So, you’re thinking about helping birds in your backyard survive in the winter. Well here are a few simple things that you can do to help them. Make a birdhouse and you might want to make or get 2 to 3 birdhouses just in case. You might want to make a windbreaker because when big snowstorms happen it can fall up to 4-5 feet some birdhouses might be drowned in the snow. You also want to buy a birdbath heater, you need to use the birdbath heater wisely. When it is not snowing birds are sometimes thirsty, when they are they need water so having a birdbath heater is good. When snowing the birds don’t need the birdbath heater because they can use the snowflakes as water.

To furnish your birdhouse, you can do that by putting dried grass dry wood shavings using sawdust, and it can retain moisture ounce wet. You also want to put vent holes in your birdhouses so the bird can breathe. You want to be ready in case there is a change in the weather.

Another thing that you can do to help the beloved birds of your backyard is to provide bird seed. It is very important that you don’t give the birds any bread, popcorn, chips, etc. These foods if eaten by a bird will expand in their digestion system and kill them, and that is the opposite thing that you want to do. When putting out bird seed make sure that is in a sheltered, dry accessible area. You can get the bird feed from your local bird store or online.

Another thing about the bird feed is that you should also put out high energy food such as peanut butter and suet. You may also find that mealworms will be a big hit with the birds. Finally with the food, store some food away just in case for harsh weather.

Hopefully this article has taught you how to help our feathered friends in the cold of winter.

Emerald Ash Borer Larvae, or the young

Hello, I am a member of Skyview Upper Elementary School’s Green Team. One question you might not have thought of on your own is, “Is nuclear energy bad or good for the environment”? Okay, so maybe I’m wrong and you have thought of that. What was your answer if you found one? The truth is, it’s not good or bad… it’s both.

Let's talk about how it is good for the environment. Nuclear energy is a lot cleaner than other fossil fuels. That’s a weird word. Long story short, they are sources of energy that we get from our earth but once we use them up they take hundreds of years to replenish. So you can hear it in the name New-clear as it is a clean source of energy and most fossil fuels are not clean at all.

Evaporation from a nuclear cooling tower.

Now let's talk about nuclear energy’s flaws. Even though it says it’s clean, it can cause illnesses like cancer. There was even an accident when a nuclear power plant exploded and every one near it got sick; some of the workers even died. It can also cause major air pollution.

So, you decide if it is good or bad. It is a clean and very powerful source of energy that just a little of goes a long way. Although it also has it’s obvious flaws, some bigger than others. I hope you learned something.

Now what is decomposition, you might ask? Well, it is the process where larger dead organisms turn into small particles/ matter like carbon dioxide, sugars, water, and mineral salt. This is necessary so not needed carcasses won’t be crowding the biosphere so animals can survive and we can enjoy nature’s beauty. So now that you know what decomposers are and what they do, you will know how important they can be to the environment around us and the planet we call home.

At the bottom of the light bulb you will see a picture of a turtle, the turtle is representing how when you throw trash into the ocean it can harm the sea animals. Imagine if people stopped littering this would save sea life.

Above the turtle the sky is smoky. That represents when we put gas and smoke into the air. It can really harm our lives making it harder to breathe.

This picture is representing how when we do bad things to the environment it can make the air in the sky really bad. Smoking can harm not only you but your surroundings, making it harder for people around you to breathe.

The other side shows the good side if we take care of the earth. As you pollute the environment the air will not be sanitary and it won't be safe.

by Natalia Cordero

Geocaching is a kind of treasure hunt and people all over the world do it. It is hide and seek with containers filled with different stuff. There can be name lists of the people who found it or even money. It's a great outdoor game. The containers can be any size or any shape. They are mostly always hidden. People all over the world use different techniques to find them. GPS is a great way to find them. GPS is what mostly is used to find them.

What is the difference between geocaching and letterboxing? They're both treasure hunting outside. Letterboxing has the same concept as geocaching. Letterboxing are hidden and in boxes but what’s inside is way different. While geocaching has gifts and games, letterboxing has clues and puzzles. While letterboxing, you use many clues to find the letterbox. While they are both very fun in many ways they are also very different in many ways.