Earth Day at Odyssey!

On April 22nd Odyssey will celebrate Earth Day. Teachers Aaron Bergman and Jessica Bilandzija are spearheading all the day's activities and encourage parents and family members to come and lend a hand. Volunteers are wanted and welcome! Take a look at what will be going on:

Urban Garden
Even a concrete urban jungle can produce fruits and vegetables. Come and see how, and even help to make an urban garden here at Odyssey! Come ready to get down and dirty.Meet directly in front of Room 2.

Compost Demonstration
Composting saves landfill space and the products have great uses in gardening, and it’s more than just making a big pile of food scraps! Come and see how composting is done at Odyssey and how you can do the same at home.Meet in front of Room 2, near the compost bins.

Tree Planting
Outside sources are donating trees to Odyssey, but it’s up to us to make sure they take root in good soil! Show the ultimate in tree friendliness and come help plant a tree to make Odyssey a richer place for us all. Come prepared to get down and dirty.Meet on the west end of the north field, near the swings.

Story of Stuff
4-8th grades www.storyofstuff.com We buy things all the time, but where do they come from and were do they go? The Story of Stuff is a 20 minute video that talks about the ecological, social, and political implications of living in a consumer world. Discussion to follow. It’s probably a bit too much for the wee ones.Meet in Room 2.

Compostable Pots
(Every student must bring a cleaned milk carton, the kind that comes with cafeteria lunches. They must all also have the tops cut off.) Come learn how to make a pot for plants that can be put directly into the ground. Learn about eco-friendliness as well as reusing materials in a creative way.Meet on the middle school patio in front of the music room.

Trash Sorting Relay
The winners will have to be quick on their feet and also understand the difference between what is reusable, what is recyclable, and what is junk.Meet on the west end of the north field, near the swings.

7th and 8th Grade Earth Day Science Fair
Every student in the 7th and 8th grades investigated, performed, analyzed, and reported an experiment of their choosing. Most of their experiments have nothing to do with Earth Day BUT they are excited to share with audiences how to go about investigating questions experimentally. Meet in Room 3, Mrs. Khalsa’s room.

Decorate Brown Paper Grocery Bags www.earthdaybags.org
Raise awareness and spread the word about Earth Day! The Earth Day Groceries Project has grown over the past 15 years to 1200 participating schools, and Odyssey will be one of them. Students decorate a grocery store’s brown paper bags and return them for distribution during Earth Day. It’s a simple, profound, and personal way to spread awareness about Earth Day. Meet in the Art Room.

Computer Lab Games
The EPA and the State of California have many age appropriate websites for young earth day celebrators. Learn about Earth Day related topics through games and webquests.Meet in the Computer Lab.