It IS That Easy Being Green!

In honor of Jeans for Juvenile Diabetes Week (next week), we decided that this week we should focus on keeping your denim green.

Ways to keep your jeans "green":

Go vintage.  Why buy new jeans when you can buy name brand jeans at a thrift store.  Plus, they are already broken in!

If you do purchase new jeans, try to find a brand that uses all-natural ("organic") cotton.  Cotton is a very pesticide-heavy crop.  In fact, one pair of jeans can equate to 2/3 a pound of pesticides and chemical fertilizers!  Give the Earth a hug and find a brand that uses natural fertilizer and no pesticides.  

Only wash jeans when you must.  A good rule of thumb?  If your jeans can stand on their own, it's probably time to wash them.  When you DO launder your jeans, let them air dry.  This will save YOU money, keep your jeans from shrinking, and it will save energy.

Send old jeans here:  http://www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org.  Cotton From Blue to Green is an organization that turns old jeans into insulation.   What a novel idea!

Check back next week for another green-living tip!

What We Ate Wednesday

To be completely fair, "What We Ate Wednesday" actually happened on a Tuesday this week. On Friday our class is celebrating the completion of our first read-aloud story Matilda by eating chocolate cake and watching a movie, so our schedule has been a bit wonky this week.

This week, we cooked Scout Dinners (also known as Tin Foil Dinners). They were DELICIOUS and the students really enjoyed mixing and matching different ingredients to make their own unique meal.

Scout Dinners are super simple. Here's what you'll need:

• Non-stick tin foil (we used Reynold's Wrap)
• Cooking spray (we used Pam)
• Ground beef (we used 80/20)
• Baby carrots
• Sliced potatoes (we used the pre-sliced potatoes you can find near the hashbrowns)
• Diced onions (we also purchased these pre-diced)

Spray the cooking spray in the center of a medium-sized piece of aluminum foil. Then, pat the ground beef into a small patty and place in the center of the foil. Next, just pile the veggies on top. It's easy to mix and match using whatever you have on hand. I'm sure something like cabbage would be yummy too!

After your meat and veggies are piled together, make a packet out of the foil. Be sure to roll up the sides so the steam can't escape! Simply place your packets on a baking sheet and bake in the oven (pre-heated to 350 degrees) for approximately 40 minutes. See? Simple and tasty :)

As one student said yesterday, "Bon appetite!"

To be completely honest, this picture is actually from last week when Mr. C and I made Scout Dinners at home. The kids got their meals wrapped up so quickly, I didn't have time to take a picture!

Green Solutions for our "Green" School

Welcome to our new and improved class blog! Last year, we weren't very good about updating...hopefully this year we will be better!

As a class, we're pretty "green." Not only do we recycle each week, our school color is also green! Last year, through our recycling initiative (Alice's Paper Shredding Company), we recycled over 4,000 pounds of paper! Wow! In an effort to be even "greener" this year, my students and I are attempting to "go paperless" as much as possible. This means you'll be able to find upcoming events, sight/spelling word lists, links to fun activities you can do at home, and updates on our comings and goings.

As a class family, we're excited about this school year. We're four-weeks in and we've already learned so much! This semester, we're focusing on World Literature, Civics, and of course, Community Based Instruction.

Check back weekly for pictures and posts about the fun we're having. Thanks for any prayers, words of encouragement, and support!

Mrs. C