EARTH BOOK

“The Earth Book” will take a little time to construct, but I guarantee you the children will be thrilled to read it and share it when you are finished. I would stretch this out over 2 or 3 days so the children don’t get frustrated. 

*You can also easily adapt this book to informative writing, science, and other skills.

Materials: construction paper (2 orange, 1 blue, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 brown)
Directions: Cut squares using the attached pattern out of the orange and purple construction paper. Cut a circle out of one of the orange squares. Using the patterns cut the green tree, blue water, yellow sun, and brown mountains.

To construct the book place down the orange square for the back of the book. Place the “purple sky” on top of this, then the “brown mountains,” “yellow sun,” “blue water,” “green tree,” and finally the front cover with the circle cut out. Staple on the left side. Younger children can read this as a wordless book. Older children can write descriptive sentences on each page.

Download the patterns by clicking here.

LITTER PATROL

One of the best ways to be on the "green team" is to keep the earth beautiful by picking up trash. There's nothing more frustrating to me than to see trash along the road, but maybe we can improve things in the future by getting our students to join the LITTER PATROL!

Litter Patrol
Well, here we go, (Clap and snap fingers to the beat.)
We’re on the litter patrol.
We’re going to work all day
To put the trash away.
The planet earth, you see
Is our habitat.
We’re going to clean it up,
Well, how about that!


Litter Bags
Ask your students to bring in an empty cereal box or cardboard food box.
1. Cut the tops off the boxes.
2. Punch a hole in each short side.
3. Tie on a piece of string. Use these to collect trash or have the children place these in their cars.

*You can also make a litter bag by rolling down the top of a lunch bag and attaching a string for a handle.




Pick Up Your Trash Game
Children will love playing “Pick Up Your Trash!” Each child will need a scrap piece of paper that they can wad up into a ball. Divide the class into two teams and have them stand on opposite sides of the room. When the teacher calls, “Pick up your trash,” the teams start throwing their paper balls at each other. The object is to pick up trash (paper balls) and throw it back at the opposite side as quickly as possible. When the teacher says, “Freeze!” everyone must stop and gather the balls on their side into a pile. Count and see how many each side has. The side with the least amount wins. The great part about this game is that you can keep on playing as long as you want.

*You can also play it out on the playground.


Trash Snack
How about a “trash snack”? You will need ice cream cones, Gold Fish crackers, Cheerios, pretzel sticks, and peanuts. Take 4 lunch sacks and put a different item in each sack. Write “old tires” on the sack with Cheerios, write "dead fish" on the sack with the crackers, “sticks” on the sack with pretzel sticks, and “stones” on the sack with peanuts. Take a large bowl and make up a story about collecting trash. As you name the different items, invite different children to dump the contents in the bowl. Stir with a large spoon and then serve the “trash” in trashcans (ice cream cones). The cool thing about this snack is that there is NO trash when the children have finished eating!

Hint! Substitute raisins for peanuts if you have students with food allergies. You can also use sunflower seeds or other snack foods.

EARTH DAY

Earth Day is officially April 22, but every day we should stop, look, and enjoy the beauty around us. Earth Day actually turns 55 this year -1970-2025. 

Earth Day
Earth Day, Earth Day! Let’s all come together. (Clap hands.)
Earth Day, Earth Day! To make this world much better.
‘Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue. (Make a circle with arms.)
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

We can recycle – tell your friends and neighbors! (Pretend to pick up paper.)
Glass, aluminum, plastic and paper.
‘Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue. (Make a circle with arms.)
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

We can plant a tree or two, to create green spaces;(Pretend to dig.)
Walk or ride our bikes to go different places. (Pretend to ride a bike.)
‘Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue. (Make a circle with arms.)
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

Click to view

Recycled Products
Have children to look around your house and make a list of recycled materials. Have them practice identifying the “recycle logo” so they can help conserve materials.

Brainstorm
Have children brainstorm all the ways they can reduce, reuse, and recycle
materials.


Naturalist Kit
Make a naturalist kit by recycling a detergent box or similar container with a handle. Make binoculars by cutting a cardboard paper towel roll in half. Tape the halves together and hole punch at the top. Tie on a piece of string so children can easily take the binoculars on and off their heads. Add a magnifying glass, field guide, tweezers, film canister (for collecting specimens), paper, pencil, etc. Talk about what naturalists do. Can you be a naturalist? Divide children up into groups of two and let them take turns playing “naturalist” on the playground.

Earth Day Necklace
1. Give children a small ball of blue polymer clay.
2. Give them a small piece of green clay and tell them to break it into 4 or 5 little pieces.
3. Attach the green pieces to the blue ball and roll in your hands.
4. Make a hole in the center with the nail.
5. Bake in a 275 oven for 12-15 minutes.
6. String the earth ball on yarn or string to make a necklace.


