The Spider Web and The Fly

The Spider Web and The Fly

-(Nature Game, More ESD Activities, Facilitation Technique, Analysis, Discussion, Enhancing Group Dynamics)-

This is a kind of more complicated game that we used to play for teenager / adult. This is a very effective game / training method to show relation between many factors in natural resources management.

Latipah Hendarti and Mia Siscawati from RMI play this game - usually in ToT / Community Organizer Training, to help participants realize, that there are many factors that influence one occurred problem. I give 9 point to this method. It help a lot, but as facilitator you must support participants with questions and information once this game is started

Needs
- A complete story about a condition in natural resource management (or you also can play this game with other topic).
- A big roll of rope
- Some meta plan papers (color paper)
- Whiteboard or large size of paper
- Glue / cello tape

Story Example:
Diah was a 15 years young girls, she lived with her mother in a village called Desa Babar Sari. Her father left the family when she was 2 - to married another women. It happened a lot in Desa Kemuning, a district where divorce number is high.

Diah stop learn in the school when she was 12 to give a chance to one of her brothers (there are 3 more kids in this family). Her brother passed away 2 years ago because nerve illness, after 5 years of un-safe diving.

Diah work help her mother to cook and process fishes. The family work to support fish industry in this local fisherman village. It is a small scale industry that provide only a little amount of reward. They, each only got Rp 6000 (about 0,6 USD) a day for their 10 hours work and this isn't enough to support the family.

The village is also not in a good situation. The health facility is poor, the school is far (10 km walk) and the transportation is bad (need a boat that only come once a week to go to nearest town).

One day, some investor came to this island. They want to buy this land to build a luxury resort. The village must be removed. The offer is poor because they want to relocate villager into deeper area, to become farmer. After a riot, some mysterious people came and burn the village, including Diah's house

After this happen, 2 months later his mother died and from now on she must take care his family. One of her younger brother now also stop school to support this family.

METHOD


GAME
- One participant play as Diah (the fly), stand in the center of the circle (being played by another participants). Tie (circle) the rope into Diah.
-Ask a question to participants: according to your opinion, what things are causing this (Diah) situation ?
- If there are any opinion from participants (one man one opinion), give the roll to him/her. Tie the rope again to Diah, then. An observer notes the keyword from participant in meta plan, so the answers will being record by observer.
- Ask the questions to another participants. When they answer the question, give him/her the roll again. After some answers, the rope will looks like a web.
- And everybody can say their opinions. Repetition for answers and participants is acceptable. Notes: don't forget to encourage participants to give clear explanation about their opinion by give questions...

REFLECTION
- After make a category for every opinion (written in meta plan); for example : economy, culture, environment, health, education, ... issues and place the meta plan papers in right groups (the participants can place his/her paper him/herself, we can begin the discussion
- I leave the discussion to you (you can facilitate by yourself)
- Say the magic words : according to you, how we can make Dinah free from this situation ? Try to discuss more... and don't forget, Dinah must say something too... do you agree with that ^^ ?

Galasin, A Story about Mangrove

Galasin, A Story about Mangrove
-(Nature Game)-

This is a traditional Indonesian game. We call it : gobak sodor, galasin, or maybe in another kampung (village), children play a same game with another technical term.

The rules different in every kampung. It show some modification, but basicly it have some basic rule:

GUARD
Children who guard the line must catch the attacker by touching part of the body by hand. The guard feet must always step in the line.

ATTACKER
Children who try to cross the line. They need to avoid being catch by the guard

LINE
There are some lines, according how much the kids are.

PICTURE - RULES

To help children understand about the concept of mangrove ecosystem in preventing the wave destruction we need to modified the secondary rules about this game.

We will discuss about :
- Use of mangrove tree to prevent damage by strong wave / current in the shore
- Different kind of mangrove tree characteristic, or maybe if you like this kind of activity you always can discuss more : relation between land - mangrove - coral - open sea ecosystem...

Needs
A line (plastic, or by drawing)

First divide children into 2 groups. For this game, I assume you have about 20 participants, divided into 2 groups.

NORMAL ROUND :
Play normal. One team try to go back and forth. To win the round, all the team must succes cross the line and go back to the start point. If there is any participants being catched, the team switch: the one who play as guardian then play as attacker.

