SIMPLIFIED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Nails in the Boards

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Nails in the Boards

-(Laugh and Wisdom Story for Educators)-

This is a story that being told to me many times. First, I read it in my high school magazine - and then in a book written by Anthony de Mello. I really love this story and told to my daughter many times...

A kid named Imam is so naughty... he likes to mock his friends, fighting with other kids and makes older people get angry with his behaviour. Her parents try to tell her that he must behave better, and it makes other people sad when he keeps doing it.

"Imam, we have nails and hammer here. And we have some boards too. Every time you make other people angry, or when you feel angry, you can nail in these boards."

Imam didn't know its meaning but he likes to do this job because he still has believed his parents care for him.

In the first day, Imam hammered 15 nails. Her father said: "well, we can make a fence too while doing it."

In second day, Imam hammered 18 nails, but it then getting slower because he realize that sometimes he got injury while doing it. It easier to be more patient rather doing this job everyday.

Then there was a day when he hammered no nail. His father told her: "Well done Imam. You hammered nothing this day. From now, you can pull nails every time you can hold your anger, and say or do something nice to people you hurt before."

Imam sometimes still hammered the nails to the board but he is more often pulling the nails. And there was a day when all the nails in the boards are gone. Imam feel very happy when he knows that it means that now he becomes a more patient kid, and have doing all good things to his friends. He talks to her father, "Look father, no more nails in the boards. I become more patient now."

His father answered," Congratulation Imam, well done. I see that you become stronger and wiser now. I really grateful as your father. But come closer can you see the boards?

"Yes father." He answered politely.

"Do you see the holes? You can see that people heart is like a board. When we hurt people, we make a hole in their heart. We can ask for apologize many times, doing many good things for them, but the holes are still left in their heart. Just like a board, we can patch the hole with cement or putty, but the hole is still remain. Be wiser when you are doing something... people heart is fragile, more than a board."

Picture taken from www.flickr.com

Hello Again

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:38:00 +0000

Hello Again

-(Personal Notes)-

Hello guyz, thank you for coming to this site although I rarely do update :( . This year (2012) I will try to make at least one new update every one month. Well, I hope I can make it like a diesel engine - slow buat sure and than can accelerate myself better.

Many things happened since my last post: I did some training for REDD (Reducing Emmisions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) issues in Jambi Province in Indonesia. I am following an English language training so I can write better (with some absent in my class). In January, with some friends from Universitas Indonesia and University of Washington, we did some village visit in Halimun Salak National Park.

Well, I like to share more but I think you will be interested more for the modules. Ok then ... let start the modules... :) - Happy reading...
.

Self Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:27:00 +0000

Self Portraits

-(Ice Breaker, Encourage Children)-

Facilitating process: an ice breaker is needed

This is an introduction game that I've already used with several modification. You can choose or modified this game by yourself, to fit your activity.

Objectives
- To introduce participants with each other
- To create a better, relaxing atmosphere among participants

Needs
Paper and pen (crayon or colour pencil, spidol are better). A thing to be thrown (example: ball).

Step by Step
- Ask participants to draw a self portrait on a piece of paper. They can choose whatever they like: abstract, cartoon, artistic, symbol, etc.
- Ask them to write 3 stepping stones (important events) that lead them to this workshop.
- If there is time, participants can introduce themselves (with name, acticity, school, favorite food, musician, etc) and tell everybody about their stepping stones. After one participants introduce her/himself, they must choose random participants to continue the activity by throw something like ball. It will be interesting to know each other randomly, and everybody will get their tense.
- If you have no time, just collect portraits and display it on the wall.

Modifications
- If those in the group already know each other, you can give order not to write their names on portraits (portraits must contain special characters from each participants). Then display it on the wall. Every participants then writing down their guesses on a sheet, which is then scored).
- Every participant also write down 3 negative and positive characters about themselves. Then they also describe their characters.
.

Puzzle and History Card

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:47:00 +0000

Puzzle and History Card
-(Language Game, More ESD Activities, Improve Listening and Observation)-

This is a simple game that can be used to tell about history (village, town, people history, etc). As an alternative, this method can also be use to learn English or local language. A group of participant, or single participant can play this game in approximately 5 to 20 minutes (it depends with difficulty level)

Objectives:
Participants are invited to understand more deeply about history and how history may affects the current conditions in the area

Time allocation: approximately 5-20 minutes
Tools and materials: some history cards (with picture and naration)

Step by Step:

Write a history, divide it into 10-20 paragraph and put each paragraph in one card. You also can draw pictures in the card to make it cool. All of these cards, we call it "Puzzle and History Card Package".
Facilitator gives participants a card package which has been scrambled.
Facilitator tells participants to work together to arrange the pieces of card over the past five minutes into right sequence.
After five minutes the facilitator asks participants to present their cards (to tell story based on card sequence). Facilitator may asks their opinion.
After they expressed opinion, facilitator set the cards into right sequence, and re-tell the whole story again.