Visit these websites to get other ideas for Earth Day:Visit earthday.org



Visit Children of the Earth

Visit Kids for Saving Earth

GOING GREEN

I KNOW A SCIENTIST and all your students will be those scientists with these songs.


1. Feeling Fine
2. The Green Team
3. Turn It Off
4. What Will I Be When They Recycle Me?
5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,
6. Litter Patrol
7. Eat Green
8. Endangered Species A-Z
9. Earth Day
10. I Know a Scientist
11. Water Cycle
12. Basic Needs
13. Habitat Homes
14. Eight Great Planets
15. Continents Together
16. Oceans Clean and Blue
17. My Aunt Came Back
18. The Presidents
19. This Land Is Your Land
20. Arms Are For Hugging
21. Arms Are For Hugging (Music Only)

RECYCLE ME, PLEASE!

You know all those cardboard food boxes you throw away? Well, here's a great opportunity to give them a second life, teach your children to recycle, and make some cool materials for your classroom. Send a note asking families to save their cardboard food boxes for a week and then let the fun begin!

Cardboard Castle 

Let children use masking tape to create a castle or other play sculpture.

What's for Breakfast? Book 

Each child chooses the front of their favorite cereal box. They can write original sentences or fill in the blank "(Child's name) likes (cereal)."



Puzzles 

Cut box fronts into puzzle shapes. Store in zip bags. For younger children use two like boxes. Cut one up and let them place the pieces on the second box.

Fronts and Backs 

Cut front and back panels off of boxes. Mix them up and then ask the children to match up the ones that go together.


*Play a memory game where you place the fronts and backs face down on the floor. Children try to match up pairs.

Stencils and Templates 

Cut geometric shapes out of box fronts. Children can trace these with colored pencils, crayons, or markers.
*Cut seasonal shapes or objects that relate to a unit of study for the children to trace.

Sewing Cards 

Punch holes around the sides of boxes. Children can sew these with yarn, string, or old shoelaces.



Weaving

Cut notches around the sides of boxes and let children weave through these with yarn.

Fractions

Give each child the front panel off a box. Can you cut it in half? Fourths? Eights?



Math – Have children sort the boxes by product, size, etc. Graph favorite cereals, cookies, crackers, etc.
How about a free song download and flip book about recycling?

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2015/04_Apr_css/index.html

What Will I Be When They Recycle Me?
(Tune: “Oh, Dear, What Can the Matter Be?”)
What will I be when they recycle me? (Roll hands in a circle.)
What will I be when they recycle me?
What will I be when they recycle me?
I’ll come back to life—you will see! (Clap your hands and then point your finger.)

I am an empty soda can (Pretend to hold a soda can in front of you.)
Made of precious aluminum.
I can save lots of energy
If you will recycle me. (Roll hands in a circle.)

I’m an old bottle of plastic (Pretend to hold a plastic bottle.)
But I could be fantastic!
Toys, pipes, car bumpers, and much more—
That’s what my plastic is for. (Roll hands in a circle.)

A pile of used boxes and papers we (Make an invisible square in the air.)
Come from the precious wood of trees.
Recycled we’ll be as good as new (Roll hands in a circle.)
And save some other trees, too.

I am a fine jar made of glass— (Cup hands to make a bowl.)
Please don’t treat me like plain old trash! (Shake head “no.”)
I’ll make new jars again and again
Recycle me—yes you can! (Roll hands in a circle.)

Though we may look like old used stuff, (Open palms.)
Stop, wait! Please don’t give up on us! (Make sign language for “stop.”)
Think of the great possibilities— (Put index finger on your head and tap.)
Recycle us, set us free! (Roll hands in a circle and then throw up hands in the air.)

WE'RE ON THE LITTER PATROL

One of the best ways to be on the "green team" is to keep the earth beautiful by picking up trash. There's nothing more frustrating to me than to see trash along the road, but maybe we can improve things in the future by getting our students to join the LITTER PATROL!

Litter Patrol
Well, here we go, (Clap and snap fingers to the beat.)
We’re on the litter patrol.
We’re going to work all day
To put the trash away.
The planet earth, you see
Is our habitat.
We’re going to clean it up,
Well, how about that!

Litter Bags
Ask your students to bring in an empty cereal box or cardboard food box.
1. Cut the tops off the boxes.
2. Punch a hole in each short side.
3. Tie on a piece of string. Use these to collect trash or have the children place these in their cars.

Earth Day Project
Plan a community project where parents and children come together to clean up a park or natural area in your community. Make sure you have gloves and trash bags for the participants.

