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February 21, 2018

8 Fun & Educational Ways to Celebrate Earth Day in Your Classroom

Earth Day is April 22 and can be a great time for learning more about our environment and the many ways we can take small steps to care for our planet. No matter what you like to do best, there’s a way to get involved in Earth Day. You could plant a tree, make a meal with locally-grown vegetables, educate a family member, clean up trash in your neighborhood, set up a bird feeder or save power — the possibilities are endless. Check out our list of 8 fun and educational projects you can do in your classroom to celebrate Earth Day. Remember, you don’t have to wait for Earth Day to show your love for the planet we call home.

  1. Recycle old items into new: Learn about how recycling or re-purposing used items can create fun, new things. Students can make jewelry, books or sculptures with recycled items or use recycled paper in the classroom or to make special greeting cards for any occasion.
  2. Learn to use solar power: Learn firsthand about alternate energy sources- like the sun! Make solar ovens to create a healthy, sun-powered snack like baked apples, or build and race solar-powered cars in a solar car derby.
  3. Reduce waste using compost: Learn about the benefits of composting by making a worm compost bin. Students can use waste from their lunches to learn about the decomposition process, what works best in a compost bin and how compost can benefit plants in home and school gardens.
  4. Plant and tend to a school garden: Whether it’s containers with wildflowers for a butterfly garden or a school garden that grows vegetables for lunch and snack items, students can learn a lot about how the planet works by being involved in the process. Another option is to make bird houses and feeders to bird watch around the school grounds or sell for classroom fundraisers.
  5. Host a classroom “swap meet” or recycling drive: Ask students and families to bring in gently used items to swap – anything from sports equipment and toys to books and games. Any leftover items can be donated to a local organization like Goodwill or St. Vincent DePaul. Recyclable items like used sneakers, cell phones and printer cartridges can be collected and then recycled.
  6. Clean-up: Organize a schoolyard or community clean-up day. Take time to pick up the trash around your school grounds or the neighborhood around your school. Recycle items that can be recycled.
  7. Conserve resources: Start a campaign to turn off all the lights in your classroom for two or three hours per day during the month of April. See if other classrooms are willing to participate through a fun challenge to see who can accumulate the most lights-free time during the month.
  8. Decorate a cloth shopping bag: Have your students decorate a bag for their parents to take with them whenever they go to the store.

Tell us how you plan to celebrate Earth Day in the comments below.

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