Facilitation Tips:

Make story and translate it into 3 different language (example, I divide it into Indonesian, English and Sundanese (Indonesian local language) in one package of card. So participants will need more time to ask somebody (friend) who fluent in other language - and because of that they will learn other language or culture from different people.
Facilitators are expected not only re-read cards, but add the story outside the story cards so that participants get more informations.
Don't forget to remember correct sequence before scramble the cards :)

To see puzzle and history cards example, you can download here

Deepest Part of the Ocean

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:19:00 +0000

Deepest Part of the Ocean

-(Shocking Nature News)-

http://geology.com/records/deepest-part-of-the-ocean.shtml

Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest point in Earth's oceans. The bottom there is 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) below sea level. If Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, were placed at this location it would be covered by over one mile of water. The Challenger Deep is named after the British survey ship Challenger II, which discovered this deepest location in 1951.

The Challenger Deep was first explored by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh in the Trieste bathyscaphe in 1960. They reached a depth of 10,916 meters (35,814 feet). In 2009 researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution completed the deepest dive by an unmanned robotic vehicle in the Challenger Deep. Their Nereus robotic vehicle reached a depth of 10,902 meters.

Why is the ocean so deep here?

The Mariana Trench is located at a convergent plate boundary. Here two converging lithospheric plates collide with one another. At this collision point, one of the plates descends into the mantle. At the line of contact between the two plates the downward flexure forms a trough known as an ocean trench. An example of an ocean trench is shown in the diagram below.

Devil Number Game

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:10:00 +0000

Devil Number Game

-(Improve Listening and Observation, Math Game, Ice Breaker)

Whooaaa... I am writing again. This time I will give you a simple game (I got it from Mr Agus Mulyana when he manage our strategic plan before).

To play this game, at least we need about 20 people. Make a circle, and start counting, so everybody get their number. After that, tell people to remember their own number.

The rule is simple: first I will shout a number. People that have this number will shout another number, and this game will continue until somebody is make mistake (such as too long to answer). People who makes mistake are eliminated.

There are another rules:
1). Never mention the number in your right and left side. Example: people number 5 can not shout number 4 and 6.
2). Never mention the number people already gone. It's devil number.

So the game will depend on people concentration. Re-start the number after every mistake. After some mistakes, it will be more difficult to remember the devil number.

Play the game. It's fun and people always love it :)

Picture taken from purplenote.wordpress.com

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:48:00 +0000

Insight Variation
-(Personal Notes)-

Guys, I want to inform you old news - but it's really important. Do you see many category in the right side of this blog that categorize all of writings into : facilitation technique, nature game, nature game, wisdom story, energizer, ice breaker, etc?

First, I'm not a very good organizer. It's mean that sometimes I found new category that suite more rather than those old category, than I re-organize my writings. Unfortunetely, It happened only in my spare time.It's not perfect.

Second, you always can find something different, get new insight or do some modification. I believe that you can get new insight related with the condition you have in your class. It means that you sometimes can use "ICE BREAKER" game to talk about "CLIMATE CHANGE" if you can get the "KEY". What should we do is by finding the right block for the puzzle..

Good luck friends...

Global Warming and Climate Change Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Global Warming and Climate Change Wave

-(Nature Game, More ESD Activities)-

Needs: more than 8 people, paper sign to show participants role

1. At the beginning of the game, the facilitator asked the participants:
- What do they know about global warming.
- What are the characteristics of global warming.
- Local phenomenon around them that indicate the occurrence of global warming and climate change.

2. 8 people the role of the participants were divided into:
- (Expansion of) Factory / Industrial
- Forests / Plants (degradation)
- Carbon in the air
- Temperature
- Ice in the polar
- Mainland
- Animals and plants
- Mankind
If the number of participants exceeds 8 role, then two or three participants may play same role. For example 2 people can play the role of "industry" or 2 people can play a role "in the polar ice". You may do other variation too.

3. Participants were given an explanation about the natural balance of the system, what is happening today in the world, namely in the event of increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the air:

The number of factories and industrial expansion led to reduction in forest area on earth (relate it with land use or enery resources), also resulted in reduction in the number of animals and plants that inhabit the forest. If the forest is gone, while the industry still pollute the air, so the result is high concentration of carbondioxide in the air.

Increasing the amount of carbon in the air causes the air in the earth is getting hotter (if the participant had not understood, then the facilitator can provide the parable about the heat in the car that bronzed sun; carbon gases which can be described as heat-trapping gases in the earth) and cause the melting of ice (in the pole), and sea water expand (because of heat - remember that objects expand when heated - including water).

Rising water temperatures and rising sea levels caused the sinking of small islands, off the coral reefs, and cause the death of the fish, animal or immigration. Many animals and plants die from this cause.
In the end, this loss will also be experienced by mankind, in connection reduced food sources, crop failure, natural disasters (drought, heavy rain - caused drastic changes in season, etc.).

