2007 – Issue 2 (March)

MARYVIlLLE, TN — Oxygen and Pyrite stood together, giggling like fourth graders, as Water danced between them, singing a water song and tugging on Iron’s sleeve. “Come away with me,” she sang. Dancing out the chemistry of acid mine runoff, building models of how runoff works, and tie-dying kerchiefs with rusty water — these were…

Since the first Earth Day, environmental education has become a standard part of the science curriculum in schools nationwide. “Students will learn,” say the standards committees, about the web of life, about interrelationships among ecosystems, about biological communities, and about the natural world. Ironically, this formal appreciation for nature comes at a time when children…

WALKER VALLEY, TN — It’s not strength in numbers that inspires Ken Voorhis. Instead, it’s strength in intensity – possibly even a life-changing experience – that excites Voorhis in his job as executive director of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. On staff since 1984, Voorhis spends his days teaching children all the benefits…