Thanks to everyone for getting up early for our first Planet Patrol meeting! I was so happy to see that all of you were interested in almost all of the categories we talked about today. Here's a list of the different areas of interest we talked about and some of the ideas you all had on how we can help (and we noticed that many of the projects can help in multiple areas!):
Insects, Animals, and Wildlife
Collecting and studying bugs, building birdhouses for the new school grounds, protecting animals' natural habitats, planting trees
Oceans, Lakes, and Streams
Cleaning up along the Chattahoochee River, the creeks at East Cobb Park, visiting the Chattahoochee Nature Center, promoting the use of reusable grocery bags so ocean life isn't harmed by plastic bags
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
East Side Recycle Friday, making sure recyclables don't go in the trash at home, turning something old and used in to something new and usable (repurposing!)
Gardening, Composting, Plants & Trees
Planting trees and plants, being involved in garden space in the new school, visiting the new vegetable garden at the Chattahoochee Nature Center
Outdoor Activities: Clean Air, Trails, Outdoor Classroom
No Idle Awareness Week at East Side, scavenger hunt and maybe geocaching at East Cobb Park, nature hikes, helping in the outdoor classroom at the new school
Several of you signed up to help out with Recycle Friday. This is what Recycle Friday is all about: every Friday we meet in the cafeteria at 7:20am. As students start arriving, one or two students from each classroom (except the 4th grade classrooms) brings their recyclables to us in the cafeteria. Our job is to collect all the paper, cardboard, plastic, and aluminum into bags, do a little sorting, and bring the bags to the recycling dumpsters behind the school. East Side PTA actually earns money for all the paper and cardboard we put in the dumpster! So cool!! If you volunteer to help with this, we'll make sure you get to your classroom by 7:50, and we'll let your teacher know that you were helping out with this very important project. Once you see how much we recycle each week, you'll understand why we don't want all of this going to the dump! I'll send your parents an email with a day you can help out with Recycle Friday if you signed up for it.
I'm going to spend the next few days figuring out our first activity and I will post all the details on the blog.
Our next meeting is going to be Tuesday, February 15 at 7:00am. I'll be posting more information on that meeting at the date gets closer, but in the meantime, check out all the fun contests that we can enter on the right-hand side of this page. If something really interests you, bring it to the next meeting and we'll form a group to do it!
Thanks again, everyone, for your active participation this morning! And thanks to Mrs. Bango for all your help and great ideas. I'll look forward to getting together again for some Earth-minded fun soon!
GO GREEN!
~ Mrs. Zegers
Last Thursday Planet Patrol picked up trash along Roswell Road on our way to East Cobb Park. Everyone was so enthusiastic about cleaning up our road! I was so impressed!! We actually ran out of time and had to tell the kids to leave the trash behind so we could get to the park. This was hard for them to do!
Once we got to the park we met with Joni Atkinson from Cobb County Parks and Recreation and learned about some challenges facing public parks. Erosion was one problem and the Planet Patrollers had some great ideas on how we can help. We talked about invasive plants, we identified some birds and insects, and had a blast with the "dog poop relay!" (Don't worry, it was plastic poop, but now we all know how to properly clean up after a dog!)
We may have an opportunity to do some regular work at East Cobb Park -- a great chance for Planet Patrol to show our dedication to the maintenance and beauty of our community. 
