EARTH DAY 2008

CHILDREN LEARN 4R'S OF EARTH DAY;

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, AND RESCUE

On Tuesday April 22, 2008 people around the country including Imperial Beach celebrated the 38^th anniversary of Earth Day. It was an especially busy day for students enrolled in the Boys & Girls Club of Imperial Beach licensed before and after-school program at Oneonta Elementary School as the children spent the entire week taking part in different activities honoring Mother Nature.

Earth Day, which was launched by Congress in 1970 championed by Senator Gaylord Nelson who thought a special day was needed to bring awareness to everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment.

Students at the B&G Clubs Oneonta Extension spent the week learning what part they could play in helping to relieve some of the burden on Mother Nature not just for Earth Day but for every day of the rest of their lives. 

On Monday the children studied 22 things they and their parents could be doing on a daily basis including; Not wasting food, just taking what they could eat; to keep sharpening pencils until it was to small to use; use a lunch box instead of paper or plastic bags; to walk, ride a bike or take a bus around town and the children's favorite: wear your clothes for more then one day.

On Tuesday, the group did some work in their neglected outdoor garden and picked up trash around the playground. Beautifying these areas was hard work, but it had a humorous and exciting ending. As they were picking up trash one of the children called out his discovery "Mouse" yelled 4^th grader Tavian McKinney and in a flash all the children were gathered along side a classroom to see a very tiny and now scared mouse. An albino, white fur and red eyes not much bigger then one of kids thumbs it looked healthy but cowered in fear. Pete Salisbury, the Oneonta Site Director scooped the mouse up into a small cage normally reserved for the occasional bug but now furnished for a rodent.

The children quickly finished the clean up and turned their attention to the furry find now safely resting in the cage burying itself under woodchip bedding. Names for the mouse were being bantered about most keeping with an Earth Day theme and finally it was down to two. Recycle and Ozone. Recycle won out but the Ozone group has yet to concede defeat.

The week continued with the children bringing in toys, games, books, and stuffed animals that they no longer wanted and piling it up so they could play the sites annual Recycle Bingo game with everyone taking home something they wanted from the pile.

Ending the week, the group raided several recycling bins to build their own Earth Day sculptures. The lesson for the week was complete; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rescue.