Hilltown Families 
Earth Day 40th Birthday Media Giveaway
Three Great Media Giveaways In Honor of Earth Day
This year commemorates the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, and Western Mass is filled with events that raise awareness and honor the planet. In celebration of Earth Day’s 40th Birthday, here on Hilltown Families we have a fantastic media collection to giveaway to one very lucky family. Deadline to enter to win is Wednesday, 04/28/10 @ 7pm. Details below.
Here’s what being offered in our Earth Day 40th Birthday Media Giveaway:
- CD – The Missoula Coyote Choir & Friends, Ask the Planet
- DVD – He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands … and More Stories to Celebrate the Environment
- BOOK – A Child’s Introduction to The Environment by M. Driscoll & D. Driscoll
The Missoula Coyote Choir & Friends, Ask the Planet (CD)
Ask the Planet is a great educational CD designed to reconnect children to their natural environment while discovering concepts of biomimicry. Released last year, this album was created by the Missoula Coyote Choir & Friends. “Friends” on this CD include: Dar Williams, Ani DiFranco, Erin McKeown, Bill Harley, Amy Martin, Brandi Carlile, Laura Love, Bill Sims, Jr. and Bruce Cockburn. A stellar cast of musicians!
Educators have long called for more creative and palatable approaches to raising awareness about environmental problems. Given the reality of the current ecological crisis, it is challenging to develop the emotional connection to the natural world that creates caring without instilling fear or hopelessness. Today’s children need positive solutions and realistic tools, such as biomimicry, to address the environmental challenges that they will grow up with. There is a teaching guide that can be downloaded on-line that supplements Ask the Planet. The guide includes curriculum for grade school children.
Songs on this album like “The Great TV Rebellion” (with Ani DiFranco) and “Start From Here” (with Amy Martin) (both featured this week on the Hilltown Family Variety Show 3Rs Episode) will inspire and motivate kids to make change in this world. This award winning album can be used as an educational tool in both formal and non-formal settings.
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands … and More Stories to Celebrate the Environment (DVD)
Coming out this April, Scholastic Storybook Treasures will release He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands … and More Stories to Celebrate the Environment on DVD. Featuring a guide for parents and kids with tips on how to be green, the 60 minute DVD includes a wonderful adaptation of this beloved folk song, illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson and sung by Crystal Taliefero. With environmental issues top of mind, this DVD is perfect for a new generation of eco-conscious kids ages 5 and up.
Additional stories in this celebration of all things green include Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon about a magical, night-time walk through the snowy woods in search of the Great Horned Owl; “Come On, Rain!” an ode to a good, soaking rainstorm by Karen Hesse, narrated by Laila Ali, and the appreciative Thanksgiving address, “Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message”, written and narrated by Chief Jake Swamp. Three bonus stories include “The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks” narrated by B.D. Wong and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, multiple Caldecott Medal winners who’ve also received five New York Times Best Illustrated Book Awards; “Patrick”, written and illustrated by Quentin Blake, and a live-action adaptation “A Boy, A Dog and a Frog”, based on the book illustrated by Mercer Mayer.
A Child’s Introduction to the Environment (Book)
A Child’s Introduction to the Environment by Michael Driscoll and Professor Dennis Driscoll is both an activity and educational book that gives a tour through text and lovely watercolor illustrations by Meredith Hamilton of the air, earth and sea. Through experiments, projects and hands-on activities, young environmentalists (ages 9 & up) will find this beautifully illustrated gem a great resource for studying the planet.
Opportunities for kids to learn how they can help solve some of our eco-challenges are highlighted in sections titled, “How You Can Help!” Experiments like “Make a Smog Detector” and “Make Your Own Ice Sheet” allow kids to test and explore what they learn. And the book comes with a reusable lunch sack, stickers with save-the-Earth messages, and a poster.
Key words are highlighted throughout the text for kids to add to their eco-vocabulary, like coniferous, hibernation, aquifers and plankton. And in the back of the book is a handy glossary of all these new words. A Child’s Introduction to the Environment is a great tool for teaching children about the earth or letting them read and learn themselves!
HOW TO WIN
Your chance to win our Earth Day 40th Birthday Media Giveaway is as easy as 1-2-3 (4)!
To win simply:
- SHARE BELOW AN ECO-TIP WITH OTHER FAMILIES (one entry per family) and be sure to tell us your
- FULL NAME and where you
- LIVE (TOWN/STATE) PLEASE include your town and state to be eligible.
- ACCURATE EMAIL (we never share your email address).
- We’ll randomly draw a winner and will share the results below.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE! — Deadline is Wednesday, 04/28/10 @ 7pm (EST).
egg cartons make great seed starters! windows sills are wonderful places to grow the tiny seeds! kids love to watch life happen inside and outside their world! love from the jensen family in leeds,ma.
Congratulation to Beth Caissie of Greenfield, MA. Beth has won our collection of Earth Day Media for sharing her eco-tip.
Beth writes: “We put our wireless router and all those miscellaneous computer appliances all on 2 easy to reach power strips. When we leave the house or go to bed, we turn the power off. There was a noticeable drop in our electric bills when we started this and we’re not wasting energy to power things we’re not using.”
Thank you to all families who shared their favorite eco-tips. So many great ideas to inspire us all!
toilet paper rolls become trumpets in our house
Jessica Morris
Northampton MA
My daughter Kacia, age 8, is fanatical about litter. We recently went to the Energy Park clean up and Kacia was very disappointed to be weeding instead of picking up trash! She grabs it everywhere we go; on the sidewalk, in the parking lot, on the grass. She tells people not to drop it on the ground and really notices when others do so. Give a hoot, don’t pollute!
Pam and Kacia Kinsmith
Greenfield, MA
kinsmith@comcast.net
Stop buying bottled water! There are so many beautiful water bottles you can buy and re use. Our tap water is great, give it a try!
Also, unplug your phone charger when you are not using it (all chargers).
Don’t let the water run when you are brushing your teeth or doing dishes.
We unplug electronics when we are not using them.
We also reuse plastic bags!
Kristy Dyer
Hatfield, MA
Eat food from the earth not from a box to reduce the amount of packaging thrown into landfills.
Colrain, MA
Reuse bread bags and produce bags to wrap food items, everything from cheese to sandwiches to leftovers. no need to buy ziplocs, ever.
Sandra Dias, Holyoke, MA
We line dry our clothes almost all year long. They smell great and the sun works as a natural sanitizer. This is especially useful for cloth diapers and towels.
Recycling is a great thing, my son Joseph and I spread the word and help people learn what items go in what recycle bin. We have fun doing it .
egg cartons make great seed starters! windows sills are wonderful places to grow the tiny seeds! kids love to watch life happen inside and outside their world! love from the jensen family in leeds,ma.
We put our wireless router and all those miscellaneous computer appliances all on 2 easy to reach power strips. When we leave the house or go to bed, we turn the power off. There was a noticeable drop in our electric bills when we started this and we’re not wasting energy to power things we’re not using.
Greenfield, MA
Here are Zoes environmental tips:
No paper cups (she holds me to this one)
No plastic spoons forks or knives
No plastic bags
Compost
Recycle
Repurpose
Plant trees
Zoe and Tony(a) in Ashfield MA