Trash Snack
How about a “trash snack”? You will need ice cream cones, Gold Fish crackers, Cheerios, pretzel sticks, and peanuts. Take 4 lunch sacks and put a different item in each sack. Write “old tires” on the sack with Cheerios, write "dead fish" on the sack with the crackers, “sticks” on the sack with pretzel sticks, and “stones” on the sack with peanuts. Take a large bowl and make up a story about collecting trash. As you name the different items, invite different children to dump the contents in the bowl. Stir with a large spoon and then serve the “trash” in trashcans (ice cream cones). The cool thing about this snack is that there is NO trash when the children have finished eating!

Hint! Substitute raisins for peanuts if you have students with food allergies. You can also use sunflower seeds or other snack foods.

JOIN THE GREEN TEAM

Who wouldn't want to be a super hero on the green team? 

The Green Team (Tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”)
We are on the Green Team. (March in place as you swing your arms.)
Hoorah! Hoorah! (Fist in air as if cheering.)
We can recycle every day. (March in place as you roll your arms around.)
Hoorah! Hoorah! (Fist in air as if cheering.)
Aluminum, glass, tin, (March in place.)
Put paper and cans in recycle bins. (March in place.)
Join the Green Team, (March in place.)
Defend the earth and keep it clean. (Put both fists in the air like a hero.)

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can reduce what we use. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Turn off water and the lights.
Walk, take a bus, or ride your bike.
Join the Green Team.
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can reuse many things. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Share old toys and old clothes, too.
Give away what you don't use.
Join the Green Team,
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can keep our planet clean. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Pick up all the trash you see.
Protect wildlife and plant new trees.
Join the Green Team.
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

*Make a language experience chart of children’s suggestions for what it means to be on the “Green Team.” Have children dip their thumb in green paint and “sign” it on the list to signify that they are going to join the “Green Team.”

*Walk around the school and encourage the children to draw pictures or write suggestions for conserving energy and making the learning environment “green.” Compile results and ask the principal to visit your class and discuss improvements that can be made.


Naturalist Kit
Make a naturalist kit by recycling a detergent box or similar container with a handle. Make binoculars by cutting a cardboard paper towel roll in half. Tape the halves together and hole punch at the top. Tie on a piece of string so children can easily take the binoculars on and off their heads. Add a magnifying glass, field guide, tweezers, film canister (for collecting specimens), paper, pencil, etc. Talk about what naturalists do. Can you be a naturalist? Divide children up into groups of two and let them take turns playing “naturalist” on the playground.

Put out scrap materials in the art center and encourage children to make “Green Team” badges. You can also let them decorate sheets of newspaper and staple them around their necks to make “Super Green Hero” capes. Let children dramatize what they would do if they were a “Super Green Hero.”

EARTH DAY IS COMING!

Every day should be “Earth Day,” but is officially celebrated every April 22nd. It’s always important to think about our planet and get kids interested in protecting their environment. Your students are going to be so proud of this “Earth Book” when they take it home to share with their families. 

Materials: 8” squares of the following colors:
2 orange, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 brown, 1 purple

Directions:

1. Use the attached patterns to cut out the different pages for the book.
2. To assemble the book put down the solid orange, then the purple, brown, yellow, blue, green, and end with the orange with the circle cut out.
3. Staple on the left.
4. Younger children can “read” the book by describing the colors of the earth on each page. Older students can write simple descriptive sentences on each page.
5. On the last page invite children to write or draw how they can help protect the earth.

Hint! Your students will be overwhelmed to do this all in one day, so stretch this project out by asking them to just do 2 or 3 pages a day.

Here's the patterns.
http://bit.ly/drjean_EarthBook

Earth Day Song (Happy Everything CD)
Earth Day, Earth Day! Let’s all come together.
Earth Day, Earth Day! To make this world much better.
‘Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue.
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

We can recycle – tell your friends and neighbors!
Glass, aluminum, plastic and paper.
‘Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue.
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

We can plant a tree, to create green spaces;
Walk or ride our bikes to go different places.
Cause we love our planet Earth, beautiful and blue.
We want to take care of it with everything we do.

http://bit.ly/drjeanEarthDayBookdownload

http://bit.ly/drjean_EarthDay (video)

Earth Day Necklace
1. Give children a small ball of blue polymer clay.
2. Give them a small piece of green clay and tell them to break it into 4 or 5 little pieces.
3. Attach the green pieces to the blue ball and roll in your hands.
4. Make a hole in the center with the nail.
5. Bake in a 275 oven for 12-15 minutes.
6. String the earth ball on yarn or string to make a necklace.

Nature’s Colors
1. Give children assorted pony beads and a piece of string or yarn 20-24” long.
2. Explain that they can select a bead to represent the different things in nature that they appreciate. For example, a blue bead might remind them of the ocean, or a red bead might remind them of a cardinal. (Hint! Limit one bead per color. To make it easier to string wrap a small piece of tape around the end of the yarn.)
3. Tie the ends of the string together to make a necklace.
*Older students could write sentences about each color.
4. Ask children to describe their necklaces and explain what each color represents.

