Summary: 5/10 Newton Community Farm Trip

On Friday, May 10, we lucked out with the weather (the forecasted rain did not come, thankfully!) and were treated to an incredibly fun and educational session at the Newton Community Farm on Nahanton Street.

Reva Haselkorn, Director of Education at the Newton Community Farm, led the tour and our own Green Team high school student members Audrey and Kate helped to lead activities. After a snack and introduction in the barn, Reva took us on a tour around the farm...

We learned about the farm animals, the various types of plantings...

and lots of fun facts. For example, did you know the big leaves on a rhubarb plant (in the photo below) are poisonous?)

One of the most exciting parts (in my opinion) was seeing composting in action. Our Green Team Kids were treated to a fun compost sorting activity (using Reva's frozen food waste) and a chance to try out the tumbler compost bin (many of the kids found out that turning it is harder than it looks).

For many of the Green Team Kids, feeding the chickens was the highlight of the trip. Interestingly, the best thing to feed these particular chickens is mallow, an edible weed, growing nearby.

The trip was a success! Thanks to all who contributed to this enriching experience.

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Our last meeting!

On June 7, we Green Team coordinators were happily surprised and showered with beautiful flowers, cards and gifts from our Green Team Kids and their parents. Were were thrilled to hear how much the students enjoyed the programming over the year, and we thank the parents for their ongoing support and generosity! To cap off a great year and to enjoy the beautiful summer afternoon, we enjoyed a scavenger hunt outdoors that covered numerous topics we've discussed over the course of the year followed by frozen treats, a short presentation by Kate and Audrey about eating vegan (this was a topic we were going to cover in an earlier session, when we went to visit the Mayor instead!), and then a photo slideshow of the year. Thanks everyone for an amazing year, and have a great summer!

Our Kickoff Meeting (10/26/2018)

On the afternoon of October 26th, we launched our first Mason-Rice Green Team Kids meeting for the year. We had approximately fourteen 3rd and 4th graders with a mix of knowledge and interest in environmental issues and actions they can take to help protect our planet. As a group, we discussed what they would like to do as members of Green Team Kids (the most popular response was "making posters" to raise awareness, which we will be doing at the next meeting). Then we launched into our first substantive topic: TRASH. Below is a copy of some of the slides and videos from our presentation. October 26 Presentation Slides For those who would like to learn more about how the City of Newton manages its trash and recycling, please check out the "Where Does My Trash and Recycling Go?" section on the City's website .

Congratulations Mason-Rice Green Team!

Mason-Rice Green Team, an initiative of the Mason-Rice PTO with the support of Principal Bultema, was selected again as a recipient of multiple awards for its environmental education work during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school year. For its work last year on lunchroom composting and additional in-person and virtual programming, the Green Team recently received the state’s Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Award and the M assachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Team prize. Thank you and congratulations to Mason-Rice parents and Green Team leadership Wendy Sheu and Barbara Nestle, former Mason-Rice parent Heather Friedman, Mason-Rice alumnus Kate Esbenshade, Principal Bultema and all of the incredible Mason-Rice students who participated in the Green Team. We are excited to continue and expand this important work at Mason-Rice in the 2021-22 school year. If you are interested in co-leading or learning more about the Green Team, please conta...

Mason-Rice Green Team Kids!

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