I just had to share this report DD9 wrote entirely from her own inspiration one evening.

It's not just that I think the writing is great. What also struck me was the contrast of this inspired and self-directed work compared to the previous 90 minutes during which she was struggling to tears with busywork/homework during which I'm sure she learned nothing.

After the homework trauma I figured she was done for the night, until I shared with her an anecdote about how few Amur leopards are left in the wild. She was profoundly moved and immediately ran to the computer to begin researching and writing.

The result, less than an hour later, was this report titled Endangered Plants and Animals.

Quote
There are many endangered species in the world. Many of them you probably haven’t even heard of. ASPCA .org states, “Worldwide, there are about 500 animals listed as endangered and 39 listed as threatened.” If you didn’t already know this, 500 is A LOT of endangered species. Most of this is caused by humans. That’s right, us. The first reason that most animals are going extinct is because we are taking up a whole load of land. Like, thousands, or even millions, or acres. The second reason of the population of some animals dropping is because foreign species. For example, if you had a fish pond filled with goldfish, then you put a beta fish in, the ecosystem would change rapidly. The third reason, is us, taking WAY too much. We’re pushing ocean life to its limits. When we take a fish, the rest of the fish have to wait until another fish gives birth to even out the population again. As you can see, we are harming the ecosystems greatly.

If we keep taking and harming the environment, what will happen to us? Well have you ever stacked a bunch of blocks up, then tried to pull some of them out without the tower falling over? Think of the tower as our environment. If we take too many animals and plants away, the whole environment could come crashing down. Take this for example, people had been burning down the Pacific Yew trees for years. After awhile, they found a promising antibiotic to breast cancer made from its sap. What if some of the other plants had some mystery cure to a almost incurable disease? Think of it that way.

So now that you know about all these things, what can you do to help? Try helping out at your local nature park. Ride your bike instead of the bus, not only will it help stop pollution, it will also get your heart pumping, stretch your muscles, and you’ll have fun doing it! Recycle. I know it seems so simple, but even the smallest things help. Save water. Unfortunately, the world does not have unlimited water, and sadly, we are running out of it. So start saving water! You can also help out native species. Plant a few of them in the park, in your yard, or anywhere legal. Even something little can make a big difference.

Remember, saving the earth isn’t only Superman’s job; it’s everyone else’s too.