NATURE'S JEWELS

Children love to make hats, necklaces, and things they can wear. These crafty ideas can be used to celebrate nature every day of the year.

Materials: sentence strips, green and blue polymer clay, nail, pony beads, string or yarn

Nature Crowns
1. Take children on a walk and invite them to pick up small, light objects from the ground. (Remind them to never pull leaves or flowers off plants.)
2. Give them sentence strips, crayons, markers, and glue. Let them decorate their sentence strips with things that they love in nature. Glue the items they collected to the sentence strips and then adjust to their heads and staple to make crowns.

Earth Day Necklace
1. Give children a small ball of blue polymer clay.
2. Give them a small piece of green clay and tell them to break it into 4 or 5 little pieces.
3. Attach the green pieces to the blue ball and roll in your hands.
4. Make a hole in the center with the nail.
5. Bake in a 275 oven for 12-15 minutes.
6. String the earth ball on yarn or string to make a necklace.
      


Nature’s Colors
1. Give children assorted pony beads and a piece of string or yarn 20-24” long.
2. Explain that they can select a bead to represent the different things in nature that they appreciate. For example, a blue bead might remind them of the ocean, or a red bead might remind them of a cardinal. (Hint! Limit one bead per color. To make it easier to string wrap a small piece of tape around the end of the yarn.)
3. Tie the ends of the string together to make a necklace.
*Older students could write sentences about each color.
4. Ask children to describe their necklaces and explain what each color represents.

JOIN THE GREEN TEAM

Who wouldn't want to be the green team?  How about some membership cards?

                                          
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19TSLOruW-VhCPYhIcRynvpzZ2cVUx2Oq/view?usp=sharing


The Green Team (Tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”)
We are on the Green Team. (March in place as you swing your arms.)
Hoorah! Hoorah! (Fist in air as if cheering.)
We can recycle every day. (March in place as you roll your arms around.)
Hoorah! Hoorah! (Fist in air as if cheering.)
Aluminum, glass, tin, (March in place.)
Put paper and cans in recycle bins. (March in place.)
Join the Green Team, (March in place.)
Defend the earth and keep it clean. (Put both fists in the air like a hero.)

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can reduce what we use. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Turn off water and the lights.
Walk, take a bus, or ride your bike.
Join the Green Team.
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can reuse many things. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Share old toys and old clothes, too.
Give away what you don't use.
Join the Green Team,
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

We are on the Green Team. Hoorah! Hoorah!
We can keep our planet clean. Hoorah! Hoorah!
Pick up all the trash you see.
Protect wildlife and plant new trees.
Join the Green Team.
Defend the earth and keep it clean.

One of the best ways to be on the "green team" is to keep the earth beautiful by picking up trash. There's nothing more frustrating to me than to see trash along the road, but maybe we can improve things in the future by getting our students to join the LITTER PATROL!

Litter Patrol
Well, here we go, (Clap and snap fingers to the beat.)
We’re on the litter patrol.
We’re going to work all day
To put the trash away.
The planet earth, you see
Is our habitat.
We’re going to clean it up,
Well, how about that!

Litter Bags
Ask your students to bring in an empty cereal box or cardboard food box.
1. Cut the tops off the boxes.
2. Punch a hole in each short side.
3. Tie on a piece of string. Use these to collect trash or have the children place these in their cars.

Trash Snack
How about a “trash snack”? You will need ice cream cones, Gold Fish crackers, Cheerios, pretzel sticks, and peanuts. Take 4 lunch sacks and put a different item in each sack. Write “old tires” on the sack with Cheerios, write "dead fish" on the sack with the crackers, “sticks” on the sack with pretzel sticks, and “stones” on the sack with peanuts. Take a large bowl and make up a story about collecting trash. As you name the different items, invite different children to dump the contents in the bowl. Stir with a large spoon and then serve the “trash” in trashcans (ice cream cones). The cool thing about this snack is that there is NO trash when the children have finished eating!

Hint! Substitute raisins for peanuts if you have students with food allergies. You can also use sunflower seeds or other snack foods.

THE EARTH BOOK

Your students are going to be so proud of this “Earth Book” when they take it home to share with their families.  

Materials: 8” squares of the following colors:
2 orange, 1 green, 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 brown, 1 purple

To construct the book place down the orange square for the back of the book. Place the “purple sky” on top of this, then the “brown mountains,” “yellow sun,” “blue water,” “green tree,” and finally the front cover with the circle cut out. Staple on the left side. 

 

Note!  It can be adapted for readers as well as non-readers.  Younger children can read this as a wordless book. Older children can write descriptive sentences on each page.

Hint! Your students will be overwhelmed to do this all in one day, so stretch this project out by asking them to just do 2 or 3 pages a day.

Here's a pdf with the patterns.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljNnFFV0VhbU5YcEk/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-cf0hlOH1gfNuZsdxPLQ4wg