Madison, Wis. – This April, FOCUS ON ENERGY® is celebrating Earth Day all month long. Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy program has partnered with the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) to create a four-part blog series on renewable energy sources leading up to the big day on April 22.
Each week, a new blog post will explore how energy is created, like using the wind to create electricity or cooking food with a solar oven. The blog series is geared toward grades K-6 and will include an overview of a renewable energy source, resources for teachers and parents, helpful tips for saving energy in the classroom and at home, and a student activity.
"We're seeing a trend as more Wisconsin schools are bringing STEM-based curriculum into the classroom, especially for elementary and middle school-aged students," said Heather Feigum, Program Manager with Focus on Energy. "Our goal with this blog post series is to provide students with a hands-on approach they can apply to understand how to use energy more sustainably."
School districts are invited to show their classroom's commitment to sustainability by capturing students participating in these energy educational activities. Results can be shared on social media with the #EarthDayPledge while also tagging Focus on Energy and KEEP. Each classroom that participates in the pledge will receive a complimentary seedling to plant.
"Earth Day provides a great reminder to start thinking about what you can do to make a difference and live more sustainably," said Melissa Ruether, School-to-Home Energy Education Specialist with KEEP. "Whether learning at home or in the classroom, one thing students can do anywhere is investigate how we all use energy."
Follow along with this blog series at www.focusonenergy.com/blog or Focus on Energy's and KEEP's Facebook pages:
About KEEP
The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) promotes energy education in Wisconsin schools. With support from Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy, KEEP leverages teacher education to improve and increase energy literacy in Wisconsin's K-12 schools as a means of contributing to statewide energy savings.
