Activities For Youth K-2 3-5
Materials needed:
John Muir's 'Muir Power to You'Vocabulary:
Endangered, wilderness, environment
Many songs have been written recently which have an environmental theme. Music can get across environmental messages, can inform and influence attitudes about issues.
Bill Oliver is a popular environmental song writer and performer who has made a statement with his music about wilderness and 19th century wilderness advocate John Muir, in his song Muir Power To You.
Ask students to read, listen to, or sing the lyrics of Muir Power To You. Identify the issues being written about in these songs. Find out more about the history of wilderness preservation issues in order to attempt to better understand the perspective of the artist, as in this case by the songwriters' lyrics.
The No Trace Song was written by a group of backcountry rangers.
Written to a well-known and simple tune, its message about minimum impact hiking and camping is clear and direct. Sing the song, make up your own verses and messages.
Invent your own wilderness or environmental songs. Songs could be about a specific area, an issue, a favorite animal, or your general feelings about wilderness. Use an existing tune and put new words to it or make up a new tune. Share the song with family, friends, and other students.
Look for songs with environmental messages. Look for harmful environmental messages, as well as upbeat, hopeful messages. Look for those that seem to be calling for action.
Describe the ways, if any, in which you believe music and other art forms influence people's attitudes. In what specific ways, if any, do such art forms affect people's attitudes toward the environment?
This activity was adapted from 'The Power of a Song" from Project Wild, Western Regional Environmental
Council, 0 1983,-1995
THE NO TRACE SONG
(to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Sack, sack, sack your trash
Put it in a bag
Pack it out upon your back
'Cause leaving it's a drag
Sniff, sniff, sniff the flowers
Leave them where they grow
Endangered plants you pick today
Your kids may never know
Camp, camp far away
From the fragile shore
And when you do you'll save the lake
It's clean water we're working for
Cook, cook, cook your food
On a back pack stove
Save the snags and save the trees
'Cause wilderness is gold
Dig, dig, dig a hole
About three inches down
When nature calls, bury your waste
And leave it underground
Wash, wash with no soap
Hot water works just fine
Rinse 100 feet from streams
It's your water and it's mine
Leave, leave, leave no trace
With your camping gear
'Cause no one, no one in the woods
Wants to see that you've been here
Think, plan, and be aware
In nature's fragile place
In wilderness we're visitors
Protect this unspoiled space