Celebrating Climate Action Day and Earth Month this April
It's not too late to complete the 20th Annual NYC School Survey: we are still accepting responses—online only—until Thursday, April 30! The survey is an opportunity to share honest, confidential feedback about your child’s experiences in our schools so they can identify what’s working and areas for growth. Share your voice today to drive real, beneficial change for students, families, and staff members!
Learn more about how you can complete your NYC School Survey online today!
April is Earth Month! To celebrate, we're highlighting a story from our Hidden Voices series about Eunice Newton Foote, a groundbreaking amateur scientist, inventor, and women’s rights activist who today is widely considered to be the first person to discover the greenhouse effect, though her work was overlooked for many years.
Learn more about Foote's work and how it was all nearly lost to history on Hidden Voices
During Arab American Heritage Month, we're highlighting the stories of individuals who have often been left out of traditional historical records, like Kahlil Gibran, a writer, artist, and philosopher whose words have crossed borders, languages, and generations.
Learn more about Gibran and his most famous work, The Prophet on Hidden Voices
April is Earth Month, and this week, we also celebrated our third Climate Action Day of the year! As we come together to take action against climate change, we’re also sharing some of our favorite books that explore this month's theme of “Health, Wellness, and Green Space.”
These fiction and nonfiction titles will help readers of all ages learn about ways they can make our planet a greener, more sustainable place. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3-K–Grade 2)
- Hike, by Pete Oswald
- In the Garden with Dr. Carver, by Susan Grigsby; illustrated by Nicole Tadgell
- Our Green City, by Tanya Lloyd Kyi; Illustrated by Colleen Larmour
- Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth, by Stacy McNulty; illustrated by David Litchfield
- Zonia's Rainforest, by Juana Martinez-Neal
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- Elsie Mae Has Something to Say, by Nancy J. Cavanaugh
- A Green Place to Be: The Creating of Central Park, by Ashley Benham Yazdani
- The Last Beekeeper, by Pablo Cartaya
- Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World, by Laurie Lawlor; illustrated by Laura Beingessner
- Summer of the Tree Army: A Civilian Conservation Corps Story, by Gloria Whelan; illustrated by Kirbi Fagan
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- How to Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other, by Naomi Klein
- Me and Marvin Gardens, by Amy Sarig King
- Paradise on Fire, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas, by Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks
- The Story of Seeds, by Nancy F. Castaldo
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd
- Green Rising, by Lauren James
- If Not Us, by Mark Smith
- The Line Tender, by Kate Allen
- We Are the Weather Makers: The History of Climate Change, by Sally M. Walker
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more recommendations in the Climate Action Days Collection, the Climate Change Collection, and the Nature and the Outdoors Collection on Sora for even more great recommendations.
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
Last month, NYC Public Schools and Mikva Challenge partnered up to host SoapboxNYC, our annual celebration of youth voice and public speaking for students in grades K–12. Held at the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, the event featured outstanding student finalists who courageously stepped on stage to answer the question, "What is the biggest issue facing your community, and what should be done about it?"
Judging from these photos, it's clear that this year's SoapboxNYC will be remembered for years to come! We thank Mikva Challenge for their partnership and ongoing support for our Civics for All initiative!
Make Your Own Self-Watering Plastic Bottle Planter
Join in on the fun and learning happening during our next Climate Action Day on April 22! Learn how to make your very own greenspace at home, with this step-by-step guide to create a self-watering planter out of recycled water bottles—an easy, low-maintenance home garden that helps conserve water by keeping the soil moist all on it's own!
