A Note from Jane

At-Home Learning

• South Carolina 4-H came up with the online program “4-H @ Home.” They will be sending out daily e-mails with a 4-H activity that can be completed at home. Activities will require a few common household materials, and some may require Internet access. Topics include: Animals and Agriculture, Healthy Lifestyles, Civic Engagement and Leadership, Natural Resources, and STEM. This program is open to youth in any county. Registration link. 
• Children and Nature: Ten Nature activities to get families through the pandemic.
• Congaree National Park hopes to post lessons on their webpage and social media to support  student curriculum. They are open to teaching or reinforcing previously taught concepts in history, natural or physical science, math, language arts, or physical education and health. Contact jonathan_manchester@nps.gov with your specific ideas.
• EdVenture has family daily activities on their website.  
• NEED (National Energy Education Development) offers distant learning options.
• SC Aquarium is offering free virtual tours and family nature challenges each weekday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on their Facebook page
• The South Carolina Energy Office has provided these energy saver coloring sheets in English and Spanish.
• South Carolina ETV and the South Carolina Department of Education have partnered to stream pre-12th grade curriculum-based programming three days a week 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. More information here.
• South Carolina State Museum staff is currently developing educational content for students and families to access online. Stay tuned.
• US Green Building Council has K-12 environmental lessons for learning at home here

Earth Day Celebrations

EEASC

Contests & Grants

• Congratulations to Cherish Taylor of Irmo Middle School, winner of PalmettoPride's 3rd annual Children's Book Contest. Taylor received her own published copy of Louie’s Park, which she wrote and illustrated. One copy of Louie’s Park will be donated to every elementary school in South Carolina as a continuous effort to educate and encourage students of all ages to be active in litter prevention. Read more here.
   
• Innovation Grant
  The Next Energy Engineering class at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2) was named the state winner of a Samsung grant for the students’ innovative ideas to improve recycling at their school. Here is the video they submitted halfway through their project.
  
  Instructor Kirstin Bullington wrote, “As the state winner, we were awarded $15,000 to purchase technology. In addition, we are now collecting six times the amount of recycling collected each week. And the game bin is far less contaminated than our regular bins; all of the bottles in the game bin are empty and capped. We’ve also educated people to flatten boxes and leave them outside the bins so the parking lot recycling dumpsters won't fill up too soon.”
  
  We hope to see their finished project at a to be scheduled community event!
   
• Solar Grants
  Congratulations to Dent Middle School, Eau Claire High School, Gilbert High School and Irmo High School for being selected by Dominion Energy Solar to have a solar array installed right outside each school. This offers school families a chance to learn firsthand about harnessing solar energy. Full story here.
   
• Garden Grants
  Congratulations to the following three schools that received spring Conservation Education Mini-Grants from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District:
  • Satchel Ford Elementary School: Outdoor Handwashing Station and Raised Beds ($1,000)
  • REACH Homeschool Group: Wildlife Garden at Harbison State Forest ($500)
  • Westwood High School: Protecting Our Pollinators! ($500)
    Read more here.

Gleaner Update