Coming up on The Children's Hour, it's Earth Day and we're honoring Rivers with an organization called River Exchange. They go into classrooms and work with kids to help them design a project that does something to benefit the environment around them and their community. You'll hear from those kids today on the show. We'll also learn about Senator Gaylord Nelson. He's considered the father of modern Earth Day. More than 50 years ago, he thought having an environmental
teach-in holiday is the way to save our planet. We're honoring Rivers for Earth Day on the Children's Hour. The Children's Hour is produced by the Children's Hour, Inc. We're a New Mexico-based nonprofit organization dedicated to giving kids opportunities to create radio. You can learn a lot more about us at childrenshour.org. It's time for the Children's Hour! Kids Public Radio What has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps, can run but never
walks, and has a bank but no money? I know a what! A river! It's time for the children's hour! Kids Public Radio Listen up! Listen up! Kids all over the world know that we got no planet B! Yeah, yeah, yeah, Listen um up!
the whole world in our hands We've got the whole world in our hands We've got the whole world in our hands Recycle now all that we can Reduce reuse Recycle all that we can We should recycle now all that we can the plants and the animals I say be kind to the plants and the animals be kind to the plants and the animals of our land we've got the whole world in our hands we've got the whole world in our hands we've got the whole world in our hands you sisters and brothers throughout the land
Join hands with my sisters and brothers throughout the land Join hands with my sisters and We've got the whole world in our hands say you your bright dream then do all that you can. I say you dream your bright dream then do all that you can. Dream your bright dream then do all that you can.
I say you your bright dreams and do all that you can I say you dream your bright dreams and do all that you can I say you dream your bright dreams and do all that you can got the whole world in my hands In our hands, got the whole world in our hands the whole That was a little Earth Day reggae off Earth Day Around the World. You're listening to the Children's Hour. I'm Katie Stone. And this week on the show, we're changing things up a little
bit. Instead of having an expert or a great musician, we're going to celebrate Earth Day with kids across New Mexico. Amadeus, why don't you tell us a little bit more? Sure, Katie. This week we're learning all about the River Exchange Initiative. It's a hands-on program for fifth graders in New Mexico. Kids learn all about watersheds and how to keep them healthy.
Watersheds? We made a show all about those. As a reminder, watersheds are pieces of land that soak up all of our rain and snow and play an important role in draining water to our rivers, lakes, streams, and marshes. This year, organizers work with schools to do even more for our local environment. In celebration of Earth Day, students designed all kinds of different projects, planting gardens and trees, recycling and more. And some even sent audio postcards
of their work. That is so exciting! We've also got a lot of great music to listen to this week and we'll hear from the kids along the way. I'm Katie Stone. Stick with us. You're listening to the Children's Hour. searches for the sea Every life runs its own destiny And while while, stretches come and mile Cutting through the stones of history and run south to Mexico touched its shores. Rain or sun, the Santa Fe way Snow and tears and rain
Mountain skies. One more circle around the world again. One more the morning Passing, leaving, tracks in time Shifting like the sand by the The rain and Mountain skies. One more circle around the world again. One more year rolls down the Rio Grande Circle around the world again One more year rolls down the Rio So basically what we're trying to do is we're trying to fix up our campus to fix the environment
and trash and maybe get onto a radio and talk about it. What's the problem you're trying to solve? Lettering and the environment trying to keep everything clean. Okay, what's your process for doing that? So every Friday out. Probably around 11, we get up. 11.30. 11.30 we get up and get trash cans and stuff. And we go around the neighborhood. I mean, not the neighborhood, the campus. In the same direction every week, trying to pick up the trash in
the same areas and stuff. Trying to fix it and see how much people litter there. OK. In the same time. We do see that there's a lot of littering in the time that we're there. What kind of stuff are you seeing? What is the litter? Water bottles, trash, papers, plastic. We see lot of lost and found notes. I think it was like, uh I know I'm not in their class, like... We found a couple of cigarettes before. Yesterday, no, like the day after, I was
