February 12, 2016
Take a peek inside some of the Environmental Volunteers’ programs in the month of February! If you’d like to join us in inspiring a love of science and nature, please take a moment to check out our many volunteer opportunities.
Kid Powered at Boys & Girls Club, Brentwood Academy
Over the past few weeks, the EV has had the opportunity to partner with Brentwood Academy, one of our local Boys & Girls Club sites in East Palo Alto and bring in some of our Water Science activities as a part of their after-school programming. In doing so, students are learning the relationship of covalent bonds within water! During one of these sessions, students had the opportunity to conduct experiments to see how these covalent bonds reacted at various temperatures and stages!
Students were then encouraged to try some of these activities at home with an adult and share their findings. As we said goodbye, students shared various examples of how they would attempt these experiences at home and with various liquids. We are excited to hear their results!
Youth Leadership Board Creates Action Plans for a Day of Service
January has been a big time for our Youth Leadership Board! Over the past few weeks, our teens have been working hard in their committees to finalize their action plans for the rest of the year.
The Activities Committee is developing a new activity about the effects of the California Drought and determining the best audience to present it. The Service Committee is planning a day of service at the Baylands. The Outreach Committee is revamping the YLB Website to be a resource about environmental issues and concerns. Over the next few months, our teens are going to be working hard to finish their projects. They are all very excited to get started!
Former Senator Joe Simitian visits a Water & Science Conservation Program with EV at Castro School
Fourth grade students at Castro School in Mountain View were treated to a visit by Former Senator and current District 5 Santa Clara County Supervisor, Joe Simitian. Volunteers and students explored the topic “Water Shapes Our State” with small learning stations. The students explored concepts like coastal tides (using hula hoops!), the beneficial properties of wetlands (with a mini “wetlands in a pan”, pictured below), and much more. They discovered how water plays a part in the health of our local environment, for people, animals, plants, and habitats. With the help of our passionate volunteers, Castro students learned why it is important to conserve one of our state’s most precious resources!