4. The facilitator collects the participants in the form of the line sideways. They old hand together (see picture for example). Increasing is symbolized by raising the position of the hand, and declining is symbolized by lowering the position of the hand.

5. Each participant acted as their respective roles. Example, when A (acting as the expansion of the industry) raises his hand, then one hand is holding onto B with A (acting as forests) will go up. One hand B is holding hands with C (carbon in the air) will go down, while one hand is holding hands with C D (warming of the earth) will rise, and so on ...

This illustrates increasing of some roles will influence other roles.

6. Simulate this game. The facilitator will serve as a starter. The trick is to raise or lower the hands of a particular role (as a good start, start from the role of "industrial expansion" for all participants to catch the message).

7. Then play the game. The facilitator can help to explain or explore the opinions of the participants who were carrying out its role. Ask some key questions:
- Why did they raise or lower the arm?
- In addition to increase participants awareness , ask participants to tell other cause / effect from his role. For example, when Budi (carbon in the air) raised his hand, ask - about how if participants live in a place of high air pollution? ; Or other questions: do you also feel that it happened in your place? How it can be like that? You may do some variation for your question.

8. If all participant understand clearly about first step, the facilitator can connect the initial role (industrial expansion) with the role of the end (mankind). Explain that in extreme situations, the human race can be reduced in number due to a major disaster, which then would affect the industrial expansion (decline).

9. Give good feedback that development needs to consider the effects of development on the environment. Development needs to consider the sustainability of life itself.

10. Ask their opinion, what businesses can do to reduce or prevent global warming that has occurred at this time.

Christmas !

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:08:00 +0000

MERRY X MAS 2010

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

Wish you another year of happines :)

Scientist Work to Make Livestock Happier

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:56:00 +0000

Scientists Work to Make Livestock Happier—Even if It Must Die
-(Shocking Nature News)-
http://www.world-science.net/othernews/101208_animals.htm

Scientists have embarked on a new research program aimed at ensuring farm animals live more happily—even if they’re doomed to be killed and eaten.

The aim is to enhance animal well-being when possible, researchers say, but the benefits are also meant to be redirected back to humans. More content animals are more productive, some scientists argue: even in death, for example, happier cows produce tastier meat.

“With increased public concern about the welfare of animals, and consumers seeking ‘animal welfare-friendly’ products, Australia’s livestock industries are focused on improving farming practices to meet changing expectations,” said researcher Caroline Lee of Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Lee and others at the agency’s Livestock Industries division are studying “scientific” methods of assessing animals’ emotional state that go beyond traditional, and limited, techniques.

In a study published in the Sept. 10 online issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, for instance, Lee and colleagues reported on a technique for assessing “pessimistic” outlook in sheep. The animals were trained to expect that approaching a bucket would lead either to a positive or negative event—a food reward, or the appearance of a sheep dog—depending on the bucket’s location. Later, buckets were placed in additional, “ambiguous” locations; the sheep were assessed regarding their confidence in approaching the bucket.

“The challenge is to gain insights – in a scientifically rigorous way – into how animals’ minds work,” Lee said. Traditional methods largely focus on quantifying biological indicators of stress, she noted – for example, via blood tests that show changes in animals’ physiology or immune systems. Studies of animal behaviour have also been used to indicate obvious emotional states such as pain or discomfort, or preferences for different foods. But all of these studies provide relatively limited information, Lee argued.

“Until now the major gap in our ability to assess animal welfare has been our capacity to understand the emotional states of animals in different farming situations, such as in intensive finishing systems or during droughts,” said Lee. Some of her research has also examined sheeps’ responses to, and potential alternatives to, mulesing—a practice in which a piece of flesh is cut off the rump to prevent deadly maggot infestations.

It’s “internationally recognised that we must quantify not only the biological cost but also the emotional cost of animals used for production of food and fibre,” Lee said. “This requires new methods to benchmark the welfare of animals in their on-farm environment.”

But for scientists involved in the research, the welfare of the animals themselves is a motivation only up to a point.

Scientist Drewe Ferguson of the Livestock Industries division told the Brisbane, Australia-based Courier Mail newspaper that meat from unhappy cows is “dark, firm and dry in appearance, with a tough texture,’’ because of low acidity levels. “It also has a reduced shelf life because of the bacterial growth,’’ he added.

Picture taken from radenbeletz.com

Red and Blue Cooperation

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:59:00 +0000

Red and Blue Cooperation
-(Facilitation Technique, Communication, Enhancing Group Dynamics)-

This is a game that we can used to describe about conflict and importances to do cooperation-negotiation to achieve personal and group goals. It also describe that sometimes we have to choose between to take care all mistakes behind first, or to move forward with new system that everybody trust.

We did this game a couple weeks ago with Woman Group in Cimande - Indonesia. I choose this method to show participants that by cooperate together they can achieve greater result (for all), rather than working alone.

