By Heidi Ferris, Growing Green Hearts COVID-19 is here and many kids will be at home…with parents…and we’ll all be driving each other crazy! It’s a great move for our community, but hey, there’s a misconception we need to address: Screen time is not the only way to learn in 2020. Let’s all be aware that “social […]
December 2019 Water and Salt Dance Party When water and salt get together its like a dance party! When we mix salt with water there are ways we can use chemistry tricks to our human advantage… but that can turn into a party-gone-bad in certain situations too. Find out more here, even a tasty experiment […]
Stop the Vacation on Vocation: Do Science Literacy at Your Church By Heidi Ferris, Growing Green Hearts, LLC How can we lift up church youth leadership and empower youth in using their stories, relationships, vocational call, science knowledge, and problem-solving processes together at church? Let’s start with one of the most defining gatherings of […]
Play while problem-solving… Catching a fish is something everyone should experience as a kid! To go fishing, you don’t need a fancy boat or guide, just a lake or river spot, a little gear, bait and some luck. Kids enjoy the playfulness of trying different materials and designs just as much as dipping the […]
Up, up, and away! Bubbles are fun! Bubbles are a great way to teach about matter. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Matter can be in the form of a solid, liquid, gas, or plasma. The bubble making tools such as buckets, bowls, wands, strainers or serrated spoons are solids. Water […]
Learning goes beyond classroom walls for learning is NOT a line. Learning is not a circle or checklist. It can jump, run, test and rest. Learning can grab a buddy or dream on its own. Learning can be inside, outside and inside out. Learning takes place within a person and community, small and big. Learning […]
What do preschool teachers, child care providers, teachers, afterschool specialists, and early learner care givers have in common? For the love of teaching and learning- these Minnesota educators are committed, passionate, playful people that adventure, share, and ask great questions. Read on to learn more about insights and observations from 3 educator’s conferences that took […]
Summer Fun with Growing Green Hearts Here’s a sample of what Growing Green Hearts has been up to… Growing Green Hearts kicked off the summer by providing nature-based programming with MELSA libraries in May, June, and July. Oh the joy on a child’s face when their fingers are in the cool summer soil with tiny […]
3 Common STEM Mistakes (and how to fix them) A decade ago, when “STEM” was more likely used to talk about plant parts or wine glasses than Science Technology Engineering and Math – the idea of blending subjects under one theme was called “interdisciplinary teaching.” What makes STEM more than just a buzzword or a […]
At School: Hospitality, Water Quality & Butterflies Where turf grass once sat, a diverse patch of prairie in front of Woodcrest Spanish Immersion School now welcomes people, filters water, cleans the air, and provides habitat for wildlife. In the fall of 2015, five first grade teachers worked with Growing Green Hearts and decided upon a […]
