August 18th

By Mutt Mulligan

Take TurfMutt back to school with you

It’s back to school time! With school already starting for some kids and quickly approaching for others, TurfMutt wants to remind kids and educators about his free environmental education program. It’s designed for children in grades K-5, and it has reached 68 million children, educators and families since 2009!

The TurfMutt program helps teachers, kids and families learn valuable science lessons right in their backyards. TurfMutt teaches us how to be good environmental stewards by taking care of the living landscapes in our family yard. With fun and interactive activities, TurfMutt spreads the word that the planet can be saved “one yard at a time.”

TurfMutt has lesson plans for teachers, take home sheets and learning activities for families, interactive games and digital storybooks. The materials are free and aligned to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) standards. TurfMutt and his band of superhero friends – Water Warrior, Professor Botany, Oxygenator, Green Ranger, and Big Rooty – help fight environmental villains like Carbon Creep, Heat Freak, Dust Demon and Dr. Runoff.

TurfMutt “paws it forward,” making appearances on the CBS show Lucky Dog; giving annual grants to schools to “green up” their schoolyards or put in outdoor classrooms; and working year-round in partnership with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company. TurfMutt is an official USGBC^® Education Partner and education resource at the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. TurfMutt’s personal, home habitat also is featured in the 2017 and will be in the 2018 Wildlife Habitat Council calendars.