| Several UC Berkeley Roots
& Shoots group members previously volunteered
with Wonderworks, a university group that brings science
to elementary school classrooms through monthly presentations
and interactive experiments.
Using this model and the Wonderworks
contacts, UC Berkeley Roots & Shoots launched
a weekly after-school class through LeConte Elementary
School's Community Kidz program, which provides after-school
classes for its students.
有些根與芽組員過去曾擔任過大學裡Wonderworks團體的義工，每個月至國小作有關科學方面的介紹或實驗，而透過這樣的模式以及與Wonderworks的配合，根與芽小組與LeConte小學的「社區孩童計畫」合作發起了一個為該校學童課後教學的活動。
"The
motto of Roots & Shoots, about helping animals,
the environment and the human community, has been
the basis of our classes," said Sachi Jain, a
UC Berkeley R&S member who leads the classes.
一名帶課的根與芽組員Sachi
Jain說：「根與芽計畫的宗旨『幫助動物、環境與社區』，是我們這些課程的基礎。」
Berkeley-area schools are in need of after-school
classes because many parents work late. The Community
Kidz classes provide a safe and fun environment while
the students wait for their parents to pick them up.
而柏克萊地區的學校相當需要這種課後教學的支援，因為許多家長都工作到很晚，所以孩童們等待家長的同時，他們提供了一個這樣安全又有趣的環境。
The
Roots & Shoots class includes about 30 members.
Parents appreciate that Roots & Shoots is one
of the few after-school classes that is free. Students
enjoy the interactive structure of the class.
"Sometimes,
adults and other college-aged class leaders forget
that it is very hard for kids to learn or behave if
they are simply being lectured at," said Danielle
Deremo, Volunteer Coordinator for Community Kidz.
"Many of their lessons are hands-on, which is
such a vital concept in early education."
The UC Berkeley R&S group's class projects have
included everything from visiting an animal shelter
to making "soil" from crushed cookies and
candy to exploring an organic garden and reading Dr.
Seuss' "The Lorax ."
根與芽課程總共有30名學員，家長們都很感謝有這難得免費的課程，學童們也相當喜愛這種互動教學。「社區孩童計畫」的企畫義工Danielle
Deremo說：「有時候成人或大學年紀的課程領導人會忘記，要小朋友們單調的從教學過程中學習或聽話是很難的，所以『親手操作』在早期教育中是不可或缺的。」所以內容包括了像是去參觀動物收容所、將餅乾和糖果壓碎製成「土壤」來探索有機花園、或是閱讀蘇斯博士的環保童書等。
"We sometimes draw from activities that we found
to be fun and memorable when we were kids," said
UC Berkeley Roots & Shoots group leader, Jessica
Huang.
根與芽小組的領導人Jessica黃說：「我們有時會把小時候覺得有趣且難忘的遊戲放在課程當中。」
"The Roots & Shoots curriculum includes material
and subjects that our students, living in a very urban
environment, do not get much exposure to," said
Deremo. "The kids are learning that their world
is something to explore!
Deremo也說：「我們所設計的課程也都採用這些居住在都市環境的小孩們平時不常接觸到的材料與物質，讓他們趁機去探索他們所成長的環境。」
"We hope these classes are bringing topics that
are not typically covered in class to the students,"
Huang said. "We feel good when we can say, 'Wow,
I wish I got to do that as a kid!' about an activity
we planned."
The biggest challenge group members face is keeping
the kids' interest for the entire hour.
黃小姐說：「我們希望所提供的內容是他們平常課堂上學習不到的，所以在設計這些活動時，如果連我們自己都能夠說：『哇!真希望我的小時候也能這樣玩。』的話，會覺得很開心。」
"At such a young age,
their attention span isn't incredibly long, so we
always try our best to come up with the most interesting
facts and activities," Huang said.
Despite their busy college schedules, six to eight
Roots & Shoots members help teach and supervise
the class each week.
"Most people make time to come out because it's
great to give back and it's really a lot of fun to
hang out with these kids," Huang said. "While
we are making the time to teach them, they are also
teaching us."
對於小組成員來說，要讓學童們長時間的對課程感到興趣，實在是個很大的挑戰，黃小姐說：「像他們這麼小的年紀，專注的時間沒辦法持久，所以我們總是嘗試著用最有趣的活動來吸引他們。」除了他們自己平常繁忙的課業，6至8位的根與芽組員每個禮拜都還會協助這個課後教學。黃小姐說：「大部分的人都很樂意撥出時間做些回饋，而且和這些小孩相處在一起也相當的有趣，在我們教導他們的同時，我們也從他們身上學習到了不少。」
~摘錄自根與芽小組網站
University
of California, Berkeley Roots & Shoots
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