Take It Home
Almost everyone eats fish at home, many people have aquariums, and tons of people go fishing for fun (and food), but how much do they know about fish? Do they know about healthier fish and how to keep fish healthy? It's time they learned.
Healthy Fish Guide
It's very important for parents to know which fish are safest for their children. Children's brains are still developing and are very sensitive to even small amounts of neurotoxins like mercury. There are a variety of organizations that have created user-friendly, pocket shopping guides for consumers to take to the grocery store with them in order to purchase the safest fish. Check them out and print some for your student's parents:
The Environmental Defense Fund's Seafood Selector at www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1521.
The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Program at www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp.
The Natural Resources Defense Council's Mercury in Fish wallet guide at www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/walletcard.pdf.
Every state's health department has separate warnings concerning local fish consumption guidelines, so check with them or highlight the number for your students' parents to call. Make sure your kids' brains are healthy and can process and remember everything you teach them.
Turtle Protection Tricks
Turtle species live in fresh and salt water as well as on land. Many of the species are endangered due to loss of habitat, pollution, and the commercial pet trade. Turtles love to live in wetlands. You can canoe through a wetland area and watch the turtles sunning on water lilies. They are a part of the balance of nature, which means they are needed to keep the Earth healthy. Check out this amazing website for information about turtles of all kinds: http://42explore.com/turtle.htm. If you live near wetlands or water of any kind, you should work to protect turtles. Here is information you can include on a handout to send home to parents for simple things families can do to help protect turtles.
Stop using pesticides on lawns. It runs off into lakes, oceans, wetlands, and all bodies of water.
Don't capture turtles or buy turtles as pets. Let them live in their natural habitats.
Clean beaches and shorelines. Mistaking trash for food can kill turtles.
Don't disturb nests and help protect them from raccoons. Place rocks around nests and then place an old stove or refrigerator rack over the stone. (Find the racks at old appliance drop-off spots.)
Now you're a tried-and-true turtle protector! Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on your shell — um, back.
