While kids are enjoying some time off from school this summer, it is also
important to keep their minds active. Parents can help their kids avoid the
dreaded “summer slide,” where students lose some of their academic gains from
the school year, by encouraging their children to participate in TurfMutt’senvironmental education and stewardship program.
The TurfMutt youth education lesson plans are free and aligned to Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math (STEM) standards for kids in grades K-8. The lessons are available on the
TurfMutt website and in the USGBC Learning Lab. They are designed as a fun and
engaging way for students to learn valuable science lessons in their own
backyards, parks or school yards.
The lessons focus on getting kids outside to conduct interactive experiments
and other fun activities. “Our lesson plans help kids learn how to care for the
green space around us so they can learn early on how to be good stewards of the
environment and why that is so important,” said Kris Kiser, President & CEO
of the TurfMutt Foundation.
In the lessons plans, superhero and Foundation spokesdog, Mulligan the
TurfMutt is joined by her “outdoor power” pals Big Rooty, Water Warrior, Green
Ranger, and Professor Botany. The superheroes battle the environmental “bad
buys” including Carbon Creep, Dust Demon, Heat Freak, and Dr. Runoff.
READ MORE: Plant it for the planet
Mulligan is real-life rescue dog who was adopted by Kiser at the TurfMutt
Foundation’s annual pet adoption event Mutt Madness. The event is hosted in
conjunction with the Kentucky Humane Society and held at the Equip Exposition
trade show each year. “No one loves and appreciates a yard and green space more
than a dog like Mulligan,” said Kiser. “Parents and teachers know that kids are
more likely to engage in learning when it’s fun, and that’s what the TurfMutt
curriculum is, thanks to Mulligan leading the way.”
The arts are included in the lessons, as well. One of the plans provides an
original drama script where students can act out parts for flowers, sun, trees,
shrubs and environmental villains, such as Carbon Creep. By putting on the play
as a class or for others, students can learn how green plants, trees and shrubs
help our communities.
The TurfMutt lesson plans are free on the TurfMutt website and available via
subscription from the USGBCLearning Lab. Prior TurfMutt lesson plans, created with Scholastic,
Discovery Education and Weekly Reader, are also housed on the TurfMuttwebsite.
For more, sign up for Mutt Mail, a monthly e-newsletter with backyarding
tips and all the news from the TurfMutt Foundation here.
To learn more about creating the yard of your dreams, visit TurfMutt.com. Look
for Mulligan the TurfMutt on the CBS Lucky Dog television show on Saturday
mornings.
TurfMutt, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2024, was created by the
Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s (OPEI) TurfMutt Foundation and has reached
more than 70 million children, educators and families since 2009. Championed by
Foundation spokesdog, Mulligan the TurfMutt, and through education partners
such as Weekly Reader, Discovery Education and Scholastic, TurfMutt has taught
students and teachers how to “save the planet, one yard at a time.” Today,
TurfMutt is an official USGBC® Education Partner and part of their global
LEARNING LAB. TurfMutt has been an education resource at the U.S. Department of
Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the
Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED)
project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In 2017, the TurfMutt animated video series won the coveted Cynopsis Kids Imagination
Award for Best Interstitial Series. TurfMutt’s personal, home habitat was
featured in the 2017-2020 Wildlife Habitat Council calendars. More information
at www.TurfMutt.com.
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