Needs
Cards : red and blue for each group.

Method
- Divide participants into 3 groups.
- Give instructions that each group must choose between show blue card or the green one in each round. There are 10 round in this game.
- They must not speak to other groups, but they can have discussion between group members to decide card color each round.
- Give them instruction to collect highest score in total 10 rounds by stick into this rules:

a. All groups choose red card, everyone get 2 point
b. All groups choose blue card, everyone get 1 point
c. 2 groups choose red card (@1 point), 1 group choose blue card (3 point)
d. 2 groups choose blue card (@1 point), 1 group choose red card (2 point)

- Facilitator make a table to show groups score
- Give 2 minutes to all groups in every round to make a strategy
- This game is over after 10 rounds

Situation
- Generally, each team will compete againts each other in first 5 rounds to collect highest score but the result will show the oposite, that while one group collect good score, the other one will get bad score.
- Participants will get aware, in round 1-3 they will play this activity as a game only - hardly understand the purpose of this game. As facilitator you must explain this game further after round 3, to show them that they collect bad score.
- Do short break after round no 5. Tell them to send negotiator (1-2 person) to have discussion with other negotiator to maximize group score.
- Start again this game for round 6. After round 7 do another short break, and tell each group to send negotiator once more, to negotiate and make a strategy how to improve group score. You, as facilitator should encourage or give them hints how to get win-win situation in this break.
- The game is finish after round 10. Summarize all score and have a discussion.

Hints
- If all groups stay in point A (choose red card all the time), all of them will get full point (20 point) after round 10, or a total score of 60 for all group score. But this situation rarely h appened cos usually everybody compete each other in round 1-5.
- After round 5, after short break sometimes they start to realize that they should cooperate. Maybe they will play just the same as before if the negotiation failed, or play in another direction (cooperate) if the negotiation success.They can choose play point A (choose red card) or try to close the gap between each group.
- A short break after round 7 should make them cooperate and choose point A, but there is possibility that they still try to close the gap between groups. Just let the situation happened.

Discussion / Refflection
- You may make an analogy about group player as multistakeholder, working unit, or individual in the community
- How they deal with internal/external conflict and personal interest?
- How they deal with technical mistake (like taking wrong card),time limitation, decision making process in the game? Do they meet same problem in their daily activity?

Education System

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:29:00 +0000

Education System

-(Personal Notes)-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

An animation and lecture by Ken Robinson you should watch if you want to know about education system. Well, it's not an ordinary one. It's provocative and that's why I like it :)

Folding Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:59:00 +0000

Folding Paper
-(Improve Listening and Observation, Facilitation Technique, Communications)-

This is a game that we can use to demonstrate that it easy for even simple instructions to be misinterpreted by the recipient, especially if ambigous words are used, or the recipient does not (or cannot) ask for clarification.

My friend Abdul Waheed Jamali from Pakistan used this method in a training held by ANGOC a year ago. My friend from Indonesia also used this method a couple years ago, so I think it is a universal game that has been played everywhere.

Needs
Several square / rectangle paper sheets

Method
- Give paper to all participants.
- Tell participants to obey these two rules: 1. each person must close their eyes during activity, and 2. they may not ask any questions
- Instruct them to fold their paper:

a. Fold in half and tear off the bottom right corner of the paper.
b. Fold the paper in half again, tear off the upper right hand corner.
c. Fold the paper in half again, tear off lower left hand corner.
d. Fold the paper in half again, tear off in the middle of paper.

- Instruct them to open their eyes and display the unfolded paper to each other and all the audience.

Discussion
There is a great probability that they will not all be the same. Use the following questions to start teh debriefing:
- What words in the instructions could be interpreted in different ways?
- How could the directions have been clearer to reduce the ambiguity?
- How can we encourage people ask for clarification when they do not understand something?
- Also relate this exercises with posibility that sometimes it is not instructor fault, but also depend with participants (community) ability to interprete instructions. Local knowledge, language barrier, experience also affect their action.

And hey, don't forget to clean all the paper after finish doin all this thing ^_^

Source : Participatory Learning and Action, A Trainer's Guide by Jules N Pretty, Irene Guijt, John Thompson, Ian Scoones - modified by Indra N Hatasura

Knotty Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:31:00 +0000

Knotty Problem
-(Enhancing Group Dynamics, Facilitation Techique, Communication)-

This game is a game to show that groups empowered to solve their own problems are much more succesful than if instructed by outsiders. I used this method when we had a meeting / training a couple days ago with woman group in Cimande - Bogor. This is a group that proclaimed itself as "CAHAYA" or "the light" in English and produce hand made bag to generate extra income for their family.

I used this game cos this group has a problem that sometimes they depend to much to outsider to solve their problem. And I think they must do something. I try to encourage this group to do internal communication and problem solving rather than ask somebody from outside to tell them what they must gonna do (I think they have learn before this and this exercise will refresh their memories and encourage them to do better).

