Earth Day is a great time to teach your elementary students about ways to protect our planet Earth. Here are a few of my favorite Earth day activities to use with your elementary classroom!
Earth Day Activities for your Elementary Students:
Recycling Relay: Set up recycling bins at one end of the playground and have students race to sort recyclable items correctly.
Planting seeds: Give each student a seed to plant in a classroom garden or individual pots to take home, teaching them about growing plants is a great way to celebrate Earth Day this year!
Eco-Friendly Crafts: Use recycled items (bottles, cans, paper, glass etc.) to create beautiful art projects. Your elementary students will love using their creativity as they learn how to repurpose recyclable materials.
Litter Clean-Up Day: Organize a school-wide litter pick-up, assigning different areas to each class or grade level. Then talk about the importance of keeping the campus and community clean.
Don’t forget to download the Earth Day freebie at the top of this page! It’s meant to get your students reflecting on the past, analyzing the present, and thinking about how they can make a positive impact on our future environment.
Earth Day Read Aloud Books
Students love to be read to, so why not include a few read alouds during your Earth Day activities! Here are a few of my favorite Earth Day books to share with my elementary class.
“The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss: A classic tale that emphasizes the impact of environmental destruction and the importance of conservation. Pairs perfectly with the freebie at the top of this page!
“The Curious Garden” by Peter Brown: A story about a boy who transforms his gray city into a green, thriving place, showing how small efforts can make a big difference.
“Miss Rumphius” by Barbara Cooney: This story follows the life of Miss Rumphius, who made the world more beautiful by planting lupine flowers everywhere she went, teaching children about the beauty of nature and the impact of personal contributions to the environment.
“The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge” by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen: With Ms. Frizzle’s class, readers learn about climate change and the importance of renewable energy in an accessible, engaging way, perfect for sparking curiosity and awareness among young minds
Earth Day Videos:
Kick off your Earth Day celebration with these engaging videos, perfect for your elementary students! Learn about important topics like recycling, the impact of climate change, the importance of trees, and protecting endangered species.
Understanding Recycling YouTube Video: Recycle for Kids: Learn how to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: This Earth Day video will teach your elementary students about recycling, showing how used materials can turn into new products. Your students will also learn tips on reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Understanding Climate Change YouTube Video: Climate Change for Kids. This video provides an easy-to-understand introduction to climate change, explaining what it is, why it matters, and how it affects our planet.
Planting Trees YouTube Video: Go Plant a Tree | Plum Landing on PBS Kids. This video shows how to plant a tree and also discusses the benefits of planting trees!
Extinct and Endangered Animals: Extinct and Endangered Animals for Kids | What we can do to Protect Endangered Species. This video explains the difference between extinct animals and endangered ones.Your students will then learn why species become extinct and discover simple ways to help protect endangered animals.
For this upcoming Earth Day, I hope you will use some of these fun and easy Earth Day activities and ideas with your elementary class! These Earth Day activities are perfect for showing your students how they can help our planet in simple ways. Let’s get them excited to take care of the Earth every day!
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