Wiggly Worms Multiply

Who would have know that worms would multiply so quickly. We must have done a really go job in our worm composter of giving the worms a favorable habitat because we have MORE babies. Friday afternoon, we read a story about a worm's life cycle and then set up the next level in the worm composting condominium. First, we collected leftover fruit and vegetable scraps and uneaten sandwich crusts at lunch. That the bottom layer. On top of it we put brown leaves we had collected from th e school yard. That is followed by a layer of damp shredded newspaper which we had used previously to collect the moisture from our Capri Sun pouches as they dried. The final layer is a few sheets of damp newspaper to help maintain the moisture that our worms like in their habitat. It was fun putting it together. Afterwards we went to visit the Frog Bog for a imprompt Friday afternoon fieldtrip. We found the blackberries were plentiful, but the tadpoles were hiding. Tree saplings were growing in the path, but it was dry enough that we could go all the way through. The Shasta daisies were beautiful and the turtle dock awaited a turtle. It was a most pleasant afternoon. Then to document our exploration, the students did pictures in the computer lab and wrote about their discoveries.

Rain Barrels

Did you know that rain water can be collected and used to water your plants or wash things outside? When rain water is used for such chores, it keeps it from running into the sewer and carrying pollutants into the local waterway. It is a first defense against water pollution. Mrs. Barber and Mrs. Marx took a class this weekend through Lynnhaven River NOW to build 2 rain barrels for Creeds ES. We'll be using the barrels to collect rain water to water the Frog Bog plants and the garden next year. This will save the schools' well water, too, for other uses. If you pay for city water it will save you money to pay for the water and to pay for the sewage of that water. It sounds like a win-win to me. Can you think of any other uses for rain water at school?

Collecting Ziploc Bags for Recycling

We are now collecting used Ziploc bags of all sizes for recycling through Terracycle. They will give us 2 cents each for everyone we send in to them. Just think how many bags we can keep from going to the dump. In addition, they will pay 2cents each for used Ziploc storage containers. So when you are ready to dispose of those containers, don't throw them out, send them to Creeds ES for recycling. They will be turning them into cool stuff with a second life. How many bags do you think we can collect before school is out for summer?

Frog Boggers at Work

The "Frog Boggers" have been busy the last few Thursdays watering, weeding, and topping off mulch in the Frog Bog. Except for the lack of rain drying things up a bit, the frog bog is looking good. It is a great place to explore nature. The tadpoles are getting bigger, though they still don't have any legs, they are easier to see. The plants are filling in nicely making everything look lush and green. And surprise, surprise...guess what showed up on the back side of the gardens...wild blackberry bushes with little white flowers. Soon those flowers will be little green berries with dreams of becoming plump, juicy blackberries. Leave it to nature to give you a surprise when you least expect it. What do you think we will discover next?

Capri Drink Pouches

Whew! I delivered 22.75 pounds of empty Capri Sun pouches to UPS to send to Terracycle for our first check. You know not only will be get money for those pouches, but we can be proud of ourselves for diverting that 22 pounds away from years at the landfill. Terracycle makes cool things by reusing the pouches. I got this bag made with 26 empty pouches at Wal-mart. It is reusable and washable, too. I picked the lemonade bag because it is blue and yellow like our school colors, but you can get one with other flavors. They also had purses made from M&M bags and Skittles bags. What would you like to see an empty Capri Sun pouch become?