Making a difference through education is the goal of one member of our community. Susan Newman founded FROGS ARE GREEN, which is an New Jersey nonprofit organization created to increase awareness about the catastrophic decline of frogs and other amphibian populations and to advocate for conservation measures to help protect them.
Why frogs and not some other animal or cause? Frogs and other amphibians are disappearing at an alarming rate. One third of all amphibian species around the globe are threatened with extinction. Frogs are extremely sensitive to environmental threats such as acid rain and global warming. They are also threatened by invasive species and habitat loss.
Jersey City Macaroni Kid had the opportunity to speak with Susan about her mission, education, the arts and protecting the environment. There are so many areas in which this organization continues to make an impact that we wanted to share them with you.
Q: Tell us about the educational component to Frogs are Green?
A: Frogs Are Green is on an awareness mission to educate the public about the threats to frogs and amphibians. Through blogging, interviews, social media, teaching and annual events we have reached a great many people but now it’s time to go to the next level and bring a new curriculums to the schools. Young children are naturally curious about nature and can express themselves through art in a way they cannot verbally, so one of our new curriculums developed combines science and art together in a six-week course. Susan currently teaches children 3-6 years old in her weekly Peaceful Frogs class.
Q: The organization also educates through literacy, can you tell us about the frog books?
A: Rainforest Frogs came about as a collaboration between myself (conceptualization, research and design), Caley Vickerman who provided meaningful haiku poetry, Mark Lerer who created amazing illustrations and Franco Andreone, who contributed the Foreword. Rainforest Frogs is a delightful book with a serious message. They also published their curriculum, Frogs, Amphibians and Their Threatened Environment and are working on a series of coloring books. Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates which results in irreversible consequences to the earth’s ecosystems.
Q: How has art played a role in the programs and message of the organization?
A: Part of bringing the curriculum to the schools includes helping children create original artworks, learn self-expression through creativity , learn about art materials, colors, shapes and composition and encourage them to share the knowledge about what is happening to their environment through the medium of art. The annual Frogs Are Green International Kids Art Contests (3-17 years old), and Photo Contests (for all ages), have brought together both local and global participants that have created and shared amazing images to inspire all.
We are so grateful to Susan for taking the time to tell us all about the wonderful mission Frogs Are Green is on and for helping to educate children about what the disappearance of amphibians means and the impact it will have on the environment and our future.
http://frogsaregreen.org/
We’re so excited about this collaboration!
$13.95 | 52 pages softcover | Full color
Susan Newman also educates at the Little Bee Learning Studio- Peaceful Frog Classes
Tuesdays, 163 4th street at 2:45-4 pm and beginning March 6th on Mondays at their new second location, 2:45-4 pm
522 Jefferson Street both in Hoboken.
