2nd grade field trip - Finch Greenhouse at WMU

The 2nd grade classes embarked on an exciting adventure to Western Michigan University last week! Their destination was the Finch Greenhouse. It was a full morning of exploration as they toured the greenhouse, discussed what they saw, and had many of the concepts of our Magnet curriculum reinforced with hands-on learning. Watch part 1 of this exciting field trip!

2nd Grade to WMU Finch Greenhouse Part 1 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Earth Olympics Day 2 - Solar Competition

Day 2 of the Earth Olympics at Edison Environmental Science Academy was an exciting adventure into alternative energy! In addition to the reducing, reusing, and recycling happening around the school, students explored how to harness the sun's energy for a practical purpose: heating water. This event was conducted at every grade level, but this video shows you how the 4th and 5th grade students competed. The real winner? The Earth!

Earth Olympics - Solar Competition from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

The Earth Olympics Have Begun!

At 8:30 AM today, the Earth Olympics at Edison Environmental Science Academy officially launched! We will be tweeting the events as often as possible at http://twitter.com/edisonesa and posting pictures and videos to this blog. Here's a video of the opening ceremony!

Earth Olympics Opening Ceremony from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Cleaning Up the Courtyard

It's Spring and time to cleanup the Edison Courtyard!

Cleaning Up the Courtyard from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

We are scientists in the wetlands!

On July 2, we spent the morning in the wetlands around Pretty Lake observing the different kinds of life there. We took samples of some of the things we saw there and brought them back to our classroom so we could identify them. See for yourself with this video!

Wetlands Field Study from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Picking and Jamming

We picked them fresh yesterday, and today we made strawberry jam! Watch and see how yummy strawberry jam is made by Edison Garden Camp students!

Making Jam from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Student Blog Entries June 18, 2009

From Brian:

Yesterday we picked weeds and I thought I had a allergic reaction to one of the weeds,but i didn't.We did some farm chores and I met Ms.Pat's husband,son, her son's wife,and Ms.Christy who had plants to give us.These are three reasons I like garden camp so far.(1)I am apart of the vj/video journalists,(2)Everybody gets to have a fun time with Mr.Johnson,Mr.Gettig,and Ms.Butter Fingers.(3)Everybody's so nice.

From Carmela:

Q: What do stems do?
A: Stems support plants like making them stand, helping water and nutrients get inside the plant which help it grow. We also did an experiment with celery. We put the stems in regular water and blue colored water and today the stem and plant were greenish blue. I was really surprised by the results I think it will also surprise you too! :) !

Planting Experiment

Filmed by Edison VJ Carmela, this video shows the setup of a planting experiment by two students attending Garden Camp.

Garden Camp Planting Experiment from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

2nd Grade Planting Experiment - Week 2

Week two brought some surprises for the second grade students in Mrs. McElroy's class. Watch and see what started growing and where!

2nd Grade Growing Week 2 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

Baby Chicks at Garden Club

This blog started in the summer of 2008 when we started to chronicle the great things happening in our Garden Camp. The enthusiasm and success of the summer program was carried into the school year and now we are preparing for Garden Camp 2009.

Like all living things, we are growing! Garden Camp this summer will be at Pretty Lake Vacation Camp. We are very excited to be able to partner with the wonderful people there, especially Ms. Woollam. She loves the outdoors, gardening, and most importantly, children! Watch this video and see what we're doing in Garden Club...and get a taste of what Garden Camp will be like!

Baby Chicks at Garden Club from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.

2nd Grade Planting Experiment - Week 1

Second grade students are addressing the question "How does economics affect what crops or livestock are produced?" in unit 4 of the new Magnet curriculum. Like all the wonderful teachers at Edison Environmental Science Academy, Mrs. McElroy is leading her students through the inquiry process to find answers to the questions the students created when discussing this.

This is the first video in a series as we track the progress of this exciting scientific inquiry by the amazing second grade students at Edison.

2nd Grade Planting - Week 1 from Edison Environmental Science Aca on Vimeo.