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Scientific literacy is an important aspect of our democracy. Science teachers have an important role – to prepare students for the responsibilities of active citizenship. With Earth Day coming up, I wonder, how do you celebrate science with your students on this special day? Do you have a special lesson or a school-wide event? Does your community collaborate on a larger project to support a goal?

I can recall creating a large poster with my students that spanned the wall of the entrance to our school. Students painted their handprint as a pledge to help the Earth by reducing, reusing and recycling in their everyday lives. They were proud to show off their hand to their friends, family and classmates, and were eager to teach about what we can all do to be a bit more “green.”

Perhaps you will be joining a March for Science on April 12, 2018 – NSTA is a partner for this event. If so, let us know how it goes and share your experience!

I’ve created a collection of Earth Day materials for all grade levels with lesson ideas and fun ways to incorporate a celebration into your classroom. Check it out here! http://learningcenter.nsta.org/mylibrary/collection.aspx?id=Iz99BeumaFo_E
 
Can’t wait to hear your responses,
Megan

Hi Megan! Thank you for sharing such awesome resources!! My favorite one was the "Recycling Into Art." The art piece they created looks beautiful! I've only worked with preschoolers before. They get very excited about recycling and doing things to save the earth. Also, they love art, so combining the two is guaranteed fun. We did many activities from becoming the recycling collectors for the whole preschool, to making things from recycled materials. We made our own paper and then used it to make mother's day cards. (Kids and mothers were both very happy). However, this year I am student teacher and I'm sad to say that I haven't seen any preparations for Earth Day. I understand that because now Language Arts and Math are a top priority, science rarely makes it into the curriculum. I really appreciate you sharing those articles, and I hope that one day as a future teacher I can use them! Claudia

Hi Megan, Thank you for sharing this post. Earth day is a great day for students to get engaged and learn about why Earth is so important. Another cool activity a coworker did was an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt. The students had a scavenger hunt chart with pictures of things like dirt, grass, butterfly, bird, worm, and etc. and they were taken outside and asked to find all these nature things. The students loved the activity because they got to explore outside and check off each box every time they found the item.