Kids for the Earth
In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will only understand what we are taught.
Baba Dioum
The Friends developed Kids for the Earth (KFTE) because we believe that children who learn the value of their environment will become tomorrow's stewards of the earth. Its mission is to provide teachers and youth group leaders with hands-on activities that help children understand the interaction of environmental and human forces in the Pheasant Branch Watershed. KFTE established a unique partnership with the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. Each summer, KFTE sponsors programs for children and families at the conservancy.
Schedule from the 2007 summer program
During KFTE's first year, our advisory committee also worked the Middleton Alternative High School (MASH) to develop a video about our program.
Stewardship Activites
The Friends of Pheasant Branch coordinate community service opportunities in the conservancy throughout the year. This fall and spring, we are looking for classes to help with collecting and sowing priairie seeds and removing garlic mustard. Friends volunteers are available to work with on these and other restoration activities.
Contact Colleen or Janet to make plans and set a date!
Kids for the Earth Educators' Guides
Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District teachers developed an educators' guide called Branch Out! to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in order to help other teachers plan classroom and field trip activities. Its topics include glacial geology, Dane County watersheds, water quality, wildlife diversity, prairie and restoration projects, urban development and environmental art. The guide is especially relevant to educational opportunities in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, but can be applied to other natural areas, as well.
Pheasant Branch Conservancy Brochure
Another informative brochure is the 32-page full-color The Geological, Cultural History and Ecology of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Watershed.
Download Conservancy Brochure PDF
Lesson Plans Available
During the 2002-2003 school year, a KFTE advisory committee of nine area educators developed a set of lesson plans tied to Pheasant Branch Conservancy resources. In subsequent years, the guide has been the core of a twelve-hour staff development program for interested teachers and community members.