The Sundance School in North Plainfield, NJ takes the study of the environment seriously. The renowned early childhood center just completed a year's thematic study called "The Earth is Good to Me". Everything the children did for the entire year-from reading, art, and math to two school plays-involved learning about the earth and its inhabitants.
The year's biggest production was a 4,000 square-foot virtual rainforest including live animals. The school closed for one week so that staff could create the interactive learning center. When children returned to school, they spent two weeks 'riding' down the Amazon, wrestling 'snakes', cleaning up a safari park, studying instruments in an African hut, dancing around a kapok tree and learning about recycling from Oscar the Grouch. Staff and children created artwork as they studied the many species that live in rainforests.
"Bringing this type of learning to children ensures that they will enter into a real understanding and respect for our world. They fall in love with the rainforest-its sounds, sights, and even tastes," said Kathleen Maleski, Educational Specialist. "They learn to love the rainforest-and that creates a desire in them to protect it."
Sundance Families took the activity farther by fundraising for an entire year to raise more than $2000 for Rainforest Action Network.
"We raised $1,265 by selling tapes that teach children songs about the Earth and animals," said Maleski. "Next, we asked parents to bring in items to recycle at a sale-teaching children to part with possessions they no longer use-and raised $285. A t-shirt sale raised $720. Finally, the children raised $100 by collecting money and doing chores. They deposited money in our Rainforest Awareness Corner, an area of the classroom decorated with photographs and information about the environment."
Sundance School was proud to send the money to RAN's Protect-An-Acre Fund. The causes addressed by the Fund are very important to owners Jeff and Ginny Tobey. They feel that helping indigenous peoples thrive in their forest homes is the best defense for the rainforest.
In 2003, Sundance embarked on an "It's a Small World" theme. Sundance children studied the Earth's cultures and developed a greater appreciation for tolerance and peace. 2003 highlights included "The Children's Peace Project", an electronic collection of ideas from the world's children about how to bring peace, hope, sustenance, and love to our world and its people.
Sundance celebrates 25 years of excellence in education this year. For more information, see www.sundanceschool.net.