walking around the trash cans. And one of them was dumped and all the trash was out of the bin. And then we measure how we see how much the trash was and stuff. Is we get a scale we put on the side during the week. And then when it's time we get it out and we measure somebody on the scale. And then we get it at people. And then we put the trash can on and we see it. how much it would be minus to the person heavily and we'll see how much the trash
weighs. The heaviest I think was around 4.5 pounds of trash. and then we've had a couple in just like exactly two and then a 2.5. So what's your goal? Our goal is to make it stop littering. So we're going to go from putting posters on the wall and then we're going to get the principal so we can speak on intercom and then we're going to see which one works better. So then we can keep doing that and then we're going to try to get on the radio to stop
littering by chance. Mason and Erin from Mr. Rogers Class at North Valley Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, telling us about their Earth Day project, studying and picking up litter at their school. Before that, we heard by the Rio Grande, that's Trish Hinojosa and Culture Swing from New Mexico. You're listening to the Children's Hour this week. We're celebrating Earth Day together. Environmentalism has a long history in our country. stretching back to even before
it existed with indigenous tribes practicing sustainable agriculture and architecture. We actually made a whole podcast telling that history. It's called A Brief History of the American Southwest for Kids. And you can find it at ChildrensHour.org. But the Earth Day tradition started over 50 years ago in 1970 with one elected official, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. PBS Wisconsin Education has more on his story told by his own daughter. hear the word ecology. That's
a big science, not a narrow one. It's a big concept. And it is concerned with all the ramifications of all the relationships of all living creatures to each other and their environment. This is me with my father. My name is Tia Nelson and my dad. was Gaylord Nelson. He is known as the father of Earth Day, a vision he had for teachers all across the country to talk about the environment. Maybe you've heard of Earth Day, maybe you've even participated
in an Earth Day event. Before he was the father of Earth Day, before he was my dad, he was a little boy growing up in Clear Lake in northern Wisconsin. He loved spending time outdoors, exploring the forest lakes and streams of the region. Nature was his playground. As he was growing up, he also got to know the world of civics and government through his parents. And so I went to political meetings with my father and my mother from the time I was in
grade school. Whenever a speaker came within driving distance in our Model T Ford, the way we went, uh 40, 50, 60 miles sometimes just to hear somebody hear one of the La Follette's give a speech. My father was inspired. and he started thinking about a future for himself, running for elected office. That stayed with him as he went to college and then law school through his time in the U.S. Army during World War II. When he came back to Wisconsin, he
was ready to get his career in politics going. He ran for the state senate and then for governor of Wisconsin. As governor, he worked on government reform, social justice causes, and environmental issues. He created new jobs for young people, designated lands for public parks, and worked to conserve our beautiful lakes and rivers. He accomplished a lot for the people of Wisconsin, and he wanted to make an even bigger impact. So he ran for the U.S.
Senate to represent Wisconsin citizens in the nation's capital. And he won. But when he got to Washington, D.C., he found out that others in government just didn't seem to care about the environment as much as he did. A national conservation tour with President Kennedy didn't accomplish what he hoped it would. And few senators would support the laws that he proposed to protect our environment. Some years later, he went to visit the site of an oil spill and
was devastated by the damage he saw. On the plane ride home, he read an article about anti-war teach-ins on college campuses. That's when he got an idea. Teach-ins on the campuses. Teach-ins on the Vietnam War. And I thought, that's a good idea. can't we have a nationwide, quote, teach-in on the environment? That's where the concept of Earth Day came from. The idea for a teach-in about the environment started to spread well beyond my dad's original
vision. And when the day came, April 22nd, 1970, people all over the country participated. That day, the first Earth Day, marked the start of many changes to come over the next 10 years. They passed laws to keep pollution out of the air and water, so many laws that it became known as the environmental decade. My father was elected to three terms, serving 18 years in the U.S. Even after he was finished, he never stopped fighting for the environment.
