Eco express

CONNECTING KIDS TO THE NATURAL WORLD.
TIED TO STANDARDS. LOCAL. RELEVANT. REAL.

how does it work

The core of EcoExpress lies in real world stories about everyday people who are taking on environmental challenges by getting involved. Engaging, inspiring, and anchored in PA's Environment and Ecology standards to bring Classroom Subjects to life. Learn More >>

Most Watched Videos

Welcome to EcoExpress!

Thank you for visiting EcoExpress.org!

Anyone can watch our streaming, environmental documentary videos online!

But to gain access to the lesson plan content associated with each video that is aligned to the Pennsylvania State Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology and the School District of Philadelphia's Planning and Scheduling Timelines, you must have an EcoExpress.org account.

Register for your FREE EcoExpress.org account here!

Upcoming Event:
EcoExpress' Science Café
Saturday, April 21st, 2012 at 3:30pm,
at Sister Cities Park (18th St and Race Street in Philadelphia, PA)

During the Philadelphia Science Festival Carnival on the Parkway, EcoExpress will be presenting a FREE Science Café designed specifically for local teachers!

Connect the Philadelphia Science Festival experience with the classroom while expanding your science and environ mental resources by attending EcoExpress’ Science Café. You will receive information about free classroom resources and great tips from leading educational experts. You will also have the chance to share your own ideas, suggestions, and successes with other local educators during our breakout discussion session.

See the full list of panelists and RSVP for the event here!

Do you need help troubleshooting with registration, searching for content, or remembering your login information? Please contact us at info@ecoexpress.org with any questions, issues, or comments.

Sign up for our email newsletter, the EcoExpression!

Featured Community Partners

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Weavers Way Community Programs

Weavers Way Farm Education programs guide children in developmentally-appropriate, active exploration of the farm as well as hands-on, curriculum-based learning activities. Year-round, farm-based lessons focus on scientific inquiry, the humanities, nutrition education, botany and more, using experiential and creative learning.
This community program provides children and teens with the opportunity to see how vegetables, herbs, and flowers grow (right in their own neighborhood), and to taste delicious, fresh just-picked produce.
Click here to watch "Getting Dirty With Soil", featuring the school garden Weavers Way Community Programs helped to build last Earth Day.
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iPRAXIS

iPraxis focuses on improving science education for underserved students, increasing the participation of minorities in the business of science, and guaranteeing that scientific breakthroughs benefit everyone. iPraxis carries out this plan quite successfully. One of their programs, called Project iNSPIRE, brings volunteer scientists, or “scienteers”, to schools to mentor students and to provide professional development opportunities for teachers. Another program of iPRAXIS is SPARK. SPARK encourages students with burgeoning interests in science by offering them opportunities to learn more and have inspiring experiences with science.
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Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center

Established and operated by the Philadelphia Water Department, the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center has become the destination for innovative water and watershed education programming as well as a center for ecotourism. Located in the national historic landmark of the Fairmount Water Works, the Interpretive Center features interactive exhibits with the theme of “Water In Our World”. All of the FWWIC’s school programs are correlated to Pennsylvania and New Jersey state academic standards. The Interpretive Center is able to connect hundreds of years of environmental and social history with contemporary and captivating educational technology.
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Earth Force

Earth Force’s mission is to engage young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. Earth Force is a service learning organization whose foundation is an interdisciplinary curriculum entitled CAPS (Community Action and Problem-Solving). CAPS is a six-step process that offers outlets for youth voice, civic engagement, environmental problem-solving, and meaningful service learning.
Click here to watch the video segment created by Earth Force students in Erie, PA about their service-learning project to clean up a local river.

Science is My Specialty Presents: Anita Brook Dupree

EcoExpress has recently teamed up with Anita Brook Dupree, one of the region’s leading experts on science education and owner of Science is My Specialty Educational Consulting. Anita’s Corner will appear on an occasional basis on our website and contain information on science topics and science happenings in the Philadelphia area. More information about Science Is My Specialty Consulting can be found at: www.scienceismyspecialty.com or on Facebook.

Why Do We Have Seasons?

One of the most misunderstood concepts in science is the answer the to question: Why do we have seasons? Many people, even very educated people, have strange misconceptions about this natural phenomenon. In the late 1980's a documentary called "A Private Universe" was made about student misconceptions in science.

Click here to see a short preview of the video A Private Universe and then read on to learn the real reason we have seasons.

We have seasonal weather changes because of three reasons (and none of them are because the Earth is closer to the sun).

The three reasons why we have Seasons are:

- The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. This means that the Earth is always "pointing" to one side as it goes around the Sun. So, sometimes the Sun is in the direction that the Earth is pointing, but not at other times. The varying amounts of sunlight around the Earth during the year, creates the seasons.

- Revolution - The Earth revolves around the Sun. The Earth takes 365.24 days to orbit the sun. As we move around the Sun during the year, the amount of light each area of the planet receives varies in length.

- The North Pole always POINTS in the same direction. The North pole always points the same way as the Earth revolves around the Sun.
It is winter time in countries in the Northern Hemisphere. It is summer time in countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

During the summer, the sun's rays hit the Earth at a steep angle because the sun is higher in the sky. The light does not spread out very much, thus increasing the amount of energy hitting any given spot. During the winter, the sun's rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle because the sun is lower in the sky. These rays are more spread out, which minimizes the amount of energy that hits any given spot.

Click here to watch What Causes Earth's Seasons.

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