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At the Manor Elementary School in Fairfax, California, learning about the environment
is an enriching, and every day, occurrence. Laura Honda is one of a growing number of
teachers who are using California's innovative Education and the Environment Initiative Curriculum.
The EEI Curriculum uses Science, History-Social Studies, and English Language Arts to teach
students about the natural world around them. "For me personally, EEI is the answer to getting
environmental education into every classroom. It's beautiful, it's teacher friendly, it's
easy to use and it's possible for everybody to implement in their classroom. The materials
are beautiful ... are so age appropriate, and so interesting and they're really fun
and they connect to everything else that we're doing.
When I say we're doing an EEI lesson they actually really, truly are excited about it
and they're getting out their EEI materials, and we're reading the next story and they're
reacting to it. When I take the children outside, after having done some EEI lessons in the
classroom, they see -- they feel a personal connection to the place where they are because
they have an understanding from having read about it, studied about it, learned about
it and they care about it. And they go outside and there it is. One of the things the kids
have learned about in EEI is the importance of pollinators...and so after we read about
them, and look at pictures of them, we come outside in the garden and we observe pollinators
with our own eyes, and they see them collecting nectar and pollen and going from flower to
flower, and they see with their own eyes how important they are, and the work that they're
doing. And so that's why they're willing to help in the garden, too! They love working
in the garden and seeing them." "Bees pollinate almost all of our fruits and vegetables. Without
bees, we would have no chocolate; we would have no fruits or vegetables. We would be
unhealthy people." "When EEI curriculum was being developed they asked for teacher input
and they really listened to teachers. They have made this curriculum extremely teacher-friendly,
easy to use. Every unit has a similar format, so that once you've done one unit; it's very
easy to get into the next one...and the teacher background information is fabulous. When the
teacher reads the background information, they are an expert now, on whatever topic
that unit is on." Laura: "Do you see the little tiny leaflets coming out?" Children: "See,
here's the little guy." Laura: "And how many -- so show me with your hand again how many
leaflets?" Children: "Five!" Laura: "And how many fingers do you have?" Children: "Five!"
Laura: "So you'll always know the Buckeye, won't you?" "Lots of teachers are afraid to
try something new and a lot of them say they don't have TIME to do anything new. So, I
tell them this is covering standards that we need to teach anyway." "I personally think
there is nothing more important than teaching kids about the world around us. I want kids
to care about this planet because it's theirs. And we want it to be there for them their
whole lives long. I'm always telling other teachers about EEI because I love it and because
I want them using it. It's my passion to recommend it to everybody. I really do!"