When asked at the age of 88 why he still went to work every day, he said, because the job's not done. And he's right. There's still so much more to do. I don't think there's any other issue viewed in its broadest sense, which is as critical to mankind, as the issue of the quality of the environment in which we live. Earth Day Lives On. As does the need to protect and care for the place we call home. Each of us has the power to help make the
world a better place. It's up to you and me to do our part. A gente molha o pé, a gente molha o bico e vai subindo o rio. Garbage that has sorrow doesn't feel cold Rio tem cachoeira e cachoeira é um barato A gente quer galinha fica se sentindo meio pato Rio tem cachoeira e cachoeira é um barato We want chickens, we keep feeling like a duck. Quack, quack, co, co, co, quack, quack, co. uh Why? m
A gente molha o pé, a gente molha o bico e vai subindo o rio. Bichos que tem penas não sentem fim Rio tem cachoeira E cachoeira é um baralho People who chickens, feel like a duck The river has a and waterfall is cheap Tem Cachoeira is off of Putamayo's Brazilian playground right here on The Children's Hour. I'm Katie Stone. We learned about U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, from our friends at Wisconsin PBS Education. We've got links and a learning guide for this
episode posted to Children'sHour.org. Look for Earth Day Rivers. More with River Exchange coming up. You're listening to The Children's Hour, kids' public radio. We'll be right back. The Children's Hour is a production of The Children's Hour, Inc. We're a New Mexico-based nonprofit organization and we're funded by listeners just like you. Learn more at childrenshour.org. The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs supports The Children's Hour. Celebrate the
diverse cultures of New Mexico at NM... Hi, I love the Children's Hour because it's fun and you go to all sorts of different places. I'm Yoshi James from Australia. Take the Children's Hour with you on your road trip. Find us at ChildrensHour.org or anywhere you listen to podcasts. take a step, I take another step Take a step. It goes- jump along the river. I jump a step, jump a step, I jump another step. When I jump along
the river. I jump a step, I jump a step, I jump another step. When I jump along the river. I jump a step, jump a step, I jump another step. And I love to watch the river flow. I love to watch the river flow. It goes ooh-wah, ooh-wah, ooh-wah. It goes
Thanks for watching! I dance a step, dance another step Oh when I dance along the river I dance step, I dance a step, I dance another step I love to watch the river flow I love to watch the river flow It goes ooh-wah-ooh you ooo-ah ooo-ah ooo-ah He goes, ooh-wah, ooh-wah, ooh-wah. He goes I love to watch the river flow To watch the Laurie Berkner and this is Suzy Shelton. You're listening to the Children's Hour Earth Day
show. Find a learning guide and so much more at childrenshour.org. Look for Earth Day Rivers. More with River Exchange coming right up. you come on In the white you come to the ocean. Jump like a grasshopper, jump like a grasshopper, jump like a grasshopper next to the You don't have no friends Dancing the sunshine, dancing the sunshine Next to the ocean, why oh You come on, let's dance! To the bright blue ocean, why, oh, why?
you come over. Why oh, why oh. Why don't you come over? River come down River come down River come down To the bright blue ocean Why oh Why oh Why oh Why don't you come over? Why oh Why oh Why oh Why Why don't you come over? you
You're listening to The Children's Hour, I'm Katie Stone. And today on the show, we're celebrating Earth Day by thinking about rivers and how important it is to keep our environment and our watersheds clean and our rivers clean because we depend upon that clean water to drink and to have a healthy environment. The kids you're hearing from are participating in programs at their schools with River Exchange. We're going to hear from Hannah, Evie, Lily, and
Eliana from Zia Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They're planting cottonwood trees in the New Mexico Bosque. That's the forest that's alongside the Rio Grande, a river that runs through Albuquerque, New Mexico. Someone could help you too. Yeah. So you're starting to feel the sand is a little wet? What does that tell you? Getting closer to water. Closer to the what? Water. Water. It's like mud almost. it getting hotter? This is like sticky. That
means it's going down further. Oh my god, when we started it was like this high. Oh my god. I know. I'm so proud. It's like sticky now. Like, oh my baby! Like, soar! Say, tree. One, two, three. Tree! Thank you guys. It's probably gonna be like, oh, Good job you guys did it! Go out.
water go down and the water flow down down trickle trickle down down to the ocean trickle trickle down water flow down down trickle trickle down down to the ocean trickle trickle down see the vapors rise see them cloud the skies see the vapors rise see them cloud the skies clouds rain down Buh-bye-bye.
see the vapors rise uh float out on the waves it's cold and we shiver but summer's coming back again lie down in the river float out on the waves it's cold and we shiver but summer's coming back summer's coming back summer's coming back again I need clean water flowing all around me Top of Aoraki to Timiwana, Nuiakiwa Let's clean it up from the source right down to the sea Our precious springs where water sings A pure song may it go on and on for all the world and me Lie down
in the river float out on the waves It's cold and we shiver but summer's coming back again Lie down in the river float out on the waves It's cold and we shiver, but summer's coming back, summer's coming back, summer's coming back again. Five percent water, that's a human being, worth more than money. Water brings life to every living thing. It's not to own,
it's not to keep, even in our bones, and flowing in and out of me. Dry it up, I shrivel like a pea Come on, get wet, jump in the salty sea Let's keep the water clean Lie down in the river Float out on the waves It's cold and we shiver The summer's coming back again Lie down in the river Float out on the waves It's cold and we shiver The summer's coming back Summer's coming back Summer's coming back again Lie down in the river Float out on the waves
It's cold and we shiver, the summer's coming back again. Lie down in the river, float out on the waves. It's cold and we shiver, the summer's coming back, summer's coming back, summer's
coming back uh again. Winding down the river Down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat Winding down the river Down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat Well I'm on my journey and my heart is full of pride Cause I'm out courting for my true love Winding down the river Down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat The sky is crimson and it's full of fireflies And someone's strumming on a bat Winding down the river Down the mighty river In a paddle
wheel boat It lifts my spirits And I hum a little tune Dedicated to my darling Winding down the river Down the mighty river In a paddle wheel boat Turn, turn Paddle wheel turn Take
me to the only one I'll ever love Turn, turn He's tall. gentle and he's just a little shy but they don't make him any finer winding down the river down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat we've got mother's blessings and I'm gonna make him mine and I'll take my chances with me father winding down the river down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat well she grows flowers but I'm gonna bring her more And I hope she's waiting in her garden.