MANGROVE ROUND:
Play as a normal game, but put 2 guards in one line (generally, in back line to make it more difficult). Notes: yes, so it will be an empty guard in one or two line.

MORE MODIFICATION:
- Extend the line to make it easier to play
- The length of the line is must not always be the same
- Make vertical line. In Indonesian game, we call it "geledek" or as lightning. It is a suplement line to hit the attacker

Notes:
Play normal round for about 30-60 minutes. Then you can play MANGROVE ROUND because they already used to play with normal rules
For facilitator: seek information about mangrove and don't forget to arrange discussion method... ^^

Reflection:
- If the guards are mangrove tree, you should show that mangrove tree also have different characteristic (which one is fast and big, small and slow to catch the wave? Try to relate with different kind of mangrove tree, and the size of tree
- In nature, a small tree always find difficulties to adaptate with big wave, so what must we do to make the survival rate higher ( placing kind of fence, water breaker, plant with bigger tree, placement strategy, and more)
- What happened if the mangrove trees being cut? Are there any options to show the people that economy and ecology can work together, to support life ?

Repetition Make It Perfect

Repetition Make It Perfect
-(Guiding Notes)-

Hello guyz, it's been 1 or 2 weeks since my last write. It's been a busy weeks because I have to finish some works. After an ESD conference, some regular works waiting to be finished ^^

I want to talk about important thing to develop environmental awareness among kids: REPETITION, how actually we must go back again and again to a simple activity (nature game, experiments, story telling, discussion, etc) to strengthen environmental awareness.

When I was a little boy, my grandpa and me (and my brothers), every 1 or 2 weeks come to a tea plantation. And then he just let me play in a small river, kind of water channel. We seek for a small fish, insects, water plant or build a small dam (am I say it in right word for "bendungan" in Indonesia, or is it a dike?).

I believe that the repetition make the feel (to love the nature) stronger.

So, it's not a one big shot at all ! To increase children awareness we need REPETITION all the time.

In my opinion, it can be a kind of simple activity like making recycle paper, or just watching the insects in a tree for one semester (a small modification will help)

And that's better than ONE BIG SHOT (like an expensive tour that only being held once a year).

No need to think a complex activity that spend a lot of money, just repeat a good nature activity again and again, to get the feel.

Frilled Shark

Frilled Shark
-(Shocking Nature News)-
http://bizarrecreatures.blogspot.com

It was only discovered in Japanese waters in the 19th century. On January 21, 2007 a specimen was found alive off the coast of Japan near the Awashima Marine Park in Shizuoka, southwest of Toyko.

The shark was captured but, being in poor health, died shortly afterwards.

Teachers are Everywhere

Teachers are Everywhere
-(Guiding Notes)-

The kids in the school learn from their teachers.

In some forum, the teachers ask me : I'm a teacher, where I must learn from? Is it from another teachers? Many of them are bussy, they have the same problem with me? Or you mean that I must learn from the kids (with a grin) ?

You know that the first answer are correct, but don't you think the second answer also right?

Yes, that's right. We also must learn from children. It is mean that we learn to tolerance and study their behaviour, and in real meaning that we also observe what is interesting for them, see and feel their games and develop new method according their needs.

If you don't play, and just watching behind your desk, your spirit became weaker. It's not just develop a game, or writing a books - we must being a kids and learn from their point of view. Play and be involved in kids activity.

So a kid can become teacher too, don't you agree with that? (In deeper perception, nature is a teacher - so everything, including a kid is a teacher).

I believe that a kid can become a great teacher too, and if you don't mind I will say, please don't wait for another (older) teacher to tell you what you must do. The kids also can teach us everything, we just have to lower our ego and being sensitive.

If you are a teacher, facilitator, Writing a book and develop education modules doesn't mean anything unless you feel it from the other side. I remind you once more : play and do activity with the kids and I believe we will not grow old.

One more time : play with the kids, not only from your desk \^_^/

Picture taken from http://www.keikiokaaina.org/latest/images/WCCC_Kids_Day_TugWar.jpg

ESD Cooking Class

ESD Cooking Class
-(More ESD Activities)-

Yesterday, I found an interesting book in my shelves. This book, writen by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, tell a story about Toto Chan - a little girl that learn in a different kind of school; a wonderful school that allow kids to do creativity and in my opinion a kind of ideal school we always dream about.

(well, what you are waiting for - buy or rent the book quickly : A little Girl in the Window).

