Engaging Earth Day Lessons and Fun Activities That Won't Cost a Dime
In the spirit of Earth Day, which marks its 51st anniversary this year, a multitude of educational resources are available to help K-12 students understand the importance of environmental conservation and the threats posed by climate change.
One such online curriculum investigates the impact of climate change on coral reef ecosystems, offering a comprehensive look at this critical issue. For those interested in climate change, the carbon cycle, and climate restoration, the Climate Restoration for Kids online course is an excellent choice.
The WWF Lesson Library and Education Resources provide a wealth of lessons, apps, games, quizzes, and videos on various animal species and environmental issues. Nature Labs' educator resources are also ideal for Earth Day, covering topics like wildfires, climate justice, sustainable food and water, and more.
For those seeking a more creative approach, a lesson is available that incorporates sneaker design, environmental awareness, engineering, physics, and creativity. Kide Science can be used to teach STEM in the classroom, making learning fun and engaging.
Symbiotic Schoolyard is a unique program designed for middle school science students to engage in hands-on planting activity. While the name of the middle school teacher who developed the program could not be found in the provided search results, the program offers a valuable opportunity for students to learn about the environment in a practical way.
The Environmental Education Initiative offers resources for students to engage in environmental science, including video series and student-driven videos. The PBS Learning Media video collection focuses on the imperiled whitebark pine and the efforts to save this keystone species.
The Chemists Celebrate Earth Week offers online science games, lessons, and activities for K-12 students, while Discovery Education provides 13 quizzes and activities for Earth Day. The Lorax Project offers classroom discussion ideas based on Dr. Seuss' environmental tale, The Lorax.
The first Earth Day led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and significant progress has been made in controlling pollution and preventing the extinction of some notable species. A video is available that follows the "paper trail" of recycled materials, and the ethanol as a biofuel video from Nova explores the sustainability of the corn-to-ethanol pipeline and potential alternatives.
The Conservation Station offers 18 downloadable, standards-aligned classroom lessons and activities for water and energy literacy and conservation. The Library of Congress resource explains the history of federal environmental laws and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Lesson Ideas are applicable in K-12 classrooms for various subjects like math, language arts, civics, and science. TEDEd's Earth school offers 30 video lessons covering various environmental issues, and the Earth Day Career Connect Spotlight offers three live sessions on April 22.
Finally, it's worth noting that 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day in 1970, and legislation was passed to safeguard air, water, and endangered species due to the first Earth Day. A video featuring David Attenborough discusses how humans can create a future where both people and nature can thrive, offering a hopeful message for the future of our planet.
