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‘Save the planet, one yard at a time’
Kids can explore their world and conduct experiments with these free activities on turfmutt.com
TurfMutt Foundation
Jul. 11, 2023 8:42 am
Kids can explore their world and conduct experiments with free activities on turfmutt.com with superhero and “spokesdog” Mulligan the TurfMutt and her “outdoor power” pals Big Rooty, Water Warrior, the Green Ranger, and Professor Botany as they battle the environmental “bad buys” including Carbon Creep, Dust Demon, Heat Freak, and Dr. Runoff.
TurfMutt, a program created by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s TurfMutt Foundation, teaches students and teachers how to “save the planet, one yard at a time.” It is an official U.S. Green Building Council education partner, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction and operation.
TurfMutt also is an education resource at the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The curriculum’s hero, Mulligan, is real-life rescue dog, rescued by Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.
“Having a dog as a spokesperson of our program makes it ‘sticky’ for kids,” Kriser said in a news release. “And no one loves a yard and green space more than a dog. Children may be more apt to learn valuable lessons right in their own backyard or schoolyard from a fun-loving, adventurer like Mulligan the TurfMutt.”
The new lesson plans are varied by grade, including activities where students can:
- See trees “breathe” by capturing water vapor given off by trees on plastic bags, and learn how trees absorb and return water to the atmosphere.
- Practice counting and learn about their own carbon footprints at home and in school.
- Figure out how many creatures hang out in one square foot of healthy dirt outside, observing the worms and insects found.
- Calculate how much water a plant transpires.
- Go on a scavenger hunt to find the wildlife that reside around us in backyards and community parks.
- Conduct an experiment examining whether we water plants, or plants water the earth.
- Use rain gauges and an outdoor experiment to calculate water runoff and talk about ways to control it.
- Do an experiment to discover dust in an area and discuss ways to mitigate it.
- Learn how soil and trees help capture stormwater, with a poster illustrating how communities with green plantings and riparian barriers does a better job of controlling runoff into waterways.
“The new plans focus on getting kids outside to conduct interactive experiments and other fun activities. Ultimately they’re our future environmental stewards and will learn how to make our communities better for all of us,” Kriser said.
TurfMutt’s past education curriculum has reached more than 70 million children, educators and families since 2009.
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.
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