5 Last Minute Earth Day activities
Need some last-minute Earth Day ideas? Here are 5 easy, fun, and meaningful activities that you can implement right away in your classroom! I’ve gathered some of my absolute favorite resources that combine learning and engagement. These activities are perfect for celebrating our amazing planet!
Make Learning Come Alive with Earth Day Videos
One of my go-to resources for science content is SciShow Kids on YouTube! They have the most amazing Earth Day Compilation Video that breaks down environmental concepts in a kid-friendly way. It’s informative, engaging, and perfect for starting meaningful classroom discussions about taking care of our planet! I recommend using this video to build background knowledge and hook your students’ attention. Click below to check it out!
Get Creative with Earth Day Directed Drawings
Looking for a perfect brain break that combines creativity and learning? Art Hub for Kids has the most adorable Earth Day directed drawing collection that your students will absolutely love! There are several different ones to choose from! To add a literacy connection (because who doesn’t love crossing content areas?), have students complete this simple but powerful writing prompt: “Earth is important because _____________.” You can also have students apply a concept from The Writing Revolution by adding another sentence stem: “Earth is important, but _______”. These two sentence stems require students to think about what they have learned in two very different ways. The drawings make wonderful bulletin board displays when paired with their thoughtful responses.
build knowledge with Earth Day Writing and Research
Here’s my absolute FAVORITE Earth Day resource! If you’re looking for a comprehensive resource that combines writing, research, and environmental awareness, you’ll love this Earth Day Mini Unit! It’s packed with everything you need:
- Vocabulary posters for building Earth Day academic language
- Multiple writing options (informational, opinion, and explanatory)
- Helpful graphic organizers such as bubble maps and brainstorming pages
- Differentiated writing templates for meeting all learner needs
- Hands-on sorting activities for reduce/reuse/recycle learning
- Engaging word work and sentence building activities
- QR code research posters that students love using
- Ready-to-use note-taking templates
Engage Critical Thinking with The Earth Day Mix-Up Mystery!
Get your students excited about using their inference skills with this fun mystery activity! If you’re not familiar with The Lunch Bunch Club, your students will be hooked after this mystery adventure. The Lunch Bunch Club is a group of friends who always seem to find themselves in the middle of situations that need some detective work to solve!
For this mystery, The Lunch Bunch Club members all signed up for different Earth Day clubs at school – from the Garden Club to the Energy Savers Club. But…they can’t remember which clubs they chose! Your students will work as literacy detectives, using their inference skills to piece together clues and help each club member figure out where they belong.
What I love most about this activity is how it naturally encourages students to practice close reading and make inferences while staying engaged in solving the mystery. They’ll be so focused on helping the Lunch Bunch Club that they won’t even realize they’re strengthening their comprehension skills! Plus, the Earth Day theme helps reinforce environmental awareness in such a fun, natural way.
The best part?! You can use this activity with your whole class, in small groups, or even in your literacy centers. Students love working together to crack the case, and the discussions that occur are absolutely priceless! It’s a fun way to practice reading skills on Earth Day!
FREE April Word Builders Pack!
If you need an activity to mix into your April lesson plans, I’ve got a fun freebie for you! This April Word Builder activity requires no prep from you and is as simple as print and go. You can download these free printables below and start using them right away in your classroom.
Happy Earth Day!
Want to grab these Earth Day resources for your classroom? You can find them here:
I hope you loved all five of these Earth Day activity ideas for your classroom and students! You can also use the image below to pin this blog post to your Pinterest board, or share it with a colleague!
