Earth Day Every Day

Earth Day always bothered me.

Starting back in University, I began becoming more and more aware of my impact on the planet and what that truly means. I won’t get into preaching, but it has become an incredibly important topic for me.

(from Topic #3: Sustainable Materials, Processes, and Actions, “Making Sustainable Choices” lesson extension)

Fast forward to my first grade classroom when April rolled around and I started searching for Earth Day activities. Although there’s lots of great stuff out there, I always found the cute crafts and activities lacking depth, impact, and true connection. I wanted the message of Earth Day (to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our planet and it’s natural resources for future generations) to really resonate with my students in a FUN, easy-going way.

(students make their own activity cards from Topic #3: Sustainable Materials, Processes, and Actions, “Making Sustainable Choices” lesson extension)

So we take Earth Day up a notch and spend a few days/weeks learning about and loving our planet! Students get to appreciate our planet and enjoy all that nature has to offer for more than JUST ONE DAY.

(from Topic #4: Healthy Planet=Healthy People, “Earth & Us” lesson extension craft)

We begin by exploring what “nature” means and what that means for us as humans.

(from Topic #1: We ARE Nature, “Me as a Tree” extension activity)

Next, we GET OUTSIDE and actually experience nature. (This is my favourite part!)

(from Topic #2: Building a Relationship With Nature, “I LOVE Nature” extension activity)

Then, this is where sh*t gets real😬

…but in a FUN way of course!! 😆

It’s so eye-opening for students when we discuss how when you throw something away, it doesn’t actually go AWAY. Everything has to go somewhere. And playing the “How Long ’til It’s Gone?” game (pictured above) really drives home the consequences of our choices. Students love guessing how long until something has fully broken down:

(from Topic #3: Sustainable Materials, Processes, and Actions, “The Wonders of Plastic” lesson extension)

And, to keep it light-hearted, we CRAFT!

(from Topic #3: Sustainable Materials, Processes, and Actions, “The Wonders of Plastic” extension craft)

I love creating a hallway display from their finished creations inspired by these murals-with-a-message:

Depending on my class, I usually like to do a small classroom waste audit as well at some point in the month. This helps students see, in a concrete way, how much waste we produce on a daily basis and what exactly we are throwing away.

Next up is the Four Rs: We practice gratitude to Reduce our consuming, get creative to Reuse everyday items,

(from Topic #5: The Four Rs, “Reuse & Repair; Again, and Again, and Again…” extension craft)

and Recycle to make our own paper!

This one is a particular student-favourite year after year, and a teacher favourite too since it is WAY easier than you think 🥳

(from Topic #5: The Four Rs, “Recycle; New Again!” extension craft)

Finally, we wrap up all our learning by putting our passion into action and going on a Litter Mission. The students love walking around their community to pick up trash and make our shared home a little bit nicer.

(from Topic #6: Little Changes, BIG Impact, “Every litter bit counts” extension craft)

Do you want to bring more authenticity, meaning, and hands-on FUN into your classroom this year, too? All of these activities (and MORE!) are included in my Earth Day Every Day mini unit: