In the 6th grade we had an enviromental theme in physics lessons on November. We measured about acidity and alkalinity. Then we learned about recyckling and waste. We had books which were some years old and we realized that some of the advices about recycling were old. So, recycling has been improving during some years. The best advices we found from the website: www.stormossen.fi We also discussed no to buy all that you want. We reminded pupils first to think that "Do I really need a new?" item as well as "What to do with all the things that are home without use?" Sometimes something that is left-over can be somebodys treasure. For example when one teacher drops her telephone to toalet bin, other teacher can recycle her old but quite good telephone to her colleague. ; )
We repaired some clothes during textile lessons in the beginning of this autumn with 6th grade pupils. First girls found it quite difficult to find something which needed to be prepared. Now suddendly some pupils still take some clothes to fix during lessons. As a textile teacher I´m very happy about the change of the attitude. Last week one girl took her winter jacket and sewed the pocket and one button and was so pleased. It was her favourite jacket and with just little work it is again ready to use.
The windows in our school has now new weatherstrips and we have already noticed that it is warmer inside though it has been colder outside. Let´s hope we can save from the energy that needs to be used to heat our school.
We were making cards to fathers and I was copying for my pupil. Other teacher was laminating some instructions and cut some plastic parts off the paper and put it to the wrong waste basket. I didn´t need to say anything; my pupil was quite demanding towards the other teacher to sort papers and plastic right.
25.11. we have a special day in Finland. The name for this day is "don´t buy anything". We will remind our pupils and their parents to take part in this!
http://www.alaosta.fi/
Our energy team has been working so active that we wanted to give them a surprise. We are going on a field trip to Pori. There is a special swimming hall that works with solar energy. So we will have fun and learning at the same time. We will hear how the hall works with the solar energy and then we will go swimming. More information about this you can find: http://yle.fi/alueet/satakunta/2011/09/porin_uusi_uimahalli_2890016.html
sunnuntai 27. marraskuuta 2011
maanantai 24. lokakuuta 2011
Energy saving week at Länsimetsä School (week 41)
We decided to take focus every day to one issue during this week.
On Monday teachers gave information letters to pupils about this week. There were 4 coupons to fill in during this week. By doing little tasks, pupils get to take part in four lotteries. The prizes in these lotteries are related to saving energy. On
Monday we had an exciting thing, too; a demonstration against using always cars to go to work. Energy team members made banderolls like "Use carpool!" "Bicycle is invented!" "Biking is wise!" etc.. On Monday morning (yet raining) we went with those banderolls next to roadway and stood there for half an hour. We were noticed in local newspaper; someone sent thanks to us:-)
On Tuesday we think with parents what is the most unnecessary electrical equipment; in Finnish “Turhuke”. Let´s see what kind of answers we´ll get!
These equipment got many votes: coffeemaker,tv, playstation, volumaster,..
The winner of lottery on Tuesday was Jenni and she got bicycle lamp with solar cell.
On Wednesday we focused on switching off unnecessary lights and electrical devices. If you would be active and switch off something at home or at school, you can return your coupon to lottery.
The winner of lottery on Wednesday was Jenny and she got torch with crank (batterys not needed).
Recycling was the theme on Thursday. We have a pillow in our canteen and pupils have to guess what is the recycled material that has been used in making the filling for that pillow.
Pupils thought that the filling was made of cotton wool but the right answer is recycled plastic bottles!
The happy owner of this pillow is now Hanna Ågren.
Then we had Friday left. We want to encourage our pupils to use feet and bicycles when they come to school and go back home. If a pupil have been doing that for all four days this week, they are allowed to return this last coupon.
We got 63 coupons, so we made a good job.
The winner of lottery on Friday was Nico. He also got bicycle lamp with solar cell.
On Monday teachers gave information letters to pupils about this week. There were 4 coupons to fill in during this week. By doing little tasks, pupils get to take part in four lotteries. The prizes in these lotteries are related to saving energy. On
Monday we had an exciting thing, too; a demonstration against using always cars to go to work. Energy team members made banderolls like "Use carpool!" "Bicycle is invented!" "Biking is wise!" etc.. On Monday morning (yet raining) we went with those banderolls next to roadway and stood there for half an hour. We were noticed in local newspaper; someone sent thanks to us:-)
On Tuesday we think with parents what is the most unnecessary electrical equipment; in Finnish “Turhuke”. Let´s see what kind of answers we´ll get!
These equipment got many votes: coffeemaker,tv, playstation, volumaster,..
The winner of lottery on Tuesday was Jenni and she got bicycle lamp with solar cell.
On Wednesday we focused on switching off unnecessary lights and electrical devices. If you would be active and switch off something at home or at school, you can return your coupon to lottery.
The winner of lottery on Wednesday was Jenny and she got torch with crank (batterys not needed).
Recycling was the theme on Thursday. We have a pillow in our canteen and pupils have to guess what is the recycled material that has been used in making the filling for that pillow.
Pupils thought that the filling was made of cotton wool but the right answer is recycled plastic bottles!
The happy owner of this pillow is now Hanna Ågren.
Then we had Friday left. We want to encourage our pupils to use feet and bicycles when they come to school and go back home. If a pupil have been doing that for all four days this week, they are allowed to return this last coupon.
We got 63 coupons, so we made a good job.
The winner of lottery on Friday was Nico. He also got bicycle lamp with solar cell.
sunnuntai 9. lokakuuta 2011
Mother-Teresa patches
In handicraft lessons every girl from the 6th grade knitted her own patch. Patches were made from secondhand woollen yarn. You don't have to buy new yarn every time. We put our patches together and we get a blanket! Our blanket will be sent to India.
Customizing
Why is it useful to re-use clothes?
- You don't have to buy new clothes and you can save money. You also get distinctive clothes.
Some tips what to customize:
- too short jeans; you can make shorts
- ragged clothes; you can repair them
- loose buttons; you can sew or re-use them
- fleamarket clothes; you get showy clothes
(Milla, Emilia and Julia)
- You don't have to buy new clothes and you can save money. You also get distinctive clothes.
Some tips what to customize:
- too short jeans; you can make shorts
- ragged clothes; you can repair them
- loose buttons; you can sew or re-use them
- fleamarket clothes; you get showy clothes
(Milla, Emilia and Julia)
sunnuntai 18. syyskuuta 2011
Week 36, every day something about energy (and saving it)
On Monday morning the boss of our energy team started to read notes from "a diary":
"Dear diary!
I have not written anything for a long time. In June my dad told me that we are going to move to Vaasa. The name of my new school was Länsimetsä school. On the first schoolday I was a little bit afraid but everything went ok because my new classmates were very friendly.
On the first schoolweek I noticed that there was some text on every light-switch. First I thought that teachers don't care if pupils write with permanent marker on the walls but then I was told that this school wants to save energy. The text "front part" makes it easier to switch on/off the right lamps in classrooms. I noticed also that some pupils took care of switching the lights off every time we left the classroom. I told about this at home and my father said: It makes sense!!
Bye, I promise to write soon again!
On Tuesday morning pupils from 3 to 6 grades gathered together. We had a visitor from Motiva (energy experts firm :-) in Finland). Irmeli Mikkonen asked pupils about saving energy and about actions we have done at school/home. She also suggested what we could do. And then she told for example how long can you vacuum-clean with 1kWh.
After this teachers from energy team had a meeting with Irmeli Mikkonen and Merja Pakkanen (50/50 coordinator in Finland). Teachers got new ideas how to save energy and how to motivate the whole school in this project.
On Wednesday we heard new stories again(the diary):"We have had track and field lessons. I was quite good in throwing the javel. After the lesson we took shower. I was wondering how other pupils were so quick - I was used to take a looong shower in my old school. Afterwards I noticed notes on the walls which told not to stay too long in a shower. I was so ashamed!!"
On Thursday and Friday we had a competition between classes; we counted how many pupils in each class rode by bike or walked to school (not using car or bus). The winner (or winners) will get something..:-)
"Dear diary!
I have not written anything for a long time. In June my dad told me that we are going to move to Vaasa. The name of my new school was Länsimetsä school. On the first schoolday I was a little bit afraid but everything went ok because my new classmates were very friendly.
On the first schoolweek I noticed that there was some text on every light-switch. First I thought that teachers don't care if pupils write with permanent marker on the walls but then I was told that this school wants to save energy. The text "front part" makes it easier to switch on/off the right lamps in classrooms. I noticed also that some pupils took care of switching the lights off every time we left the classroom. I told about this at home and my father said: It makes sense!!
Bye, I promise to write soon again!
On Tuesday morning pupils from 3 to 6 grades gathered together. We had a visitor from Motiva (energy experts firm :-) in Finland). Irmeli Mikkonen asked pupils about saving energy and about actions we have done at school/home. She also suggested what we could do. And then she told for example how long can you vacuum-clean with 1kWh.
After this teachers from energy team had a meeting with Irmeli Mikkonen and Merja Pakkanen (50/50 coordinator in Finland). Teachers got new ideas how to save energy and how to motivate the whole school in this project.
On Wednesday we heard new stories again(the diary):"We have had track and field lessons. I was quite good in throwing the javel. After the lesson we took shower. I was wondering how other pupils were so quick - I was used to take a looong shower in my old school. Afterwards I noticed notes on the walls which told not to stay too long in a shower. I was so ashamed!!"
On Thursday and Friday we had a competition between classes; we counted how many pupils in each class rode by bike or walked to school (not using car or bus). The winner (or winners) will get something..:-)
sunnuntai 11. syyskuuta 2011
Long term measurements in May
We measured temperatures for one week in May. There was not very warm weather but the sun was already shining and maybe it warmed classrooms a little bit.
Comparing results with those taken in October there were no improvements.
In October 2010:
24 out of 37 classes/rooms got "green result" = (temperature between 20 and 22C)
1 out of 37 classes was too cold "blue result" = (temperature below 20C)
12 out of 37 classes got "red result" =(temperature over 22C, in gym and canteen over20C)
In May 2011:
16/37 got green result
1/37 got blue result
20/37 got red result (too hot comparing with base value)
On spring the windows were fixed so that warmth doesn't run off anymore.
We were not satisfied with the results that showed that gym is still too hot as well as the distant parts of school building. Also the second floor is too hot all the time..
Länsimetsä club on Tuesday afternoons
We used old comic books to make stands for pens and pencils in our school club. Emmi wanted to be a chinese girl during our club.
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