Needs
Some ropes (I use simple plastic ropes, about 50 cm long and as much as participants).

Method
- Select one, two or three participants to act as managers. They are asked to leave the room while you instruct the rest of the group.
- Ask the remaining participants to make a circle and tie themselves into as entangled knot as possible by using plastic rope. Just tie each one hand into another participant hand sporadicly until it everybody get tied.
- They must not let go of each other's hands at any cost.
- Tell the participants to follow the manager's instruction literally and not make it easier for them by doing what they have not been told to do.
- Once the knot is complete, the managers are asked to return and to unravel the knot, using verbal instructions only.
- Instruct the managers to hold their hands behind their back. They are not allowed to touch the group, only instruct them verbally.
- The first attempt is generally not successful and sometimes even produce a more complex knot. After 5 minutes, repeat the exercise without the managers (insider). Tell the participants to "get out of the knot yourselves".

Hints
The second untying process is usually much easier and quicker. Ask participants to comment on what relevance this has to the real world. Some key questions that you can asked:
- What does the game tell us about the role of outsider/insider manager?
- What does the exercise tell us about the effectiveness of "outsider" and "manager" in organizing people?
- What does the game imply for facilitating participation in community development?

Source : Participatory Learning and Action, A Trainer's Guide by Jules N Pretty, Irene Guijt, John Thompson, Ian Scoones - modified by Indra N Hatasura

Glass Marble Method

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 09:24:00 +0000

Glass Marble Method

-(Communication, Encourage Children, Nature Game)-

This is my personal experience using Glass Marble Method, to deal with children. Glass Marble Method is a reward and consequence technique that I learned from "Nanny 911" show. I modified some of this method to make it more interesting. Just enjoy your own modified method and make sure that it works. Play with peanut, bean, hazelnut rather than use marble, so you can explain more about environment.

The basic idea of this method is by giving one marble after your children doing something right, not giving any marble if the situation is neutral, and take one marble if your children doing something wrong.

I have two transparent jar. One is bigger than the other one. I use the small one to collect marbles for one month, and then transfer it into the big one once a month (I assume that the big jar is enough to collect all marbles for 6-12 months).

I put all the jar in a place where they can see it, but having difficulty to touch it. Rule number 2: you must make this marbles is "sacred". It means that you should have discussion with your children how to treat this jar and marbles with respect.

What really happened in real situation when we start to do this activity?
- First, she start to complain about the number of the marble she think she deserved when she do "right" things, and said that she don't want to play this game if she only get one marble.
- After a conversation, she said "allright then..." where we must put this jar?
- Day one-three, I put a marble everyday, to encourage her to do right thing, and yes-she helped a friend, ask for apologize to her mom (cos she said something bad before)...
-Day four, no marble... cos she get angry in the night, although s he helped a friend in the school before.
- Day five, no marble... cos she play with pen in my T Shirt, talking bad with her mom. I think she start to wonder... why I don't get any marble this day. She start to be more careful...
-...and life goes on ^_^ , que sera sera...

Hints:
- Don't stick to much with the rule. You also should know your time when you put one extra marble, or to take two marble at once.
- Use silver, white marble; or replace normal size marble with a bigger one. Just like my first hint, you should know the time.
- Discuss with kids, in the night-why you put or take marble(s). It's an important stage that you should do in this activity. Sometimes you get new informations from your kids, and you will understand better about their behaviour.
- Discuss with your partner, about this game. (S)he can give you another perspective how to deal with your boy/girl.
- IMPORTANT: don't threat - like say : "I will take your marbles if you don't say you're sorry!" Just be calm and take the marble in the night. You should explain to your kid nicely without shouting :)

Picture taken from http://mypassporttostyle.blogspot.com

Are Opossums Playing Dead?

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:34:00 +0000

Are Opossums Playing Dead?
-(Shocking Nature News)-

-http://juiciejulz.blogspot.com/2008/06/fun-nature-facts.html

and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossum -

When opossums are playing opossum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.

Opossums have a remarkably robust immune system, and show partial or total immunity to the venom of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and other pit vipers.Opossums are about eight times less likely to carry rabies than wild dogs, and about one in eight hundred opossums are infected with this virus

Their unspecialized biology, flexible diet and reproductive strategy make them successful colonizers and survivors in diverse locations and conditions.

A baby opossum

When threatened or harmed, they will "play opossum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. When playing possum, the lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. The animal will regain consciousness after a period of minutes or hours and escape.

Picture taken from http://thundafunda.com/393/?level=picture&id=2528 and http://hiox.org/3790-north-american.php

Clam Opener

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:43:00 +0000

Clam Opener

-(Encourage Children, Communication, Trust Building, Facilitation Technique)-

:) yes, I use "Clam Opener" term to describe the game we play in the night before sleep. The purpose of this game is to make children tell their story, opinion, experience, feeling in their daily life, to help us understand better about our kids. This activity also increase their writing ability and develop their imagination.

