Each year on Earth Day, Mansfield Middle School science teacher Kandis Howard puts together a special project for her students.
In her six years of teaching science, she and her students have completed projects such as flower gardens and sea life décor constructed from recycled bottles.
“Each year for Earth Day, I have tried to do a big project with my classes,” shared Howard. “…When we were brainstorming for Earth Day ideas, my classes kept bringing up making a tiger out of recycled bottles. I loved the idea. I told them we didn’t have time at the end of the year to do something of that scale, but we would try next year and get an early start. Unfortunately, last year came and went, and we never made the tiger.”
When school began this year, she recalled the vision of her students. “I came home to see my husband working on our gazebo. He had a pile of warped boards that he was not going to use…So I literally just took his saw and screwdriver away and began building a structure that would be the core of my tiger. I had no clue of what I was doing, just a vision in my head. I took it to school and began building the shape by using wire, then began wiring every single bottle in place.”
Unfortunately the project was cut short when school was unexpectedly canceled for the remainder for the year. The 23 year veteran teacher did not let that cancel the project, however. “Yesterday, just in time for Earth Day, I finished my project. I just need to add the clear coat.”
Today, April 22, is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The 2020 theme is “climate action.” Through programs like this, teachers are demonstrating to students that saving the planet can be fun and imaginative!