Winding down the river, Down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat. Turn, turn, paddle wheel, turn, Turn, Take me to the only one I'll ever love. Turn, turn, paddle wheel, turn, Turn, Guided by the heavens full of stars above. Take me to the only one I'm ever gonna love.
There's kiters on the levee and there's on the shore and sure enough Gators on the bayou winding down the river down the mighty river in a paddle wheel boat the mist is growing and I hope he'll be here soon And I'll be waiting in my garden winding down the river Down the mighty river in a paddle wheel. oh That was River Song off Starfishing from the green chili jam band there out of New Mexico. And before that, Lie Down in the River is a levity beat from New Zealand. Wheel of the
Water was Tom Chapin off of his Mother Earth release. This week on The Children's Hour, we're celebrating Earth Day and hearing from kids about what they're doing to improve their local environment. There's so much we can all do to help our planet, but putting together a project takes time and thought. So how do you do it? Well, at River Exchange, kids use five steps called the Action Project Framework. First, you identify a problem in your community.
Earlier, we heard from kids who said that people were littering around their school and that there weren't enough trees. Then it was time to develop a plan. That's step two. One group decided to make posters and announcements at their school that encouraged people not to litter. They found the materials, talked to adults, and had access to their school's intercom system. With a plan in place, we've reached step three, take action. It's time to get
out there and make your ideas a reality. That's exactly what Eliana, Lily, Hannah, and Evie did at Zia Elementary School by planting trees. And with every accomplishment, you have to reflect. You might think about what you learned what you tell your friends and family about the experience, or the impact your project might have on your community. Let's hear how Mr. Ackerman's class at La Mesa Elementary is feeling after helping to clean up their school.
It made us feel great and it made the plants feel great because they were getting new resources of water. We learned a lot. We learned to plant trees, we learned to pick up trash and learn. to the proper water and learn a lot of stuff. What we learned today is that our Rio Grande is the most important water that we have to use carefully because we need that water to drink. You should always take care of the area you live in and make sure you don't
waste water. You should always take care of your community so you can drink clean water. Don't litter so you can keep the environment clean. One, two, three. And last but not least, we celebrate! It takes a lot of effort to serve our communities, but it is so, so worth it. One thing that you can do in your community where you live or go to school. Each action we take starts a chain reaction. If you plant a pack of sunflower seeds, each seed becomes
a joyful and beautiful sunflower. Each flower feeds birds, bees, and many other insects and animals until there's nothing left but a dry stalk which feeds the earth. All from planting a few seeds. On this Earth Day from your place on planet Earth, choose an action and take an action. Do you know when the best time to plant a tree is? Right now!
You're listening to The Children's Hour. Kids Public Radio. We'll be right back. The Children's Hour is making weekly learning guides for every episode thanks to the support of the Albuquerque Community Foundation. You can support this effort too. Go to childrenshour.org and click
donate and find our learning guides under our podcast menu. Support for The Children's Hour provided by New Mexico Arts, the division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and by the National Endowment for the Arts. Support for The Children's Hour provided by the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department and the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund. I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in
my soul. I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in my soul. I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean in my soul. I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean, I've got love like an ocean in my soul. I've like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain in my soul. I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain, I've got joy like a fountain in my soul.
