In the classroom, you may find that time is limited, but I think most would agree that our environment depends on a team effort. Check out these book recommendations, hands-on activities, and must have resources. Hopefully, they will help you make the most of the time you have.
Favorite Books for Earth Day

With your text sets, you might use the Jigsaw approach to extend the themes with group projects such as designing posters, trifold displays highlighting the themes, dioramas, or even educational brochures.
Projects Your Kids Will Love
What better way to demonstrate taking care of the Earth than working with it? Spring weather offers the perfect opportunity to get out and get your hands dirty, and children love it. Community gardening spots provide fresh produce too, so it's a win-win. Even if you are without space at your school, a field trip to a local nursery or farm can show students just how easy it is to grow fresh vegetables. Who knows? It might encourage healthier eating too.
In addition to gardening, you might also emphasize the 3 R's in your classroom. Children can be very wasteful, so it's important to model the behaviors we want. Many schools have a recycling program, and we all know teachers are limited on how much paper they can use. When able, use electronic files to reduce the amount of paper consumed.
For activities, you might bring in your "garbage" (clean of course), and have students sort it to practice identifying what's recyclable and what is not. If you want to reuse some of these materials, why not use them as containers for plants or another form of art. Additional ideas can be found on my Pinterest board below. Be sure to check out the board. It is filled with snack ideas, crafts, lesson ideas, and experiments you might try out.
Must Have Freebies for Earth Day
The third inspiration I'd like to share are a collection of freebies as well as two resources I think you'll want to explore. I scanned through Teachers Pay Teachers, and I've selected some of the best to include.



I mentioned at the beginning of this post two must read books, Just a Dream and Someday a Tree. Just a Dream is fairly well-known, but Someday a Tree is lesser known. It is about a sweet family who has long lasting memories of time spent lounging under this beautiful tree in their meadow. Well, the tree begins to turn yellow and die. They are devastated, and they do all in their power to save it. This book is a great lesson on how chemicals can pollute and damage plant life. It is the perfect book to leave a lasting impression. I have developed units to go with both of these book including an Earth Day Lapbook (in both book companions). You can explore them further by clicking the images below.
Remember
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall
I hope your Earth Day plans inspire lifelong habits that will help your students love our Earth, and I hope these ideas help make your job just a little easier.

What an awesome article! Love all your ideas and activities to celebrate Earth Day! Thank you for taking time to share these with educators around the world!
ReplyDeleteAh...thank you for commenting. I really appreciate it. :-)
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