Growing up green

Take a Trip

There are so many amazing places to visit and learn more about Volusia County.  Our conservation lands, rivers, beaches, parks and environmental learning centers provide an open door to the unique resources in our own backyards.  By gaining an understanding of our natural places, wildlife and plants, you can help to ensure they are here for future generations.

Take a weekend adventure to a state or national park. Go for a hike, take a canoe trip, or visit a state park or nature center. Spend time talking with your children about the plants and animals they see. Have them draw pictures or take photographs of the things they see or experience on your weekend outing. Check out books from your library to read with your children on local plants and animal life.

Explore Volusia
Explore Volusia sponsors guided programs into the natural resources of Volusia County.  Biking scenic trails, hiking forests, paddling the St. Johns and Halifax Rivers, or kayaking the mangrove islands brings you closer to Volusia’s natural treasures.  See a list of Explore Volusia programs.

Lyonia Environmental Center
This special place is nestled within one of Volusia County's conservation lands, Lyonia Preserve, which provides the backdrop and learning environment for its programs. Learn about the plants and animals found only in this endangered Florida scrub habitat and its vital role in our watershed. Lyonia Preserve is considered the gateway to Volusia County's conservation lands. See a list of available LEC programs.

Marine Science Center
Located in Ponce Inlet, the Marine Science Center is a facility devoted to environmental education and rehabilitation of sea turtles and seabirds. You will also find programs geared to all ages on how we can care for our marine ecosystems and the wildlife that inhabits them. Learn more about the Marine Science Center here.
 

Around the House

Looking for some fun crafts and activities to try? Check out hte links below!

So what can parents do to help educate their children about the environment? Here are some suggestions:

Encourage outdoor learning at home. As a family, plant a garden or a tree and watch it grow. Visit a neighborhood or community garden to learn how other families grow their own vegetables and flowers. Build a birdhouse or bird feeder for your backyard. Have children collect backyard flowers and leaves to create nature bouquets or pressed-flower pictures.

Take part in community "green" activities. Take part in community recycling programs or volunteer a few hours of family time to help clean up a local park or beach. Work with your PTA to develop outdoor learning centers in your community or on school grounds. You can create a discovery trail, a butterfly garden, a sundial or a weather station.

Featured Green Tips:

• Going Green: Top 10 Household Products to Avoid
• Pink, Blue... and Green: Keeping Your New Baby Earth-Friendly
• Top 10 Green Gifts

Teaching Tools

EPA Sites about Water
 

• Learning and Teaching about the Environment

• Darby Duck and the Aquatic Crusaders

• What's Wrong with This Picture?

Other Fun Sites for Kids

• SunWise Kids

Games

• Join the Lorax

• Recycle City

Make your own Recycled paper

Paper that has been used and treated for use again is recycled paper. Paper from homes, offices and schools can be collected, sent to special recycling centers, and remade into usable paper. This process can take place over and over. Every year we cut down more trees to meet the world's demand for paper. Recycling will help save trees from being cut down.

What you'll need

• a blender
• a whole section of newspaper
• 2 and a half single newspaper pages
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) of water
• a pan 3 inches (7.6 cm) deep
• a piece of screen to fit inside the pan
• a measuring cup
• a flat piece of wood the size of a newspaper's front page
• waxed paper

How to do it...

1. Tear the two-and-a-half pages of newspaper into tiny strips.

2. Place the strips in a blender with five cups of water. ASK PERMISSION TO USE THE BLENDER. HAVE AN ADULT SUPERVISE THIS STEP. Cover the blender and blend the newspaper and water.

3. Pour about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water into the pan. Pour the blended paper pulp into the measuring cup.

4. Put the screen into the pan. Pour one cup (240 ml) of pulp over the screen.

5. Spread the pulp evenly in the water with your fingers.

6. Lift the screen and let the water drain off.

7. Open the newspaper section to the middle. Put the newspaper on a waterproof surface. Place waxed paper in the center of the newspaper. Place the screen with the pulp on the waxed paper. Close the newspaper.

8. Carefully flip over the newspaper section so the screen is on top of the pulp. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT.

9. Place the board on top of the newspaper and press out extra water. Open the newspaper and take out the screen. Leave the newspaper open and let the pulp dry for at least 24 hours. When your paper pulp is dry, peel it off the waxed paper and write on it!