I took a group of kids on a walk to a wetland and small wooded area two weeks ago, first many of them whined about the long walk, which was five short blocks. I purposely did it in the morning before it heated up. It seems as if we have gone too far in teaching kids about the dangers of ticks, there were about 8 of the 25 kids who would not approach the woods because of their fear of ticks, bugs, or anything else that might crawl. They complained of the heat in the direct sun on the boardwalk and would not enter the woods, even though the kids who did assured them that it was much cooler there.
They were supposed to be doing a scavenger hunt, but their drama was getting in the way. It took longer trying to deal with the drama than it would have to actually do the scavenger hunt.
We walked back the five blocks, and I gathered them into the classroom to talk about why I just tortured them with walking five blocks in 83 degree humid weather. I started with the fact that I am trying to get them to understand the importance of the woodland and the wetland since climate change is going to be the biggest issue in their lives. They seemed puzzled. I pointed out the severe thunderstorms that we had had nearly every evening for the past couple of weeks and asked if they remembered any other summer like this. They didn't. I pointed out that climate change was going to create more severe weather and that the severe thunderstorms and threats of tornadoes were going to be a more regular occurrence. They questioned if I really knew what I was talking about. I told them that 99.9% of scientists believe that climate change is real and that humans created it, they look bewildered. I oulined how the increase in carbon in the atomosphere, due to the increased of use of fossil fuels in the last 150 years has created this disaster. They wanted to know why they hadn't been told about this. I think they have been taught some of the science of it, but either the schools are afraid to take a stand politically or they couched it in terms the kids really didn't understand. The kids felt like they had been lied to about it and said so. Ah, equal time in the media, controversy gets more viewership than unpleasant truth.
I need to go back this week, to work with them again. The lesson had veered into the "What can I do about this, I'm just a kid" territory and the "What if my dad doesn't believe in global warming? So, I will be making two meals that release similar amounts of carbon, half a hamburger patty and rice and beans for 11 people, and talk about it with them. We'll see how this goes...I had originally planned an exploratory hands on environmental unit done at the wetland, but that may need to wait.
