Roland Tiensuu and his first- and second-grade classmates in Sweden sat, spellbound, as their teacher, Ms. Eha Kern, introduced them to the magical world of rainforests
They learned about cuddly sloths, brightly colored birds, poisonous frogs and snakes, and monkeys that swung from branches and howled.
The year was 1987. Ms. Kern went on to describe how rainforests were being cut down and destroyed for farming and timber. The children watched a film, shocked by images of bulldozers toppling majestic trees. Despite being only nine years old and half a world away, they desperately wanted to help save the rainforests.
But what could they do?
Then Roland had an idea. “Why can’t we buy some rainforest?”
It seemed farfetched. “You can’t just find a rainforest to buy,” Kern recalled saying. But the children were insistent.
As luck would have it, an American biologist named Sharon Kinsman happened to be visiting Stockholm. Kern asked her to visit their classroom. Kinsman told them about rainforest land in Monteverde (mohn-te-ver-day), Costa Rica that could be purchased through the Monteverde Conservation League (MCL).
The children sprang into action. They wrote a play about the rainforests and charged admission for the performance. They made and sold books and paintings. By the end of the evening, they had raised $240, enough to buy 15 acres of rainforest.
But the children were just getting started. They held bake sales. They wrote, performed and recorded songs, and sold them. They organized a fair with pony rides, a market, and even a rabbit-jumping contest.
By December, they had raised another $1,400, enough to buy 90 more acres of rainforest. Kern and her husband formed an organization, Barnens Regnskog (bahrnenz rrangs-koog) (Children’s Rainforest), to manage the funds and send them to the MCL.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May/June 2018 من Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May/June 2018 من Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Animal Central
From golden frogs to big cats to colorful birds, the national animals of Central America represent the geography and cultures of the region. For a quick sampling of creatures plain and beautiful, common and rare, read on.
31 Countries Biosphere
The Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve is located at a spot where El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras converge. A biosphere is the layer of planet Earth where life exists.
THE LEGEND OF THE QUETZAL BIRD
A Mayan Tale retold by Pat Betteley illustrated by Amanda Shepherd
Semana Santa GUATEMALA'S HOLY WEEK
What if Easter preparations meant dyeing sand, collecting pine needles, and staying up all night to work on an art project that you knew would be ruined the very next day? Well, welcome to Guatemala’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
ME OH-MAYA!
The Maya are groups of people who live in parts of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Their ancestors created a great society. At its peak, from 600-900 C.E., the Maya civilization was more advanced than its neighbors in the Americas.
Playing Games Honduras-style
Would you play the same games in Honduras that you do in the United States? You might. Children in Honduras enjoy many of the same games North Americans do. They go fishing and shoot baskets. They play sandlot baseball—called bate (BAH tay). They fly kites and ride bikes. Their parents may go horseback riding or play golf or tennis.
LIVING A LONG LIFE IN THE Blue Zone
Most people would like to live as long a life as possible. No one really knows why some people live longer than others, but did you know that where you live can play a big part in how many years you’ll be alive? If you live in a Blue Zone, chances are that you will live much longer than people in other parts of the world.
ATTENTION WORLD: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef
Sea turtles float in clear waters, colorful corals hug the ocean floor, and aquatic animals glide among the mangrove roots. Welcome to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, the second-largest coral reef in the world (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is number one). Several years ago, this reef was in crisis, heading toward destruction. But the people of Belize fought back to save their reef’s health.
The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 51-mile long canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
This is Central America!
It’s time to visit Central America. But first, it helps to know exactly where Central America is. Despite its name, it is the southernmost part of North America, which can seem a little confusing. It makes up most of the isthmus dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on both sides.