Global Citizenship - A Lesson in Empathy.

 

 

With each new technological advance the planet seems to become smaller.  Through satellite and Internet we have the ability to connect with people all over the world. This gives us a window into how people live in every corner of the globe. Chances are children will become aware of human rights issues without us even introducing the concept of global citizenship.

 

We are born empathetic, biologically wired to care for each other. When children learn about the difficulties people face in the world their first reaction is often the desire to help. This should be encouraged. Helping is a way to cope with the fear and sadness we feel for each other. The desire to shelter our children from the atrocities of the world is understandable but are we destroying our natural empathy by ignoring atrocities for the sake of our own comfort?

 

 

Humans create societies and governments that manage how we function and dictate what we deem important. If we are wired for empathy then why do so many people on earth suffer from oppression, discrimination, hunger and violence?

This question is difficult to answer and the reasons are complicated. Historically we have created a hierarchy based on race, gender, system of belief and economic status. We decide who is believed more deserving based on these factors. This creates a power structure that leads to the oppression of one or more groups. Keeping one group down allows the powerful to thrive. One of the most effective ways to control people is through access to food. Like all other animals on earth we need nourishment to survive.  Humans are able to control all food production and distribution on the planet.  Another way we control people is through access to education, without education people cannot rise up and demand fair treatment. By not educating people the only things they can discover about the world are the things the powerful teach them.

 

 

 

Most children in Canada have access to education and food. We also have medical care and freedoms many on earth do not enjoy. These factors help us  to recognize needs and create solutions to the problems of the less fortunate.

Clearly we see that our children have both the natural desire and the means to become effective global citizens.
We can prevent them from becoming apathetic adults by fostering empathy through the practice of caring for all their fellow human beings.

 

Over the next few weeks we will be exploring ways parents can lead their children into global citizenship. We have chosen 3 topics we feel are relevant in today’s world. 

Hunger, something tangible to most age groups.

 

 Access to education for global girls, it is recognized that many global issues are directly related to an uneducated female population. 

 

 

The treatment of LGBT youth, with a suicide rate 8 times higher than straight teenagers this issue is one our children have real power to impact change. LGBT youth often confide in peers first. Compassionate acceptance of each other can only lead to a happier future for the LGBT community.

 

 

 

 

In our next blog post we will explore age appropriate responses to children's questions about homosexuality, tools for standing up for their friends and ways they can get involved in helping with this issue on a global level.

 

 

 

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How To Grow A Brain.

Science literacy is a very important part of the Bear Creek Eco Rangers curriculum. Understanding the basics of science is key in helping children wire their brains for critical thinking.

We spend so much time telling children what we think and teaching them ideas. Our children must learn to reason and think for themselves. We need to help them build a healthy brain.

The brain connections (synapses) are made through experiences.  Experiencing how basic science principles work through hands on activities is important. We are giving our children the tools to understand the world around them. Fostering an interest in science and discovery is a great way to focus that natural curiosity that all children are born with.

 

The idea of giving your children the opportunity to explore  scientific principals can be intimidating. You may not feel confident that you understand enough about science yourself. You may not even know where to start. You may be worried that this is going to be messy!  That's OK. We are here to help!  Kristina is   passionate about science literacy and designs all the science programs we offer. Her enthusiasm for science and education is infectious.  We are very lucky to have her in this  community. Please take advantage of our events which we hope inspire you to bring science into your home.

  Kristina is a science literacy educator and  Mom to 3 great kids.





                                         Add Super Science day to your family calendar.
         Family game night is not the only way to add fun and education to your routine.

 

 

                              You don't need much to get started. Most materials are probably in your kitchen already.  With a typically stocked home you can do almost every experiment you will find in the links at the end of this blog. Other ingredients are easy to find and are not costly.

Science can be done in the kitchen, the back yard or even the bath tub!!  Here are a few ideas Kristina and her family have tried during their Super Science Sundays.


Bending water

You will need :
 A plastic comb (or an inflated balloon)
A narrow stream of water from a tap
Dry hair

The static electricity you built up by combing your hair or rubbing it against the balloon attracts the stream of water, bending it towards the comb or balloon like magic!