If you have same problem with us: come home late, limited time to communicate, or if your children have unique character to express their feeling, you should try this method.

We can play this game in the night, before sleep, or if you come home late everyday, at least you can play this game in the holiday. It only cost 15-30 minutes, and after that you can discuss more (I used to use before sleep time in the bed, to make conversation with them, and I think it's suite for you too ^_^).

Charmanta loves this game

Needs
Paper, pen, 2 or more person

Method
1. Find issues that is important (such as social relation with friends, teachers; feeling; attitude, etc)
2. Try to build and arrange questions that have direct / non-direct relation with that issues.
3. Ask the questions, tell them to write in the paper, and let them speak their answer after that.
4. Let somebody answer the questions too, so it just like a quiz that everybody participate.

This is an example to know social relation between your child and her/his friends:
1. What is your favorite food?
2. McD, Kentucky fried chicken, Gaya Tunggal Noodles, Klenger Burger. Which one do you choose as place to eat for dinner?
3. What is your favorite pet?
4. If you have money, where will you go with your family?What activity will be held?
5. Mention 3 names of your best friend.
6. Why do you pick them as your best friend?
7. Do you believe extra terestrial life? Why?
8. Honest, discipline, kind, funny, wise, friendly. Pick two character that can describe yourself? Why?
9. Writer, doctor, pilot, farmer, breeder, police, secretary. Pick two job that you love most? Why?
10. What is your favorite color?
11. Is there any friend that you don't like in the school? Why you don't like her/him/
12. You saw a kid cheating during an exam. What will you do then: tell the teacher, pretend that you don't see anything, make a talk with the student, or what?
13. Tell me about your dream when you grow older...
14. Who is your favorite teacher in the school? Why?
15. Animation character that describe you better: Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald Duck, Scrooge, Pluto, Sponge Bob, Patrick, etc. Why you choose them?

Hints
- Modify your own questions. Mix fun questions with "main issue" so you can create fun atmosphere
- You can play this game with a whole family too, and everybody can create his/her own question too
- Find any interesting fact? Use "before sleep" time to share and discuss with your kid. Hear more, rather than talk more.
- Modify this method for grown up. You can build trust among each other with this activity

Do this activity again and again in comfortable condition. Maybe you will find that after this your kid will ask for this Clam Opener game for one more time, just like Charmanta... :)

Turtle Navigation for Nesting

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:22:00 +0000

How Do Marine Turtles Return to the Same Beach to Lay Their Eggs?
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/turtle-navigation.html#cr
-(Shocking Nature News)-

Marine turtles almost always return to the same beach to lay their eggs. The egg-laying sites are often far from the feeding areas and the females cross several hundred kilometres of ocean with no visual landmarks. How do they manage to return to the same spot? A new study shows that the marine turtles use a relatively simple navigation system involving the earth’s magnetic field, and this allows them to return to the same egg-laying site without having the ability to correct for the deflection of ocean currents. This work, published in Current Biology and Marine Ecology Progress Series, should allow better conservation strategies for this endangered species. Every 4 years, on average, Indian Ocean green turtles (Chelonia mydas) travel hundreds of kilometres to specific egg-laying areas, where they will lay 4 to 6 successive clutches. To better understand the navigation process and the sensory channels involved in this long-distance oceanic travel, the researchers have conducted a multidisciplinary study, involving biology and physical oceanography, in two series of experiments. In the Mozambique Channel, between the east coast of Africa and Madagascar, on the beaches of the French Islands of Europa and Mayotte, they caught turtles at the beginning of their egg-laying cycle, so that the animals were strongly impelled to return to this area to complete their cycle.

After having Argos transmitters fitted to their shells in order to satellite track their return journey to the beach, the animals were released in open sea, several hundred kilometres from the egg-laying site.

The first experiment was to study the navigation system of the marine turtles and discover how they detect the ocean currents: are the turtles’ movements controlled by the currents or can they use them to their benefit? The study has shown that the marine turtles’ navigation system allows them to maintain their course towards the egg-laying site wherever they find themselves. It is almost as if they were equipped with a compass pointing towards the beach in question. So they can correct any deflection they are subject to: transport by boat, ocean currents… But, unlike human navigators, they are not able to correct for ocean drift in plotting their course. So the movements recorded by the satellite are a combination of deliberate action by the turtles and the effect of currents. So it appears that the turtles’ navigation system is relatively simple and may cause them to be wander at sea for long periods during adverse ocean conditions. One turtle released 250 km from its egg-laying site on Europa travelled more than 3 500 km in two months before returning there!

Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas)

In the second experiment, the researchers have studied the effect of the earth’s magnetic field on the turtles’ navigation system. They have shown, for the first time in natura, that marine turtles use the magnetic field of the earth to orientate themselves. When this field is disturbed by placing a powerful magnet on their heads, turtle navigation is not as good. But the fact that they can still return to their original egg-laying site shows that the geomagnetic field is not the only information source that they use. Researchers think the turtles may also use their sense of smell like certain sea birds or homing pigeons. This hypothesis remains to be proven…

This work should improve conservation strategies for marine turtles, an endangered, officially protected species, by providing a better understanding of how they manage these long migrations between egg-laying and feeding areas.

