'Earth Day Olympics' Festival Being Planned by 7th Grade

Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences seventh graders are planning the School’s fourth annual Earth Day Festival. “Earth Day Olympics” will take place on campus on April 18, 2019.
In 2016, Barnesville faculty and naturalists from Black Hill Regional Park teamed up to create a Flying WILD Festival, an entire day of fun outdoor and environmental education activities related to birds, their habitats, and their migration. In the years since, our partnership with Black Hill has continued, and Barnesville seventh graders have planned similar Earth Day festivals for students at the school ranging from 3 years old through eighth grade.
To start the planning, seventh graders first met with a naturalist from Black Hill on campus. They created a list of themes like climate change, pollution, endangered species, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed. After narrowing the list down to their top-five favorites, they broke out into groups to brainstorm potential festival activities related to each theme. After reviewing the possibilities, the class was still divided about an overarching theme.
The next day, they visited Black Hill and fleshed out each of their activity ideas by coming up with concrete rules and goals for each activity. The students decided that they want their earth day celebration to expose their classmates to a variety of different sustainability and ecological issues as well as practical ways for earth day participants to do their part and help make the earth a healthier and happier place.
After taking a look back at the different activities, the class decided that each Buddy group would rotate through the activity stations and earn points to gain prizes and eventually be Earth Day champions.
Next, students will work with the school’s new Middle School science teacher and Earth Day Committee to continue to flesh out the schedule, plan, and prepare for the activities. Some of the activities will include:

• Polar Bear Despair
• Beaver Dam Architects
• Makin’ Mudslides
• Drip Drip Drench
• Closing Awards Ceremony, potentially with a speaker

The seventh graders will be responsible for setting up and running the activity stations at the school-wide festival. Students will rotate through activity stations in Buddy Groups, with older students helping their younger Buddies.

Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences is an independent private school in Montgomery County, Maryland offering innovative preschool through 8th grade programs. Cross-curricular teaching encourages students to explore how subjects relate to one another, helping them to make connections that spark inquiry and deepen understanding. Small classes enable skilled teachers to engage each child in an academically challenging environment. Our 30-acre campus is our extended classroom, and we integrate nature into everyday learning. Barnesville is certified as a Maryland Green School by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education, demonstrating achievement in curriculum and instruction, community partnerships, and best management practices.