Children participating in Davis Kids Klub camps this year are receiving a little environmental education along with their summer fun.

Mixed in with the art projects, outdoor play and daily trips to community pools, are lessons and activities provided through Breathe California, a century-old organization dedicated to reducing lung disease through prevention, education, advocacy and patient services.

For elementary school students, Breathe California has created lesson plans that take a broader look at environmental issues, encompassing everything from solar power to water pollution, asthma to recycling.

The two Davis Kids Klub summer camps — one at Birch Lane Elementary School, the other at Patwin Elementary School — use the funding and lessons  Breathe California provides to teach students about the environment in fun and interesting ways.

On Tuesday, it was all about recycling, and first up was a lesson.

“We had a discussion about what trash is and where it comes from,” said Alexis Aiello, assistant site director for Davis Kids Klub at Birch Lane.

The students looked at the garbage produced from their own snacks and talked about the impact of their choices, Aiello said.

“Some of the kids are remarkably informed,” she added. “But some of the (knowledge) gaps are kind of surprising.”

For example, she said, nearly all of them knew plastic and paper could be recycled, but many of the 8- to 11-year-olds she was working with didn’t know glass could be.

“They also didn’t realize that pollution in the air gets into our water system and affects our food,” she added.

But once they do learn about these things, she said, “they’re really excited that they can do something about it.”

After the morning lesson plan, the kids headed out to Birch Lane’s quad for a recycling scavenger-hunt relay.

Divided up into four teams, the 20 students received lists of recyclable items hidden in and around the quad that they had to find before throwing everything into the appropriate recycling bin.

After about 20 minutes of excitement, they headed back inside to watch a video showing the journey of a plastic bottle, from the curbside bin where it is placed to its new life as part of a pallet rack in a warehouse.

In the afternoon, the younger kids would have their turn, with a pared-down lesson plan and slightly easier scavenger hunt.

Aiello and site director Mark Roberts know what they are teaching the children here is already making a difference.

Parents have told them they have increased recycling activities at home because their kids are so excited about it, Roberts said.

“They’re talking about it at home and that’s how we know it stuck with them,” he added.

Davis Kids Klub camps run weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Birch Lane and Patwin and at all Davis elementary schools during the school year. To learn more, visit http://www.daviskidsklub.com or call 530-220-4731 or email [email protected]

Learn more about Breathe California at http://www.sacbreathe.org.

— Reach Anne Ternus-Bellamy at [email protected] or 530-747-8051. Follow her on Twitter at @ATernusBellamy

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