Stepping into Katrina Macht's 5th-grade classroom is like entering a wild kingdom. A giant plastic grasshopper dangles near a mobile of neon-bright tropical fish. Not far away, a spiral of blue and silver dolphins floats down from the ceiling. Tropical birds and jungle predators peer out from posters on the classroom walls. Even the students are divided into groups with wildlife names, including the Wolf Pack, the Owls and the Anaconda Snakes.

But that's just one of Macht's classrooms. The other is outside in the woods behind the Hillside Intermediate School in Bridgewater, New Jersey. There, among the pine trees and the sparrows, Macht and her students have built a classroom with wooden seats, a carpet of grass and the sky as a ceiling. "It's really nice out there in the spring when you start looking forward to summer vacation," says Samantha Friedman, 11. "It's hard to concentrate indoors. But out there it's nice and breezy."

Healing the Habitat

Although New Jersey is not the largest U.S. state, it is the most densely populated. That means there are more people per square mile in New Jersey than in any other state. Many of its natural habitats have been replaced with parking lots, malls and houses. Explains Bhavin Shah, 10: "Habitat loss is the biggest threat to animals. It destroys their homes."

Macht's class decided to help protect the state's natural habitats. The kids wrote dozens of letters to businesses, government offices and environmental groups to raise awareness about habitat loss.

To raise money, they published a 1999 datebook called Migratory Moments that they researched and illustrated themselves. So far, they've made $1,200 from book sales. The students have also earned money by holding a community walk-a-thon. Last year's walk raised $1,400! They donate some of the money to environmental groups.

Other funds have helped these Hillside heroes turn their school's "backyard" into a wildlife-friendly nature preserve. Class members have attracted birds to the area by planting trees and building birdhouses. They have also established a wildflower meadow and a sunflower garden. In May, they will complete work on a freshwater marsh!

A Musical Message

In June, Macht's students will perform a musical they began writing several months ago. The show's lyrics were inspired by nature. "We went outside and listened to the sounds of the forest," says Yolanda Guzman, 11, "including the birds, the leaves, the rustling wind."

Through song, the students give voice to the animals that live in New Jersey's disappearing habitats. "The environment can't protect itself," says Chris Sorace, 11. "It needs our help."