What is the Amazing Earth program? Parent volunteers, grandparents, and siblings 12+ bring an extra hour of science into the classroom once a month for five months. The topics supplement the teacher's curriculum and the session offers a brief presentation and hands-on activities.

Who pays for Amazing Earth at Sunrise Valley? Amazing Earth is funded entirely by the SVES PTA which pays for the science activity supplies. With five months of Amazing Earth, six grade-specific sessions, and at least 585 students, your PTA membership dollars are essential to support the Amazing Earth program.

How does it work? Amazing Earth provides presentations, science activities, and all necessary materials. The presentation and activity are posted on the Amazing Earth page to preview in advance and are accessible through the classroom laptop. The activity supplies are picked up from the teacher's workroom. Everything is designed to be as user-friendly as possible and requires no special science knowledge from our wonderful volunteers!

Is it a big-time commitment? Not at all! You can do all five sessions (October, November, January, February, and March) or just one depending on your schedule. The session begins with a 10-15 minute PowerPoint presentation followed by a science activity. With set-up and clean-up, the time commitment is about 90 minutes.

Do I have to be a scientist to volunteer? Absolutely not! You will receive a presentation with facts, images, videos, and instructor notes to lead the discussion. If you don't know the answer to a student's question, ask the students what they think, encourage them to research it at home or in the library, or if there's time you can google it! The kids enjoy participating so your role is to keep the conversation lively and focused.

Who would I contact for more information? The SVES Amazing Earth Coordinators, Marisa Boyle (Lead), Emily Lunde-Habash (Supplies), and Teresa Morrison (Supplies) at SVESamazingearth@gmail.com.

We love our volunteers! Without you, there would be no Amazing Earth program!

How can you get involved?

VOLUNTEER in the classroom to lead short PowerPoint discussions about science topics and/or facilitate a related hands-on activity. No special science knowledge required! A volunteer sign-up will be sent through PTBoard for each class.

BE a classroom coordinator – each class has a coordinator to create monthly sign-ups, be the scheduling point person with their teacher and communicate with the volunteers.

PARTICIPATE in one or all five sessions! The kids love it and you will have a chance to spend time with them during the school day in a fun, creative way.

ASK your child about the Amazing Earth program and what they learned.

JOIN the PTA so we can keep the program funded!

Contact the SVES Amazing Earth Coordinators at SVESamazingearth@gmail.com to volunteer as a classroom coordinator or to ask questions.

GREAT AE Info Session .pptx

Thank you for volunteering! Without you there would be no Amazing Earth. The goal of Amazing Earth is to supplement the classroom science curriculum in grades K-5 with a one-hour session scheduled five times a year in October, November, January, February, and March. This session involves a 15-minute lesson and hands-on science fun. The kids love it, and we think you will too.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions are below. If you still have a question, email us at svesamazingearth@gmail.com or contact your classroom coordinator.

What is the Presenter responsible for?

Reviewing the PowerPoint lesson, presenter notes*, and activity material in advance.
Picking up and returning supplies (or assigning someone). Arrive 15 minutes early.
Presenting the lesson.
Reminding activity helpers to set up during the presentation.
Minding the clock for 15-20 minutes for presentation, 25-35 minutes for the activity and clean-up time *optional, set timer to rotate stations.
Assisting as an Activity Helper as needed.
Encouraging our budding scientists to make connections by observing, questioning, guessing outcomes, conducting experiments, and collecting & analyzing data (as opportunities present).
Supervising the students to be as hands-on during the activity as is safe and reasonable.

*PowerPoint Presenter Notes

To view the notes, under the 'View' tab select either Notes Page or Normal (underneath the slides move the grab bar up if not visible).
Another option, under the Slide Show tab select Presenter View (scroll to read all notes).
A copy of the presentation with notes is provided with the activity supplies.

What is an Activity Helper responsible for?

Reviewing activity material in advance and ideally the PowerPoint lesson.
Setting up the activity during the presentation by following the detailed instructions and determining roles (who’s working which stations, etc.).
Assisting with the activity.
Encouraging our budding scientists to make connections by observing, questioning, guessing outcomes, conducting experiments, and collecting & analyzing data (as opportunities present).
Supervising the students to be as hands-on during the activity as is safe and reasonable.
Minding the clock for 15-20 minutes for presentation, 25-35 minutes for the activity and clean-up time *optional, set timer to rotate stations.
Cleaning up and putting all supplies and paper materials together in an organized manner for the presenter to return to the workroom.