Negatively charged particles called electrons jump from your hair to the comb as they rub together, the comb now has extra electrons and is negatively charged. The water features both positive and negatively charged particles and is neutral. Positive and negative charges are attracted to each other so when you move the negatively charged comb (or balloon) towards the stream, it attracts the water's positively charged particles and the stream bends!

 

 

How to make a giant dry ice bubble-

 You will need:
Dry ice (purchase at a welding supply shop for only a few dollars)
bowl
water...
soapy water
strip of paper towel wide as your bowl

Add dry ice and water into bowl, dip the paper towel into soapy solution, run it along sides of bowl, then pull the strip over the top to form a bubble layer
A bubble will form over the lip of the bowl and clouds of fog will fill up your dry ice bubble until the pressure becomes too much and the bubble explodes, spilling fog over the edge of the bowl

Dry ice is carbon dioxide (CO2) in its solid form. At temperatures above -56.4 °C (-69.5 °F), dry ice changes directly from a solid to a gas, without ever being a liquid. This process is called sublimation. When dry ice is put in water it accelerates the sublimation process.

 

****Be careful to not touch the dry ice without dry gloves on.

 

 

 

Make your own perti dishes and study bacteria you find in your home.

You will need:

Water

Sugar

Gelatin

Beef bouillon cube
 Mix together a little less than 1 cup water, one and one half packages gelatin, one bouillon cube, and 2 tsp. sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove, stirring constantly, stirring at one minute intervals and watching carefully until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove the boiling liquid from heat and cover... it with aluminum foil. Let the growth medium cool for about fifteen minutes.
Pour the medium carefully into clean containers, until 1/3 to 1/2 full. Loosely place lids, foil or plastic baggies over containers and allow dishes to cool completely. The geltin should make the growth media hard like jello. When your plates have hardened, store them in a cool place, like a refrigerator, before using. Plates should be used in 2-3 days. When you are working with the plates, try to keep the lids on loosely whenever possible, so that they are not contaminated by the air, put the lids on tightly once the plates harden.

When the plates have hardened and you’re ready swab

 

 

 

 

                                                     GET INSPIRED TOMORROW!!

 

Tomorrow (Friday January 31st @ 3:15pm)  at Snow Shoe park we will be hosting a snow science and sledding event. Kristina has many fun experiments planned that are sure to inspire your child's curiosity.  We would love to see you there. Come on out and enjoy the science show.

I will share the experiments on the blog next week so that you can recreate them at home.

 

 

 

 Giving our children science experiences helps them grow a healthy brain. We take our kids to the doctor and the dentist for their health. Think of these educational experiences as health visits for the mind. We are so extraordinarily lucky to have Kristina in our community to share her time, passion and resources. We are also fortunate to be close to a city full of museums, a zoo and a science centre.

Memberships cost less that taking your family twice. Who knows what experience will inspire your child and give them a passion for learning. Expose them to as many experience as you can. Those connections they make in their mind will stay with them forever, its more than what they learn, it is training their brain to learn.

Here are links to some of the facilities who have inspired and supported the Bear Creek Eco Rangers.

http://www.rom.on.ca/en

http://www.torontozoo.com/

http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/

Science learning links.

http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/index.php

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/HOMEEXPTS.HTML

http://www.billnye.com/for-kids-teachers/home-demos/

Kids Can change the World!

 

If you have kids you already know that they change your world.  Those little people have the power to reprioritize your life.  They show us what the really important things are.  They see things very clearly and often remind us of what is right and wrong. They have a natural sense of justice and we need to foster that.

 

 Imagine if we raised a generation of children who felt empowered to do good and who felt a responsibility to the planet and all the people on it.

 

Civil responsibility is something the Bear Creek Eco Rangers feel immensely passionate about. We want to help you and your children to see how easy responsible global  citizenship can be.