There's a chapter where a great but simple ideas being implemented to make children eat vegetables. It also make all children happy. This activity called "food from the sea and the land" - it give children a chalange, how they can bring and eat a lunch that consist both of them. Parents are happy teir kids eat vehetables, children are happy to play this game, and everything going to the right direction.

Well, lets start our local ideas. The idea basicly a modification from that books:
- Divide children into groups
- Choose some unique vegetables that came from some district (I mean every district generaly have a special kind of unique vegetables produced, right? Example : West Java-oncom hitam, West Sumatra-hot chili, Papua-sagu). Write the district name in papers.
- Every groups has to choose one piece of paper randomly
- Tell them that they have to cook a food by using that vegetables
- You may help them to find the recipe in the net (well, or just cook with only one kind of vegetables and make some variants!)

What you need to discuss (while eating) are :
- Relation between agriculture and cultural factors for the foods
- Vitamin and mineral for the vegetable, and use for health

If your class is bussy, just make the food in home. Bring it to the class and share the informations. 10 minutes are acceptable, don't you agree with that ? (and the food will always make children happy, right?)

Picture taken from http://www.gandhibali.org/images/cooking_class.jpg and http://www.kanaivasu.org/modules/My_eGallery/gallery/kanaivasuaceh/auida/training/tariningbersih.jpg

Games to Learn Languages and Environment

Games to Learn Languages and Environment
-(More ESD Activities, Language Game)-

I suggest this activity to support children to learn about language in interesting way. As this site is an environmental friendly, then I connect language and environment issues in one activity (well, at least one of them)...

You have some choice : you can learn local language or English with this kind of activity

MAKE A SONG
- Translate an environment related song, and try to sing it in local language. You need to change some words to keep the melody fit.
- For an expert, they should compose a song with local language and relate it with environment issues

CARD GAME
- Play the game as usual, but change the number pronounce into local language / English. In my country - a card game called "Tepuk Nyamuk" or hit the mosquito is very popular. The main idea is to learn about number

COLLECT THE OBJECT
- Divide children into groups. Give a time to the kids to collect some objects. Then after 5 to 10 minutes, everyone comeback and sit in circle. Try to name the objects in local language / English. The winner is the groups who collect as many objects and can name the objects in the right writing / spelling

COOK A FOOD
In the kitchen, try to cook something, but please say every ingredients in local language / English.

BLINDMAN SEARCHING
Tie a handkerchief to make a blindfold for a kid. Put some object about 10-15 meter, far from them. Then after that, another kid give some instruction in local language / English so their friend can found the object - with his / her eyes closed

DICTIONARY GAME
I have a Rp 5.500 (about 1/2 USD) small dictionary and it help me a lot (it also help me write this modules). Lets assume that we have an English dictionary. Play with page number and line number.
A kids choose 139 and 3 it means we open page number 139 and then we read line number 3 : (in my book it is) MALE. So I ask the children what is the mean of the words in my national language (=laki-laki, pria), and then translate it into local language (=jajaka in Sundanese).Then another kids can choose another 2 number..., and then another kids...

I dedicate this module for Sita Rani,my friend and all teachers in RMI alternative school in Cimande - Bogor. Good luck, Sis !

Picture taken from http://getfancy.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/easy_english_dictionary2.jpg and https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZdaoqnR-c_T047RAsbJcrVRolsuU16cUiqdIpLhyphenhyphen5duPaGOtdumWtJ-528uMVEOT6WtLBKRWyrKhRdep4RiSu3OT0Hm3UGd_i4txM4M64KKU3VSJnMAxvsoRnCCFoMGosL679FKaLMee/s320/maEN+tepuk+nyamuk.jpg

Traditional Beverages Competition

Traditional Beverages Competition
-(More ESD Activities)-

I got this inspiration when I read a magazine in an ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) forum, a couple days ago. It is a magazine published by PPLH Seloliman and in the last page I found they give a recipe to make a kind of traditional Javanese beverage, wedang jahe.

Then I wonder, wow - we can make such an activity to become more ESD like and everybody can do this activity easily in their biology, art, or social class. With some add here and here we can also make it in language class.

