Wise Wizard Shares Some of Nature's Secrets

By Mark Schleifstein (staff writer)

The diary of E.M., wizard of the woods, awaits six classrooms of lucky New Orleans fourth-graders this winter.

Hidden in the wizard's work-shop deep within Jean Lafitte National park, the diary contains clues that students participating in the three day Earthkeeper program will use to discover secrets of nature; how photosynthesis turns sunlight into leaves, the relationship of fungi and soil , why seasonal changes are important.

The discoveries will be rewarded with brass keys that unlock the secrets of the Earthkeepers program: special boxes at the park and in the classrooms that contain educational toys and other prizes.

The program is offered by Teaching Responsible Earth Education of New Orleans, a nonprofit science education organization that provides similar learning experiences to students in grades 3 through 6 throughout the metropolitan area.

The Earthkeepers program is financed by a $20,255 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which will be matched by about $13,000 in money and in-kind services from TREE, said Sue Brown, the organization's executive director.

The grant will pay to bus students to the park and for training teachers and chaperone parents. "We want to get the kids out in a natural area so they can see nature's processes without too much human interference," Brown said. "The idea is to teach them to recognize the same things when they return to their communities."

"E.M. is not a Morgus, but a nature lover, a wizard of the woods, " Brown said. "When the students get here, E.M. has just left. His chair is rocking and there's hot chocolate in his cup."

But the wizard has left notes for the youngsters to help them find their first and second keys.

The students follow the diary's directions as they walk through the woods. At a listening post noted in the diary, they use the clues. A magnifying glass helps them discover the miniature world of the wetland forest's detritus, dead leaves hiding a universe of tiny living things.

At another stop, the youngsters, follow the script of a nature play. One is blindfolded, and the others use props to introduce his senses to the area: "As he walked through the woods, he reached down and felt the moss on the forest floor," one student reads as another puts moss in the blindfolded student's hand.

"A cool breeze came by," one student says as another works a hand-held fan back and forth.

"He heard a stream nearby." Water swishes back and forth in a jar.

The students switch places several times so all can understand the connection between senses and the forest.

The students earn two of the special keys "K" for knowledge and "E" for experience, at the park, and are declared apprentice Earthkeepers.

The final two keys must be earned in their classroom and at home.

The "Y" key requires students to make a commitment to their planet in their everyday lives, either by reducing their use of energy by setting their air conditioners a bit warmer, or reducing their use of materials by recycling cans or using both sides of pieces of paper, Brown said.

The final key, "S" is for sharing. To earn it, Brown said, students must show they have shared their new knowledge with family members, whether it be parents, aunts and uncles, or brothers and sisters.

Those who earn all the keys are named Earthkeepers Level I and are eligible to open all four special boxes in their classrooms.

The keys also can be used on similar boxes in classrooms throughout the world that participate in the Earthkeepers program, Brown said.

Teachers interested in having their fourth-grade classes participate in the Earthkeepers program this year should contact Brown at 895-2772 [updated contact information].