 

Children in a country like Canada  have the privilege of having a great tool for change  literally in their hands. Almost all of us have access to a digital device. A device that lets us share information and thoughts with everyone we need to. I bet there is someone out there in the world wide web that has already started a movement for change your kids can get excited about.

 

 

 

 

 

Lets start with a little inspiration.  Kristina and I were privileged to hear Simon Jackson speak at last years Eco Mentors conference at the ROM.  A man who started his journey at 7 years old.

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znzgIhOrmzY

 

 

I did a bit of work to get you started. Here are some great resources for finding existing projects kids can get involved in.

 

 

Want to help people all over the world?

 

http://worldschildrensprize.org/get-involved#73

 

http://educatinggirlsmatters.org/

 

http://www.kiva.org/

 

Want to help change things closer to home?

 

http://www.dosomething.org/

 

http://sarahsfooddrive.com/hunger-in-toronto/

 

http://www.raisingtheroof.org/

 

Environment?? :)

 

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/

 

http://www.torontozoo.com/AdoptAPond/

 

 

Wildlife?

 

http://www.wwf.ca/takeaction/teachers_kids/kids/

 

http://www.ontarionature.org/

 

 

Homeless pets?

 

http://furryfriendsshelter.org/

 

https://www.facebook.com/BarrieOSPCA

 

 

 

 

Look at this big group of wonderful kids who come out almost every week of the summer to help us keep the Eco park safe and clean. Imagine what they can do if we ask them to pick a project that interests them personally.

 

 Tonight ask your kids to complete this sentence.

 

 

 

 

Asking your child to answer this question will fill them  with pride  and their answer will do the same for you.  Believe in your kids and they will believe in themselves.

 

 

When your child finds a project please share with us on Facebook. We will help them spread the word. Your child can make a video asking others to help them out with their project and we will share that too.

 

Here is an example of a kid Vlog. This 4 year old is passionate about fire safety!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiQniRcOEns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frozen

Brrrr!! It is cold out there today! We all feel a little bit frozen after our commute to school and work. Even after we get indoors we still feel  cold inside our bodies. Some people describe the feeling as being chilled to the bones or for this man, chilled to the beard!! The tiny water droplets that are in our breath freeze as they hit the cold air and get caught in facial hair  giving this man a frosty mustache.

 

Our bodies do change when it is cold outside. Our body functions differently. Human beings are essentially tropical animals. We adapt to cold weather by turning on the furnace in our homes and wearing winter jackets, hats and mittens. We can't  adapt our bodies to withstand the harsh winter weather but changes do happen. These changes warn us that we need to go inside or put on warmer clothing.

The first change you may notice on a cold day is in your fingers. At temperatures below 12c our fingers lose function. Ever tried to do up buttons with cold hands? It isn't always easy. At temperatures below 8c you begin to lose your sense of touch. 
That is one reason that we put ice on injuries. The ice cools the pain receptors and we can't feel the injury as much.

When you get cold your body makes a few changes to conserve heat. One thing it does constrict our blood vessels which reduces the volume of blood circulating in our body. Less blood means less fluid volume. Where does this extra fluid go? Our body gets rid of it in the form of urine. When you are cold you pee more often.
Being cold  can also give you goose bumps. Goose bumps happen when the muscles at the base of your hair follicles flex. The  scientific name for this is horripilation.    This isn't very effective for humans but on animals that have more hair than us it helps to keep them warmer.
 Another thing our body does to try and keep warm is shiver. Shivering is your bodies way of trying to increase heat by involuntarily moving our muscles.

While our bodies have a few tricks to try and keep warm they are not very effective in the harsh Canadian winter climate. We are very susceptible to damage such as   frost bite and hypothermia caused by low temperature. This video shows us some good tips for preventing and detecting both hypothermia and frostbite.

Other animals are much better at adapting to cold than humans are. A favorite of ours is the Wood Frog. Many wood frogs live at Bear Creek Eco Park. They can live in very cold conditions and are able to live much further north than any other frog.
They have the amazing ability to freeze completely and then thaw and reanimate in spring.

 

 

How do they do this amazing adaptation?!This cool video helps to explain.