The study was conducted by Simon Benhamou of the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology at Montpellier, France, together with other groups (CNRS, IRD, IFREMER, CEDTM2, University of Pisa).

Picture taken from www.seaturtlenet.com and http://anwo.com

New Category Added

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:33:00 +0000

New Category Added

-(Personal Notes)-

Hello guys, how are you? Just want you to know that after a day of think, I decided to expand this blog, so it become better... I mean that I feel that nature games, experiments were not enough to support education and create awareness for people...

So I will create and modified another facilitation technique category beside nature game and experiments and all of those activities will be packed into "facilitation technique" label, and its sub.

In this part, you can read about how to do introduction-icebreaking, energizing and forming a group, enhancing group dynamics, improve listening and observation, analysis, evaluation, semi-structured interviewing, diagramming and evaluation, ranking and scoring.

Well, I still need more time to organize this blog so it can be read easily. Some of blog features didn't support the appearance I want, so it looks that I must find alternative: find another template, add better link to find writings, etc.

Hope all of this item can support you to increase more awareness in social, environment, economic, and spiritual-humanity related movements. Good luck ^_^ !

Warm regards,
Indra N Hatasura

Estafet Story Telling

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Estafet Story Telling

-(Nature Game, Language Game)-

This is a game we can use to learn about language, especially when we try to encourage children to tell a story. I give some modification so we also can use it to learn about environment a little. Thanks for Mr Paul, my English teacher from TBI-The British Institute, Bogor who show this method to me in his English Club yesterday.

Needs

Paper and questions

First , give instructions to children to write down these questions into one page of paper. I think 10 questions is enough plus you always can modify these questions into another topic...

Mention that everybody can answer the questions freely.

QUESTIONS

1. Who is this man (name, work?)
...............................
2. If he likes to grow / plant something, what kind of vegetables he likes to grow?
.......................
3. From which country did these vegetables come originally?
...............................
4. Which seasoning is better to make this vegetable taste better?
...............................
5. What animal eat this vegetable?
...............................
6. Mention the use of this vegetable for human health?
...............................
7. Today scientist found new varian of this vegetable that looks interesting. Why this varian is interesting for them?
................................
8. The man tries to cultivate the vegetable. Is he failed or not - why?
...............................
9. Scientist said something related with this vegetable. What did they say?
...........................
10. Is the vegetable available in the market now? Why?
...............................

This is a fun game. My teacher used it and everybody laugh in the class. Although in Indonesia we use this game to practice English (story telling) but I hope the fun atmosphere also work when we use it to learn environment. And the bonus is that we can learn English and environment in one packet.

The idea is very simple. Write all this questions in one page. Give some space so they can write the answer below each question.

First kid answer question number one, than they fold the paper so number one question and answer is hidden. Then the kid assists / gives the paper into the one who sit beside him/her. The second kid answer the number two question and fold the paper again. He / she give it to the other and so on.

Basically it likes make a story composed many sources (by answering the questions) - without know every previous answer. So yes, the story sometimes become silly and funny.

Read the paper after all question has been answered. To learn about conversation, it will train the kids to make a story by read and relate all answer into one interesting story (try to make a good story with all this mess ^_^ ).

To relate it into environment issues, tell children that after all this activity to find the right story about these vegetables (the vegetables species in question number two is as main idea, and they may check all answer (right or wrong) by using internet and other sources. Don't worry - maybe they cannot find all answer but by doing this they will know about species diversity and adaptation...

Searching activity can be used as homework if you have limited time to learn.

Oil Spill "Devastation"

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Oily Chick

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/07

-(Shocking Nature News)-

Photograph courtesy Gerrit Vyn, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill covers the breast of a royal tern chick recently hatched on Raccoon Island in a picture taken last week. Royal terns leave their nests within a day of hatching, which means the young birds may quickly encounter oil that's been washed ashore.

Part of Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish, the island is a protected sanctuary for breeding seabirds, including royal terns, sandwich terns, and brown pelicans.

(See also: "Gulf Oil Cleanup Crews Trample Nesting Birds.")

Ken Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell bird lab, told the Associated Press that the Gulf oil spill is "more insidious" than the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, "because it is literally happening in waves, and it's happening over and over again as the birds are moving around."

Nature Disaster 1: Flood and Land Slide

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:29:00 +0000

Nature Disaster 1: Flood and Land Slide
-(Nature Experiments)-

Important note for Indonesian teachers: nature disaster= disaster happened in our environment, related with nature activity and + or human/other activity (not only by nature). The means of "nature" just to show that it happened in our environment, but not to strictly limit the cause only by nature / non human factors.

