Earth Education

Chris is also pleased to be able to deliver Conceptual Encounters from the Institute of Earth Education, in the course of a day visit to your school.

Background To The I.E.E.

Since 1974, the I.E.E has been helping people of all ages view the earth as a wondrous oasis of life — an oasis that we must learn to understand and appreciate if we are to assure its continued lushness and diversity. The Institute for Earth Education is a non-profit, volunteer organization made up of an international network of individuals and member organizations. Currently, the IEE has branches in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.

CONCEPTUAL ENCOUNTERS focus upon developing deeper understandings of a single ecological concept, flowing in small steps from the concrete to the abstract level of understanding. Each activity requires from one to one and a half hours to complete.

CONCEPTUAL ENCOUNTERS was developed and piloted over the course of five years as part of the Earthkeepers (TM) program. The following activities are included:

“Munch Line Monitor” — Ecological Concept Focus: Energy Flow
The concept of energy flow comes to life at Mama Nature’s Munch Room where Munch Line Monitors follow the flow of sunlight through a food chain.

“The Great Spec-tackle” — Ecological Concept Focus: Cycling
Pinch a speck of a dinosaur; share a speck of water with Cleopatra; inhale a speck of air that Marco Polo breathed. Join representative specks (visible molecules) for their journey through the air, water and soil cycles.

“Time Capsules” — Ecological Concept Focus: Change
Curious maps, buried time capsules, and intriguing artifacts reveal the secrets of change. Visit the Time Room to follow the footsteps of ancient ancestors as they move into the future. Travel with a soil speck on its journey through time.

“Connection Inspection” — Ecological Concept Focus: Interrelationships
The interrelationships among living things are often difficult to see, but you can use the “connection scope locator,” to spot the complicated webs which support all life on earth.

“Home Sweet Home” — Ecological Concept Focus: Community
Join the Mayor and Judge Mopner to tour three natural communities and help Web-footed Bug Baggers, Tiny Buzzing Bloodsuckers, and Soft Fluttering Nectar Sippers search for a home. Participate in the courtroom drama when a marsh turns into a field. Examine the evidence presented and decide who must go to the morgue for recycling.