Earth Month Adventures

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Our elementary and middle school students engage in a month long series of activities in celebration of Earth Month in contrast with earth day.  The activities included:

1. Outdoor prayer where students performed their noon prayer on the lawn.  One students said it felt very peaceful. Another student said that he felt the birds were praying with us. Other students appreciated the fresh air and open space and said that it made them relax and reflect deeply.

• 2. Research verses from the Holy Qur’an about earth and its wonders:    This activity was for middle and high school students where students shared different verses in a class discussion.  The Qur'an refers to the earth in many ways. It talks about the layers of the earth and how the earth witnesses what we do.  One students said these discussions made her feel that there is someone with her watching kindly her all the time which makes her feel at peace! 
• 3. Outdoor art class:  "This is the most fun art class I ever had" on student said
• 4. Recycling campaign: Students collected recyclables from the different Islamic centers and brought them to school for recycling.
• 5. Trash for teaching activities:  Students brought empty cereal boxes, cans, egg boxes, and so on. They made beautiful art projects.
• 6. Scheduled litter pick up from field and lunch area: Fourth and fifth grade students took the lead and kept the campus very clean. They continued beyond earth month!
• 7. Pulling weeds at recess time was a rewarding exercise.
• 8. Earth day field trip to the nature center for Kindergarten to sixth grade. 
• 9. Picking fruit, cleaning, and wrapping them to take as gifts for neighbors and passerby's
• 10. Getting small pine trees as a donation from nurseries to gift to neighbors (for planting)
• 11. Earth month field trip  to neighboring businesses with fruit bags or small pine tree gifts.

The students were extremely engaged during all these activities especially students with discipline problems.  Students compared seeds of fruits and how seeds germinate in soil. Continuous critical thinking was a hallmark of the month. They kept asking questions and exploring ideas of how to protect the earth and how to make it a better place for everyone.

Students built self-confidence especially when they met the non-Muslim people who were praising their kindness, behavior, maturity, and stewardship. 

Students were reminded to be careful when walking and crossing the streets. One students who just have joined us from Iraq said: “this feels like back home when I used to walk to my grandmas home”