Hello again teachers. This time I try to build a module that fix into nature disaster topics. For the first module I took "flood" topic cos it happened now in my town Bogor. Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia also strike by the flood in 2006 and it really bad.

In junior high school -in Indonesia the West Java government also tell the school to prepare for the topics of nature disaster in environment education curriculum, for one semester in first grade. So, I hope this writing can help teachers to make their own module, as a part to understand some ecological system in our environment.

To talk about nature disaster: flood and land slide, I made two separate experiments to show kids the process of flood. I believe lecturing is not enough and great discussion only occurred when the participants feel/see/touch what really happened. I suggest that we also can use movie clip as a media when this experiments cannot be done.

Needs
1. A model that can describe land, made from sand / soil/other matter. Different type of soil is needed if we want to explain more about relation between soil type and porosity.
2. Water and shower
3. A model like number 1, but this time use and mix the model with cotton or water absorber matter (use tissue paper for instance)

Then start the experiments. You can shower water into the model to see what happened. A "bald" land (made from only sand / soil will be vulnerable for a slide.

For the second model (that also contain water absorber matter in the surface), the water will run more slowly. If we use more cotton and cover it into all surfaces, the matter will absorb most of the water.

A guide for teachers:
1. A flood happened when the water intensity (from the rain) is much bigger than the land capacity to absorb the water. Land always need time to absorb water, regarding its porosity so when there are no tree, humus, or a lake that slow or absorb water, a big part of water will run directly into the river / low land and cause a flood. Sometimes it take not only water but also log, garbage and make it more even dangerous specially in populated /low land area.
2. Land slide is also related with soil porosity and water. Some plants can protect the land by holding soil with their root. Their leaves and branch also protect the land from direct intensity of the sun and rain, and keep the land humidity.
3. Flood and land slide also related with human activity. Mention that landfill, mining, deforestation, and other development can effect land stabilization and capacity

Ask children about the flood:
- According to them, why flood and land slide happened in their first experiment? Is the "disaster" intensity decrease when they use water absorber matter in their second experiments?
- Ask them (or you tell them) if there any place near your environment that have flood and land slide problem. Encourage them to tell the story about what happened and why this was happened?
- In our environment, what kind of water absorber / reservoir is present around us? (hope they can tell us about forest, lake, garden, etc). Don't forget to ask them is the quality and quantity of this place is enough to protect our place from flood and land slide?
- What can we do to protect our area from flood and land slide? Give them clue that a small action is also benefit the environment, while they also can tell about their plan when they already a grown up... ^_^

Picture taken from google images

World's Hottest Chile Pepper Discovered

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:49:00 +0000

World's Hottest Chile Pepper Discovered
-(Shocking Nature News)-
http://www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers at New Mexico State University recently discovered the world's hottest chile pepper. Bhut Jolokia, a variety of chile pepper originating in Assam, India, has earned Guiness World Records' recognition as the world's hottest chile pepper by blasting past the previous champion Red Savina.

In replicated tests of Scoville heat units (SHUs), Bhut Jolokia reached one million SHUs, almost double the SHUs of Red Savina, which measured a mere 577,000.

Dr. Paul Bosland, Director of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University's Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences collected seeds of Bhut Jolokia while visiting India in 2001.

Bosland grew Bhut Jolokia plants under insect-proof cages for three years to produce enough seed to complete the required field tests.

"The name Bhut Jolokia translates as 'ghost chile,'" Bosland said, "I think it's because the chile is so hot, you give up the ghost when you eat it!"

Bosland added that the intense heat concentration of Bhut Jolokia could have significant impact on the food industry as an economical seasoning in packaged foods.

Picture taken from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026162420.htm

Sorry for All Late Update

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:33:00 +0000

Sorry for All Late Update
-(Personal Notes)-

Hi again everybody... this time I ask for your apologize for not updating the game, the experiment periodically.

For about almost 6 months I try to build a teacher community "Environmental Education Community for Teachers" or something sounds like that in my town: Bogor - Indonesia.

We did some basic training to strengthen the community; 1 modules per-month, and as the result we now have 2 groups of environmentally friendly teachers ^^ : one in the town and the other is in the regency area. All of this activity plus a kind of change in my NGO management distrained my attention.

hopefully, in this month I can build a new module for our blog again. I know it's a little bit disappointing to see that no new game created for almost 5 month. Really sorry :(

Thank you for your support... Keep up the spirit!

Learning with Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Hatasura) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 07:59:00 +0000

Learning With Fun
-(Personal Notes)-

Young and Old Teacher Generation, learn together about fresh new method of teaching environment education

Why we must think that sit in square in the classroom is the best?

Picture taken from "Pengayaan PLH bagi Pendidik Lingkungan" in SMP 13 Bogor, 4 March 2007. A low budget program being held for teachers / educators / everyone to strengthen their capability to conduct environmental education in their school. Spirit is more important than money !