Supplies: The who, what, and where

Who picks up supplies?
- The Presenter
What supplies are provided?
- Everything. The activity materials, login directions, a printout of the presentation including the presenter notes, and a printout of the activity instructions are boxed up and ready to go. The classroom laptop is used for the presentation.
Where are the supplies?
- In the teacher workroom located at the beginning of the K-3 hallway. As you enter the K-3 hallway, turn left towards the playground doors, immediately on the right is the workroom. Supplies are on a shelf along the right wall (near the sink) and marked Amazing Earth. Boxes/Bags are noted with the grade level. If more than one box or bag is needed for the activity, they will be noted with 1 of 2 and 2 of 2.

Where and when do we meet?

Arrive 15 minutes in advance and meet in the classroom or just outside if a lesson is in session. Review your roles and begin set up.

How can I help make the session successful?

The students really enjoy the activity, so mind the clock to allow time.
Limit questions or the number of students who can answer if time runs short.
Have students sit on the carpet during the presentation so the activity can be set up at the desks.
BEFORE students go back to their seats, explain what the activity is while you still have their attention.
Prompt our budding scientists to make connections by observing, questioning, and guessing.
Let the students be as hands-on during the activity as is safe and reasonable.
Relax and enjoy it too!

Do I need special science knowledge? What if a student asks a question I don’t know the answer to?

No special knowledge is needed. Both the PowerPoint lesson and the activity instructions include instructor notes with general information, scripts, tips, and answers to questions you are posing to the students. Don’t have an answer? Tell them you are learning too! Ask the other students what they think, have another volunteer do a quick search, or encourage them to check at home or in the library. In the end, you’ll learn too!

What if an activity fails?

Great lessons are learned from failure! Ask, why do we think that failed? What would we do differently next time?

How can I review the PowerPoint lesson and Activity materials in advance?

Click on the Amazing Earth “Materials” tab. Materials will be posted at least a week in advance.

How do I access the PowerPoint in the classroom?

The teacher will bring up the presentation using the classroom laptop.

Will the teacher be in the classroom?

Yes, the teacher must stay in the classroom. Some teachers offer to assist where needed and may help make connections to classroom learning, divide students into groups, etc. Some use the time to catch up on other work. Either way, the presenter is the lead for the session.

Where do I share suggestions or feedback?

We’d love to hear from you at svesamazingearth@gmail.com or share feedback with your classroom coordinator. Our program continues to grow each year, with successes and bumps along the way. We appreciate your ideas and experiences.

Each class will be unique: we provide the framework but the variables change with every session. The kids, teachers, and volunteers love the opportunity for the hands-on fun and gain new knowledge along the way. Thank you for making Amazing Earth possible.

Amazing Earth October Topics by Grade
Kindergarten	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Shadows - Not this year	Trees - Not this year	Milkweed	TBD: teacher-led/parent vol opportunity	Biodiversity and Human Impact	Force and Motion

Volunteer Things to Know for a Smooth Session

Please review the session materials below.
Paper copies of the presentation with notes, and the activity instructions are in the supply box.
The presenter picks up the activity supplies located in the teacher workroom.
As you enter the K-2 wing, immediately turn left (towards playground exit); turn right into the workroom; supplies are along the RIGHT WALL (under the Amazing Earth sign) marked by grade level. Boxes/Bags are noted with the grade level. If more than one box or item is needed for the activity, it will be noted with 1 of 2 and 2 of 2.
Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early to set up.
The teacher will bring up the presentation using a school laptop.
Have students sit on the carpet so the helpers can set up the activity at their desks.
MIND THE CLOCK! Allow 10-15 minutes for the presentation as the activity is the main objective!!
Please return all materials promptly.
Thank you for volunteering and have fun!

Attention Presenters

The presentation should take no longer than 10-15 minutes as the activity is the main objective. Please read the Presenter Notes in your session’s PowerPoint presentation for any useful information. A print out of the slides with notes is in the activity box.