This is my suggestion for this activity, I called it : traditional beverage competition

Needs
Many kind of spice-at least it will be ginger, cinnamon, greater galingale, tea, coffee, etc ; sugar, honey, milk, etc

First, children should seek spice information from books or from the web. They should found information about the use of this spice in health issues. Lets make them learn biology...

And make a competition between groups or personal - who can make a better taste of traditional beverage, and use as many ingredients. Don't stick with my suggestion to make only a Javanese traditional beverage. We can make other traditional beverages : Korean, Balinese , or Indian beverages.

Hints : support kids to make an unique, tasteful and rich in ingredients so they can win this competition. The kids also had to explain ingredient use in health issues, related with plant biology components ; or try to explain social / culture issues, like
- local / national beverage culture
- economic value in this industry

We may also support the kids and relate it to economic issues by make an enterpreneur activity. Sell some cup of traditional drink, or pack the ingredients in nice package will be good.

Picture taken from http://dywdyw.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bras.jpg and www.indonetwork.co.id

Planet Orbits the Wrong Way

Planet Orbits the Wrong Way
-(Shocking Nature News)-

Planets orbit stars in the same direction that the stars rotate. They all do. Except one.

A newfound planet orbits the wrong way, backward compared to the rotation of its host star. Its discoverers think a near-collision may have created the retrograde orbit, as it is called.

The star and its planet, WASP-17, are about 1,000 light-years away. The setup was found by the UK's Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP) project in collaboration with Geneva Observatory. The discovery was announced today but has not yet been published in a journal.

"I would have to say this is one of the strangest planets we know about," said Sara Seager, an astrophysicist at MIT who was not involved in the discovery.

What's going on

A star forms when a cloud of gas and dust collapses. Whatever movement the cloud had becomes intensified as it condenses, determining the rotational direction of the star. How planets form is less certain. They are, however, known to develop out of the leftover, typically disk-shaped mass of gas and dust that swirls around a newborn star, so whatever direction that material is moving, which is the direction of the star's rotation, becomes the direction of the planet's orbit.

WASP-17 likely had a close encounter with a larger planet, and the gravitational interaction acted like a slingshot to put WASP-17 on its odd course, the astronomers figure.

"I think it's extremely exciting. It's fascinating that we can study orbits of planets so far away," Seager told SPACE.com. "There's always theory, but there's nothing like an observation to really prove it."

Cosmic collisions are not uncommon. Earth's moon was made when our planet collided with a Mars-sized object, astronomers think. And earlier this week NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope found evidence of two planets colliding around a distant, young star. Some moons in our solar system are on retrograde orbits, perhaps at least in some cases because they were flying through space alone and then captured; that's thought to be the case with Neptune's large moon Triton.

The find was made by graduate students David Anderson at Keele University and Amaury Triaud of the Geneva Observatory.

Bloated world

WASP-17 is about half the mass of Jupiter but bloated to twice its size. "This planet is only as dense as expanded polystyrene, 70 times less dense than the planet we're standing on," said professor Coel Hellier of Keele University.

The bloated planet can be explained by a highly elliptical orbit, which brings it close to the star and then far away. Like exaggerated tides on Earth, the tidal effects on WASP-17 heat and stretch the planet, the researchers suggest.

The tides are not a daily affair, however. "Instead it's creating a huge amount of friction on the inside of the planet and generating a lot of energy, which might be making the planet big and puffy," Seager said.

WASP-17 is the 17th extrasolar planet found by the WASP project, which monitors hundreds of thousands of stars, watching for small dips in their light when a planet transits in front of them. NASA's Kepler space observatory is using the same technique to search for Earth-like worlds.


Jeanna Bryner and Robert Roy Britt
SPACE.com Jeanna Bryner And Robert Roy Britt
space.com – Wed Aug 12, 11:21 am ET
Updated 11:05 a.m. ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090812/sc_space/newfoundplanetorbitsbackward

Seed Growth and Pollution

Seeds Growth and Pollution
-(Nature Experiment)-

This is a kind of experiment to show that external factor also influence plant / other living creature growth. We also can discuss about adaptation, relate it with evolution, sub species / variant diversity.

Needs
Kind of seeds that came from one parents. Example : bean seeds

Why we do this experiments with seeds that came from one parents? You should ask students when do this activity.

I think some junior and highschool students can answer this question, related with genetic topics. But in my opinion, seeds that came from one parents will have more same character rather than if we take it from random sample. It's also acceptable to get random sample from one plant species. Pick a same size seeds will be fine.

