Educator Spotlight: First Graders Take On Community Accessibility

Ellie Clin, this week’s Educator of the Week, led her students through an inquiry-based accessibility study that culminated in a service learning project. Her students went door-to-door selling low-cost ramps that make single-step storefronts wheelchair-accessible. Ellie is a first-grade teacher at the Grove Community School in Toronto.  Learn more about Ellie by reading her blog or reaching out to her on twitter. You’ve said that you … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: First Graders Take On Community Accessibility

Weekly Warm-Up: 5 Ways to Inspire Student Environmentalists in Time for Earth Day

Nearly 50 years ago, the first Earth Day inspired millions of Americans and helped spark the modern environmental movement. Yet today the issues Earth Day brings to light—climate change, water pollution, deforestation, and many others—remain as relevant as ever. Wondering how to introduce your students to Earth Day? Check out our National Geographic Explorer! magazine article, “Celebrate Earth,” and our corresponding activity. Ready to dive … Continue reading Weekly Warm-Up: 5 Ways to Inspire Student Environmentalists in Time for Earth Day

What Does a 6-Year-Old Think of Climate Change?

ENVIRONMENT A Montana first-grader has made a video about how climate change is affecting his family and community. (Nat Geo News) Listen to other “Young Voices for the Planet” with our video series about young people making a difference in the battle against climate change. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas What is climate change? … Continue reading What Does a 6-Year-Old Think of Climate Change?

Becoming An Explorer

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A child explores a creek near Germantown, Ohio. Credit: James Crotty

Remember when you were a kid? When any fireman or astronaut could visit the steps of your school or the pages of your books and convince you to dream big? 
A few weeks ago, the other National Geographic Education interns and I got to meet some amazing people who would turn out to be just that–people we wanted to be. It’s never too late in life to be amazed, nor is it ever too early to expand your dreams. We got to sit down with most of the National Geographic Emerging Explorers for a half-hour or more (distilled versions of those interviews will be available on natgeoed.org in a few weeks). We also got to hear from some of the veteran Explorers and Fellows, who presented their research and updates from the field during the week long Explorers Symposium. We even got to see marine ecologist Enric Sala and filmmaker James Cameron earn the distinction of being named the newest Explorers in Residence. 
In this post, I’ve condensed some of the lessons we learned about explorers and exploring. It won’t tell you much about the explorers themselves (I’ve added links for that, and there’s always Google), but it will advise you on how to live the coolest life ever. 

Continue reading “Becoming An Explorer”

March 2009 Newsletter

Read the March 2009 Newsletter: “Dive into the Oceans”

Inside: A Huge “THANK YOU” to All Who Wrote Congress
GeoFeature: A Whale of a Time
Geography in the News: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Blog: National Geographic’s Greatest Ocean Adventurers

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Continue reading “March 2009 Newsletter”