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Ideas For Earth Day
And Every Day For
Students
GETTING
STARTED
• Start a class
discussion about Earth Day. What does the day mean
to your students? Why is it important to take care of the Earth all
year round?
What is our commitment to future generations?
• Share articles and news clips about global warming. Why is this
issue so
important today and why is education about it so necessary? What can we
do to
help?
• Brainstorm a list of simple Earth-friendly actions that people
can do
every day, such as changing to energy-efficient lightbulbs, carpooling,
picking
up litter, and using both the front and the back of scrap paper.
• Have students research Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Rachel
Carson, and
other naturalists. What can we learn from these individuals?
YOUR SCHOOL
• Start a school-wide Earth Day campaign! Decorate your classroom
and the
hallways with posters that have students’ environmental slogans. Have
your
class sign the pledge on the front of this poster.
• Have students share pro-environment ideas or a cheer for Earth
Day over
the loudspeaker or on your school’s radio or television station.
• Clean up your school’s playground or a local park. Give students
free
time afterwards to play games and enjoy the clean space they have
created.
• Challenge students to a game of Earth Day Jeopardy. Create your own
or use
the one on the Education World Web site:
www.education-world.com/a_lesson/dailylp/dailylp/dailylp075.shtml
• Write poems for the Earth. Encourage students to try their hand
at haiku,
acrostic poems, or shape poems.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
• Have students bring in recyclable items and sort them
according to your
state’s recycling regulations. Keep a running count of how many items
have been
collected in each category. You may want to make it even more
interesting by
having classes compete to see who recycles the most material.
• Make creations from
recyclable materials, such as tire swings
or pinecone bird feeders for the playground.
• Decorate
old t-shirts and make them new again.
YOUR COMMUNITY
•
Invite park rangers, environmentalists, or government officials to
speak
with students about local policies and volunteering opportunities.
• Decorate
trash bags with Earth Day messages for use at a local supermarket.
• Spread
the word . . . have each student share a tip for helping the
environment with 10 friends or family members in person, on the phone,
or via
e-mail. Discuss how much impact can be made by sharing knowledge and
using our
voices and minds.
• Learn
about the environment you live in and have the class do research
specific to your region. Create materials to share with residents on
the beauty
of the region and how to keep it safe.
Source: Random House, Inc.
TITLES
OF INTEREST
The Lorax Theodore Geisel (Dr.
Seuss)
Long
before saving the earth
became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the
Lorax,
warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's
natural
beauty.
GRADES
PREK—3
Baby
Beluga Raffi Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore)
Stan and Jan Berenstain
Hey! Get Off Our Train John
Burningham
I Can Name 50 Trees Today! All About
Trees If I Ran the Rain Forest: All
About Tropical Rain Forests Bonnie
Worth Illustrated
by Aristides Ruiz
Oh Say, Can You Seed? All About Flowering
Plants Bonnie
Worth Illustrated
by Aristides Ruiz
GRADES
1—4
Afternoon
on the Amazon Mary
Pope Osborne Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Rain Forests: A Nonfiction Companion to Afternoon on
the Amazon
Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Dolphins at Daybreak Mary
Pope Osborne Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Dolphins and Sharks: A Nonfiction Companion to
Dolphins at Daybreak
Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Good
Morning,
Gorillas Mary
Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Tigers
at Twilight Mary
Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps Marjorie Weinman
Sharmat
Illustrated by Marc Simont
Camp
Ghost-Away Judy
Delton Illustrated by Alan Tiegreen
GRADES 5 UP
First Light Rebecca Stead
Flush Carl
Hiaasen
Hoot Carl
Hiaasen
BEYOND
THE BOOKS
Environmental Protective Agency Kids Club
www.epa.gov/kids
This site helps children explore their environment and learn how to
protect it.
Center for Environmental Education Online
www.ceeonline.org
This site is a dynamic resource for educators and students, founded by
Jayni
and Chevy Chase.
PRINT
A COPY TO DISTRIBUTE IN YOUR CLUB - BELOW
TEACHER RESOURCES
VA Trekkers:
Podcast Recycling
http://www.virginiatrekkers.com/recyling/recycling.html
IDEAS
FOR
RECYCLABLE ART PROJECTS
Kinder Art
(K5 UP)
http://www.kinderart.com.recycle/
Making
Friends.com
http://www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm
Recycling
Ideas and Craft Projects http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/index.shtml
STUDENT ON-LINE GAMES
LEARN HOW TO
KEEP OUR EARTH HEALTHY AND GREEN. (INCLUDES A COLORING BOOK)
DESIGNED TO
TEACH YOU ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECYCLING
Mr.
Recycle http://www.lacity.org/san/kids/games/roundup/index.htm
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