We like to have an "apple to apple" comparison. As a teachers you should explain a small things like this because it will make students start to follow scientific method to find the fact.

Lets make treatment like this:
WATER
A : clear water
B : semi polluted water (example, from semi polluted river)
C : poluted water (example, mixed with some oil / detergent)
SOIL
1 : humus
2 : sand + soil
3 : soil being damaged by chemical fertilizer (NPK)

In this experiments, mix seeds with A1, A2, A3. The other seeds will be B1, B2, B3 and the others are with C1, C2, C3.

We have to do exactly the same treatments for all objects. It means that we also gave same light intensity, same spray intensity, etc.

After some weeks, look the different between all objects (in this activity it will be 9 objects. But if we did it in groups, maybe it can be 18, 27 or more - and it will make we analyze better).

Which one grow better ? Why ? Make a discussion with the kids...Try to make the topics wider according your speciality...

Learn, Play and Respect

Learn, Play and Respect
-(Guiding Notes)-

In all of my writings, please note one thing: we learn, we play and we respect each others.

I have learn that play can teach us about respect. Before playing a game and after it's over, shake each other hands.

Mix a team with boys and girls, a black and white, chinese, arabian and indonesian. Let the strong help other kids, and don't forget to discuss a lesson about respect after finishing the game.

Sometimes there is a situation where a kid blame their friend for losing a game. You must teach participants that nobody is perfect, and for that they must completed each other to become a good team. A target to win the game is important but the most important thing is the process, how they can cooperate each other in this game.

Learn to Do It with Style

Learn to Do It with Style
-(Guiding Notes)-

Hello teachers, good morning...

Dear teachers, have you ever see "Patch Adams" movie? Robbie Williams starring that movie and it is a wonderful movie to watch, about a doctor with humorous style who also cure his patients with laugh and love.

I write a story from Anthonny de Mello, one of my favorite Guru to explain what I will tell you later.

A man buy a dog. It is a big size german shepherd dog.
Everyday, to make the dog always in a good shape, the man gave a food suplement, a cod oil (kind of fish oil).

Everyday the dog rebel against his owner. The man always give a spoonful of cod oil with a forcibly given method. He have to force a spoon to the dog mouth and the dog always rebel against him.

One day, accidently,the bottle of the cod oil fell to the floor. And then the dog lick the cod oil in the floor.

It's not that it doesn't like the cod oil, but it doesn't like the way the man gave it.

So, teachers. I encourage you to find a way to give the cod oil with interesting way. Be a craetive teacher and do learning process with style. Break the wall and get out of the box.

Use farmer hat when teaching about bio engineering. Bring some animals while teaching about environment. Walk to a small river when discuss water pollution. If nothing is left, start a group discussion with your key questions. Good luck !

A Representative Place to Learn

A Representative Place to Learn
-(Guiding Notes)-

When we start learn environmental education, we must find a representative place to learn. Generally we can start learning process in anyplace, but suitable place is better.

Like when we learn about paddy field ecosystem, we can go to a paddy field near our school. It is better than learn all material in a class, sit quietly without nothing to display.

Although the paddy field can be hot in the middle of the day, we can arrange to have a meet in the morning (so we also must consider the time when we arrived) - it is the best place to learn paddy field ecosystem because we can make a direct observation and after that, we may make the discussion wider.

We may talk about pesticide user, insects diversity, farmer culture, irigation process, and even relate some environmental problem with forest degradation.

A suitable place can attract participants to ask more and more. If you can't find any, you must bring some stuff from the place (picture, real paddy plant, seeds, mud, farmer hat, etc) to make them imagine better.

Tarantula Hawks

Tarantula Hawks
-(Shocking Nature News)-

Several species of the wasps known as "tarantula hawks" inhabit the desert lands of the southwest.

They of course eat Tarantulas. Tarantula hawk stings are considered to be the most painful of any North American insect. Christopher Starr wrote an article entitled, "A Pain Scale for Bee, Wasp and Ant Stings." On a scale of one to four, Pepsis formosa was one of only two insects to rate a four.

One researcher described the tarantula hawk’s sting this way: "To me, the pain is like an electric wand that hits you, inducing an immediate, excruciating pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except, perhaps, scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations.

Taken from http://bizarrecreatures.blogspot.com/