking environmental destruction that is caused by aluminum mining, all so we can wrap our sandwich ?! -shudder-

The students would scavenge through all of the information and find the answers to the questions on the questionnaire. We Future Cycle representatives guided students through the activity, helping them with difficult words and inviting them to think deeper into the topic. Students were very proud to finish the questionnaire and had a lot of fun while learning a great deal. Even though the activity was geared toward 4th and 5th grade, some 3rd graders were very excited to participate ….

Bringing environmental education through play to the students will ensure the longevity of the recycling program that is run in the lunchroom. Every day, students carefully sort their lunchwaste into compostable, recyclable and non recyclable materials, thus diverting a whopping 97% of their waste from the trash. Because if the heart knows why something is done, it is easy for the hands to do it.

Students from Ms Starcevic’s class just learned about the perils of littering and they are not holding back about what they learned and how they feel about it.

We Future Cycle just finished up teaching a program to all of Jefferson’s Kindergarten, first and second grade students on what happens to organic and inorganic materials in our world. The kids did a hands on (and rather messy…..and they LOVED that part) experiment to find out how water interacts with different materials. Afterwards they were invited to write about what they learned and if they were interested in more information.

Gabriella writes: ” I learned that I can pick up trash and that it is good to keep our world clean”

James learned that if you throw soft plastic then the fish will die, the turtles will die because they will eat the plastic and it clogs up their stomach.

Jaquan learned that the rain will bring the litter on the streets into the sewer system and that brings it to the sea and the fish can eat it.

Emalia did a great job retelling that she learned about how seeds grow and how to clean our Earth.

Tyanna took the time to recount the science experiment we did in class.

Monserrat shared that he learned all about seeds and how different they are and how surprised he was that they contained food. He also learned how important it is to clean the Earth.

Mia summarized very neatly that organic things smush (sic) in water and inorganic things look the same. She also said that in her house, bringing out the recycling is her job.

Alira learned that she will never litter and that seeds can grow into new plants

Every single student wrote that they want to learn more about how to make a difference in this world. They were attentive and all pledged to be good models, to never litter and to help clean up this world.

Thank you ! Ms Starcevic’s class for sending me all these wonderful letters.