Join teachers and students in exploring our Ocean Connections as part of National Environmental Education Week, April 10-16, 2011

We might have divided it up and given the different areas different names, but there really is only one ocean. And it is the dominant feature of our planet. No matter how far we live from the coast, we are all connected to the ocean, sometimes in nearly invisible ways.

From the vast network of streams and rivers that make up the major watersheds on Earth (all of which drain into the ocean) to the ingredients in products we use every day, there is no escaping our dependence on the ocean. The ocean supplies us with food and medicine, cycles our water, generates most of the oxygen we breathe and balances our climate. Recognizing the vital importance of the ocean to all life on Earth, National Environmental Education Week’s 2011 theme is Ocean Connections.

National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the nation’s largest environmental education event held each year the week before Earth Day – this year, April 10-16. EE Week inspires environmental learning and stewardship among young people by connecting educators with environmental resources to promote K-12 students’ understanding of the environment. The goal of EE Week is to assist educators in incorporating more high-quality environmental education across the curriculum. In 2010, over 2,000 schools and organizations across the country organized EE Week events. Collectively these organizations reached millions of students with environmentally themed lessons and activities.

This year, EE Week will celebrate the ocean by offering resources and
curricula for teaching about the ocean and oil spills, facts about our
ocean connections in English and Spanish, online Ocean Bee quizzes for
students (created in partnership with National Ocean Sciences Bowl) and
a series of educator webinars.

The first Educator Webinar: Teaching About the Gulf Oil Spill took
place on February 23. If you were able to participate, please comment
here on the blog to let us know what you thought!  We were thrilled to
connect with more than 50 educators in this inaugural Webinar, and we hope to
reach even more teachers next time.

Our second Webinar, titled Teaching Ocean Connections, Watershed to
Reefs will occur in late March. We’ll post details about how to
register here on the Blog and on Facebook, and we’ll also give you the
opportunity to post advance questions for us to address during the
Webinar.

Learn more about EE Week by visiting us at EEWeek.org and register your
school or organization to participate and join a national network of
educators dedicated to increasing the environmental literacy of
students.

Do you have a successful environmental education project to tell us
about? We’d love to hear about it. Contact EEWeek@neefusa.org to share
your story on a national stage.