 

 

 

 

So Eco Rangers please keep warm and cover your skin when you play outdoors this winter. There is so much fun to be had in the snow if we stay safe.

 

The Scoop on Poop.

Your dogs can't clean up after themselves!!

We have all seen it or worse STEPPED in it. Dog poop in the  park! It doesn't make sense, everyone will tell you it is gross and lazy to leave your dogs poop behind so just who is doing this nasty no no? Its not just gross it is dangerous and damaging to our waterways.

Dog waste is responsible for  20 -30% of waterway pollution. The waste contains harmful bacteria like ecoli and the nitrogen and phosphorus content contributes to nutrient loss.
If the disgusting idea of poop going into our water supply does not deter people maybe the fines will. I spoke with a Barrie By Law officer today and was told the fine here in Barrie for not immediately picking up dog waste is $300.00 plus the Ontario victim surcharge of $65.00.
So with big fines and polluted water why would anyone leave dog poop in the park?


That's not even the biggest mystery in this stinky caper. Who are these odd folks who are willing to bag the poop but can't manage to make it to the garbage bin?   When we did our last park clean up we found dozens of bags of poop. Some stinky packages were even hanging in the trees.  Maybe we will never know what theses poop packers are up to. Just in case they think there is a mythical creature assigned to this job lets clear one thing up. There is no poop fairy.

 

 During next years Spring clean up we will be separating the bagged dog poop from the rest of the garbage so that we can see just how big this issue is. How many people will leave bagged poop in our wetland park this winter? Lets hope that the Bear Creek Eco Rangers can spread the word and clarify the poop fairy myth so that we won't have as many stinky packages to clean up.

 

Learn it, Love it but don't Leave the Poo!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYbppp2PHuE

 

 

 

 

A Treat for Winter Birds.

Winter has arrived in Bear Creek. Most of our wildlife friends have settled in for their long winter nap or have flown off to their winter homes but some have adapted to the changing environment. It is nice to know that we still share our community with some wild creatures. There are birds still active in the park and in our neighborhood. There are ways we can help them survive the long cold winter.

You can put out bird seed for the birds who stay during winter. A fun activity is to make bird feeders from pinecones. It is easy, you just need to cover a pinecone in peanut butter and then roll it in bird seed.

 Stores sell special winter seed mixes. You can even find special packages from Scotts brand that have been formulated by the Toronto Zoo to meet the nutrition requirements of birds in Ontario.

Why not add the birds of Bear Creek to your holiday gift list. They do stick around all winter and bring a bit of color and life to the otherwise quiet and sleepy Eco park and our backyards. This is a nice way to say thanks :)

What a great way to end our second season. An award from the local conservation authority! Kristina and I could not be prouder!

We have had many opportunities to educate the local children in environmental stewardship and we hope this recognition broadens our reach and encourages more families and schools in Barrie to get connected with local conservation projects.

Our time outside with the kids and the turtles is on hold until the spring but over the winter we will be creating other ways to reach out to the students and  families in our community. This blog is part of that initiative. It is because of the continued encouragement and support of our community that we maintain our enthusiasm.  Eco Rangers would be nothing without the great families that continue to come out to events and clean ups.

While our main focus is the preservation of wetlands we encourage our young friends to find a project they feel passionate about.  Civil responsibility through environmental stewardship is a great way to encourage children to develop a sense of global citizenship.
Our children can make a difference in their communities and through projects like ours we can foster a sense of power and responsibility.

Teaching the basic principals of science through hands on activities and real life demonstrations gives children the basis for understanding how and why our planets resources need to be protected.

It should not surprise anyone that the children of today need to be more environmentally responsible than we have been.
 Our government and our personal choices do not always  reflect what we know about our diminishing resources.
Encouraging children to be environmentally responsible and involved in the civil process is in an effort to help them develop into adults who  build a more sustainable planet for everyone.

So with this blog we will share with you all that we are working on this winter. If you would like to contact us directly you can email Kristina and Robin at bearcreekecorangers@yahoo.ca or message us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bearcreekecokidz