Hello educators! You have reached the Teacher Pages of the Air Defenders web site. These pages are specifically designed to help both formal and non-formal educators incorporate the Air Defenders program into their curriculum. In this section you can:
- View examples of the curriculum;
- Learn how to incorporate the kid’s web site into your curriculum,
- Sample the Air Defenders songs and download the lyrics,
- Order your own Air Defenders kit,
- Find out who the Wisconsin Environmental Health Association is, and what they do, and
- Send feedback to us regarding the Air Defenders program
Air Defenders is a community educational resource on open burning, air quality and respiratory health, developed by the Wisconsin Environmental Health Association in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. It’s designed to help health officials and other community educators, as well as teachers, create fun and valuable hands-on classroom lessons for students. The program evolved after county health officials in rural Wisconsin noticed a dramatic increase in the number of asthma cases in rural children; officials have attributed this increase to the toxic emissions from open burning and poor air quality.
“Air Defenders: The Quest for Clean Air” is an interdisciplinary, multi-media educational program and web site for students 10 years of age and up. Students earn their Air Defender badge while pursuing their quest to clean the air and protect community health.
Air Defenders learn through activities in science, health education, and music lessons that meet U.S. and Wisconsin academic standards. These lessons develop critical thinking with a focus on finding solutions for home and farm waste disposal, exploring the physics and chemistry of waste incineration and open burning, and on the related issues of air quality and human respiratory health.
Here you will find more resources (web sites and Wisconsin DNR education programs) to use while educating children and adults on the topics of open burning, air quality and respiratory health.
General Web sites
» EPA Explorer’s Site – Learn more about air pollution at the EPA’s Environmental Explorers Club. There are fun games and activities for children and more teachers’ pages for you!
» EPA Children’s Health - Visit EPA’s Office of Children’s Health to learn more on how environmental factors effect children’s health.
» WDNR Open Burning Site – Learn about Wisconsin’s laws and regulations regarding open burning at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
» WDNR Parks and Recreation Site – Camping and campfires are a huge part of Wisconsin’s traditions. Check out the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation site to learn how to burn a safe campfire, and find a state park near you.
» Education Connection – If you are an environmental educator, or you would like to learn more about environmental issues, order free resources from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
» WEHA – Find out who the Wisconsin Environmental Health Association is and what they do!
» UW-Extension – Visit the University of Wisconsin-Extension for more resources on open burning in Wisconsin.
» Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services – The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services cautions people who burn trash, wood, and leaves.
» ALA – For resources on asthma and other respiratory illnesses visit the American Lung Association.
» Smokey Bear – Remember, the number one cause of wildfires in Wisconsin are open burning fires that get out of control. Kids will have fun learning about wildfire prevention with Smokey Bear.
» The Quest for the Code - “The Quest for the Code” is a CD ROM game and website designed for kids on the topic of asthma. Playing this game teaches kids what asthma is, what triggers are, and how kids can take care of their health.
» Ireland Air Quality Research – Air pollution happens everywhere, even Ireland. See how other countries address air quality issues.
» Science Daily article, Dioxin emitted OB – Open burning may be the number one cause of dioxin emission in the country according the this Science Daily article.
» Canada OB – Learn more about the human health and environmental effects of open burning.
» Enviromed Research Inc. Asthma link – Learn more about the triggers and treatments for asthma in children.
» Stuart Stotts - Learn more about this storyteller, author, children’s performer and, singer and songwriter of the three original Air Defenders songs.
» Air Jeopardy - Air Jeopardy! is a trivia game comprised of topics about air pollution, weather, and other air quality issues.
» Johns Hopkins - An educational web site that focuses on global warming and other environmental threats and their links to human health.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Programs
» Air Quality Games - Kids of all ages learn about air quality through these fun games and puzzles. (All downloads are in PDF format.)
» Asthma in the Air – This fun, informational video, targeted at 3rd-5th grade students, explains to children what asthma is, what ozone is, and how the two are connected.
» Clean Air, Healthy Children – This educators activity guide is designed to introduce preschool children to the concepts of respiratory health, air quality, and caring for the environment.
» EEK! - Visit Wisconsin’s own Environmental Education for Kids (EEK!) Web site packed full of facts, information, and projects.
» Easy Breathers – An educational video and web site for teenagers regarding transportation choices, and air quality.
» Wisconsin Green Schools - Teachers, staff and students to work together to use the school, its grounds, and the whole community as learning tools to help teach sound environmental practices and promote environmental sustainability.
» Milkweed Monitoring – When we cannot see air pollution, scientists study certain plants and animals and can determine the quality of the surrounding air. With this kit, students can learn how to determine air quality by studying Common Milkweed plants.
» Recycling and Beyond – Learn about recycling, composting, reducing and reusing through fun projects and activities.
» School + Business = Clean Air - This program brings schools and businesses together to creatively work towards improving air quality.
» Where’s the Air?/Donde esta el Aire? - Targeted at 3rd-6th grade, this bilingual, interactive CD ROM kit explains what air pollution is, where is comes from, and encourages students to find pollution-free alternatives.
