04/09/98

Ecology Games

Traipsing around the Internet, in search of a topic for Earth Day (April 22), I found these games, quizzes, exercises, simulations and derbies. Each of them deals with ecology: the relationship we have with our environment. Enjoy!

Eddy the Eco-Dog

Eddy the Eco-Dog is a "fun, hip lovable canine who helps kids discover cool things about nature, science and ecology." Kids in the early-elementary grades can click along with Eddy to discover "Which animal did Polly Pollution steal?" or play the earth-friendly games and puzzles. The Earth Walk of Fame features audio interviews with role models such as Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut scheduled to walk in space. Have your own ideas about ecology? Send them to Eddy at his very own newspaper: the Daily Planet.

EPA Explorers Page

This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site uses art, coloring, comics, stories and games to involve kids in environmental science. One of the must-play activities is the Shockwave Dumptown Game. As City Manager, your job is to clean up the city. Keep an eye on the budget as you implement waste-reduction programs such as home composting, drop-off recycling and yard trimmings pick-up. Interested in telling the President what you've done (in real life) to clean up the planet? Find out how on The Trophy Case page.

Garbage

"If your habits resemble those of average Americans, you contributed 1,570 pounds of solid trash, 23 tons of hazardous waste, and 3,613 pounds of sewage to the world's waste this past year." Twenty-three tons of hazardous waste? That's 126 pounds of hazardous waste a day. Amazed? Find out which household items need special disposal (and which can be tossed in your regular trash) in the informative, interactive Hazardous Waste quiz. Or try your hand at solving the problem of an overflowing landfill. In the Shrinking a Landfill exercise (on the Global Efforts page), your goal is to reduce waste by 10 percent with a budget of $50,000. Can you do it?

Headbone Derby: Ecology Strikes Back!

Don't let the comic strip format fool you into thinking you'll not learn anything here! Iz and Auggie need your help with a series of ecological problems on Planet Small. Using all the resources of the Internet, you'll search to find answers to important questions ("Which animals are indigenous to Australia?") to guide the Yamquats of Planet Small to a solution. Improve your Internet searching skills as you use the Yahoo! directory which is integrated into the game. The Derby is divided into seven episodes to make it easier to play over several sessions.

Lorax's Save the Trees Game

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I've come here to celebrate Earth Day, so please. Come join me and help spread the message I bring. Be a friend to the trees and to each living thing." Bring your preschoolers, early readers (and anyone needing a homework break) to Dr. Suess' cyberspace playground to catch Truffula seeds in a Shockwave basket. It reminds me a little of Pong (am I that old?)

The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!

Keep America Beautiful: Just for Kids

Shortest Guide to Recylcing

Please send questions or comments to feldman@surfnetkids.com.