Goddard School Hosting “Flip the Switch” Event March 30

The Goddard School located on Route 70 in Toms River, NJ, along with more than 380 other Goddard Schools nationwide — will wrap up a week of fun-learning activities about the environment and saving energy with a “Flip the Switch” event at 10:00 AM on Friday morning, March 30th.

Starting on Monday, March 26th, the Route 70 Goddard School, located at 255 Route 70, (just west of Whitesville Road), is participating in its Fourth-annual *Stepping Up for the Environment* week — to focus public attention on the *Earth Hour* event scheduled at 8:30 PM local time on the night of March 31st, which is a worldwide call to action on climate change.

But, the pre-school and child-care center will turn off all their non-essential lighting and electric appliances for just one hour as they “Flip the Switch” on Friday. And, in the end, *Earth Hour* is NOT about saving an hour’s electricity, it’s about teaching children about the environment and about conserving the planet for their future. Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The event actually started back in 2007, in Sydney, Australia, with 2.2 million people and 2,000 businesses shutting off their lights for one hour in a statement against climate change. Unlike the great blackout on the East Coast.back in 1977 (and then again in 2003), homes and public buildings voluntarily went dark as part of Earth Hour. From those beginnings in just one city in one country, Earth Hour has grown to millions of people in over 5000 cities spread across 135 countries.

Officially held every year at 8:30 PM local time, on the last Saturday in March, Earth Hour is an initiative symbolizing the collective power of individuals, businesses and government entities to voluntarily try to reduce their environmental impact on the planet. So, this entire week of fun-learning activities and lesson plans scheduled at the preschool and childcare center will end with the “Flip the Switch” celebration on Friday, March 30 – just a day before the global Earth Hour event hosted by the WWF. The Goddard School is integrating learning about the environment into its Art projects, Science lessons and even lunch and snack times. Each classroom nominates a child as their official “Lightning Bug,” who is responsible for always turning off the classroom lights when the children exit the room. The pre-school toddlers and their teachers are participating in a variety of activities, games and lessons designed to increase their awareness of how energy use and daily activities can affect the future of the planet — and how they all can conserve energy and re-cycle in their daily lives. The children will also create invitations asking their parents and members of the community to join them in “Flipping the Switch“. “The Earth Hour event is a very real and visible demonstration of the power of grassroots commitment.

It is an exciting opportunity for both our teachers and children to get creative in ‘stepping up’ awareness about saving energy and the environment, and to feel that they are a part of this worldwide effort”, says Ray Dmochowski, owner and operator of the Goddard School. “The Goddard School’s national Facebook Page will have a “Goddard Virtual Garden” where fans will be invited to ask/answer questions and provide their own eco-friendly tips.” To learn more about The Route 70 Goddard School, call (732) 363-5530 or visit them on the internet at: www.goddardschool.com/Schools/Toms-River-II-NJ/Schools.gspx.

Posted by Ocean County News on Mar 26 2012. Filed under Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.