MJS Earth Day: Exploring Our World!

MJS students celebrated Earth Day on Friday, March 28 by spending a day exploring the natural world and thinking about how to better care for our planet. The morning started with the 8th grade leading a Recycle Relay with grades K-2, then students in grades 1-7 participated in field trips to various local sites. Focusing on the theme of “Exploring Our World” each field trip was planned with age-appropriate activities. Although the kindergarten did not leave campus, they had a visit from a few animals from the Wildlife Waystation including a Capuchin monkey. Grades 1-4 visited the Descanso Gardens and the Los Angeles Arboretum exploring the protected native plants and wildlife. The third grade experienced Native American heritage and traditions at Topanga State Park by creating petroglyph art and trying to predict rain with the Chumash rain stick game. The fourth grade had a memorable moment witnessing a Great Horned owl in a nest with her young at the Sepulveda Wildlife Basin, and the fifth grade had quite a lesson in waste management and recycling at the Puente Hills Landfill and Water Reclamation Plant. The sixth grade, after helping with the Recycle Relay set out for the California Science Center to explore all of the exhibits including space exploration with one very large representation – the Space Shuttle on display. The seventh grade spent the day at the Malibu Lagoon State Park learning about lagoon ecology and even conducted a few water quality tests. Although the day took students in many different directions, a follow up reflection and writing assignment will continue the lessons learned: How can we take better care of the Earth?