I've like a river, I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river in my soul I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river I've got peace like a river in my soul I've got peace like a river in my soul Across the wide Missouri was trader-loved and Indian-made. away his canoe was laden I still have my resolve Shit. door Oh wish the world about to leave Pushin' and go The Shannon To hear you you soon
My name is Mateo. I go to North Valley Academy. Lately in my school we've been doing a project about picking up trash on our campus every Friday. I think that this is important because it makes us have a cleaner campus and a cleaner... well, if we make it a little bit more popular we could make it be better in all of New Mexico or in the country. We've been weighing the trash to see how much that we have collected. We've been using a spreadsheet to collect data.
We wanted to see if the effect of posters would be better, or the effect of announcements. And I think we could do a lot of different approaches to stop littering, like going out every day to clean up trash, or just going and throwing your trash and recycle more. Are you guys seeing a lot of litter in your community? Oh yeah, Syria. Right there where I live, we have like a bus game near us. We go there and we see a lot of trash and litter. We saw backpacks
that were ripped up and everything and we don't like it. How about at school? Do you guys see a lot of trash here? Yeah, it does, but on the playgrounds. What made you want to make these changes in your community? What did you see? The Great Pistil of Garbage Patch. It's a big patch of garbage in the ocean with millions of pieces of trash. We even saw a picture of a baby turtle dead. What kind of changes are you guys looking to make with your action project
to help change that? Not to serve trash everywhere because I can do better and it can make gold. into lot of places like into Drain, which can go to Osher or into the Rio Grande. We passed out recycling bins to the rest of the classes at school. Great. And we made posters. What is your favorite part of your action project so far? I would say like making the posters and telling people you need to recycle now so you can have a better tomorrow.
Doing something today to have a better tomorrow? That is so insightful. From Cecilia, Cordelia, Shiloh and Abbey at Mission Avenue Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, talking about their recycling project. Before that, we heard a Shenandoah lullaby done by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman from their Not Just for Kids release, Peace Like a River was Lindsay Monroe from her I Am Kind, which reminds me, that all the things we love about our world,
our air, water, and soil, it's our job to take care of them. That's what Earth Day is all about. If you're celebrating this year, feel free to write us or tell us what your plans are on social media. We're at TCH Radio on Instagram and Facebook, or you can just go to childrenshour.org and look for our Contact Us page. There's lots of ways to reach out
to us. You're listening to The Children's Hour. Stick with us! world's moving fast and I'd rather move slow When my mind's circles there's one place I know I can sit there and ponder the things that I've learned I can dream of tomorrow as I watch your water turn While I rest on your banks, look around singing the trout are all leaping so high River you That's right River to my place At the So hard, dirt and sweat on my skin I wanna feel fresh again I remember the words of an
old country hymn Shall we gather at the river, sway and jump in? Tell them laughing and splashing and shivering, enjoying the light I see the world's beauty with fresh eyes, dancing with light Give it sma- Right The river That was The River by Erin, Nigel Smith and Red Yarn off Smith and Yarn. We're so glad you joined us today on The Children's Hour. Thank you to the kids who shared their Earth
Day projects with us. If you'd like to learn more about River Exchange, head over to childrenshour.org. This episode is called Earth Day Rivers. We've got time for one more song. Here's Wagogo, Water is Life, off of You Are Sacred and Good. That's a nice thought to end on. I'm Katie Stone. We'll catch you next time here on The Children's Hour. There's beauty all around me There's beauty all around me There's beauty all around me Hello, beautiful Hello, hello,
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. You are beautiful Just like the rainbows Made from living water you you So beautiful You've made us out of water Very airy bree- oh in the sky were beautiful, beautiful. There's beauty all around me. There's beauty all around me. There's beauty all around me. There's beauty all around me.
you Thank you uh singing prayers for the health of the land so that all things might live with beauty all around Lay the moss upon the misty mountains Drip with living water May the blanket of green Spread across the earth which is our mother With her pollen and her flowers In the colors of the summertime oh
The Children's Hour is produced by The Children's Hour, Inc., a New Mexico non-profit. You can find photos, playlists, learning guides, and activities for every episode at Children'sHour.org. This episode of The Children's Hour was written and produced by me, Katie Stone, with production help from Christina Stella, Sara Gabrielli, Mackenzie Gronke, and Daniel Lentz. Our learning guides are written by Amber Scheele. You can find this one at childrenshour.org. Look for
Earth Day. Rivers. Find our podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or go to our patreon.com slash The Children's Hour. Or ask your smart speaker to play The Children's Hour podcast. Our theme music was written by C.K. Barlow. The Children's Hour is distributed by Native Voice One, the Native American radio network. You're listening to the Children's Hour Kids Public Radio.