Environmental Block is primarily a hands-on course, allowing students to choose projects for themselves that fit their specific skills and interests. Throughout the courses, students are expected to complete at least five environmental projects, either individually or in small groups. In addition, the entire class does several projects together.
Student Projects
Several projects that eBlock students have done in the past.
- Pond or creek clean-up
- Assembly
- Tree planting
- Recycling police
- Grade school visit
- Video creation
- Vegetarian for a week
- Showing off Nature Collections
- Cooking Apple Pies
- Volunteering at Different Events
- Making Bird Houses
- Planning class trips
- Planning Earth Day activities
- Organizing a camping trip
- City of Vaughan cleanup days
- CN Tower climb for the World Wildlife Fund
Entire Class Projects
- Bi-weekly recycling | Each week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays after lunch, the eBlock class runs the school's recycling. Two students from every classroom bring down their room's recycling to the foyer in the front of the school, where several eBlock students oversee the sorting of the various recyclable materials, including paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, and tetra paks.
- Vermicomposting | The eBlock class also has a vermicomposting project, vermicomposting being the official name for composting with worms. The class is divided into five groups of four, and each group has a leader. The group has a bin full of red wriggler worms and compost, and the group is in charge of maintaining their bin and feeding their worms.
- Outdoor environmental work | The eBlock class is often outside, enjoying the various parks and natural areas near the school. Outdoor environmental projects have included tree planting around the school, planting flowers for a butterfly garden, and cleaning up garbage around the school and creek.
- Species identification | A large part of environmentalism involves learning about animals. During the spring, eBlock contributed to the Great Backyard Bird Count, and several students also send weekly data to Project FeederWatch. eBlock students are also responsible for creating charts of information for 50 species of animals, ranging from trees of Ontario to small mammals to sharks.
- Field trips | eBlock has gone on several field trips during the course so far, and has several more planned. Field trip locations include the YMCA camp of Cedar Glen, Earth Rangers, High Park, and Humber Nurseries.