Dear “Earth Talk”: I’m looking for
projects for my son’s elementary school to do for Earth Day this
year. Do you know of any that can teach children about taking care of our
environment? — Meryl Greenfield, Williston Park, N.Y.
Earth Day is April 22 this year, and there’s no
time like the present to start preparing activities that will teach young
people about the importance of protecting the planet. The Seattle-based
Earth Day Network, founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in
1970, offers a wide range of resources to help parents and teachers plan
events and direct appropriate discussions on current topics. This year, the
organization is focusing efforts on raising awareness about environmental
problems associated with global warming. Parents and teachers can register with the Earth Day
Network and receive free materials including lesson plans, information on
how to get students engaged in local environmental activities, suggestions
for hands-on and outdoor activities — even an environmentally themed Jeopardy! game. Some other free resources offered by the Earth Day
Network include an “Ecological Footprint Quiz,” through which
kids can find out how much impact they personally have on the environment
as determined by how they eat, live, and travel; a series of informative
fact sheets on climate change and alternative energy sources; and links on
their Web site to other reputable information sources online. If
you’re looking for Earth Day events to attend in your area, the Earth
Day Network’s Web site allows you to simply type in your locale and
get a continuously updated calendar of events local to you. Meanwhile, Kaboose.com, an educational Web site for
kids and families, features Earth Day pages with green-themed online games,
suggestions for recycling everyday items into Earth-friendly crafts, and
kid-oriented eco-discussion topics. And Education World offers lesson plans
and activities covering a wide range of topics including here-and-now
issues such as in-school recycling and ways to minimize lunchroom waste. Another interesting way to educate kids and the
public alike is the Earth Day Groceries Project: Parents or teachers borrow
grocery bags from local supermarkets to be decorated with environmental
messages and artwork by students. The bags are then returned to the store
and used for grocery bagging on April 22. For those looking to get real local, the Heartland
All Species Project offers a free Web-based “Earth Day in Your
Neighborhood” guide outlining ways kids can bring neighbors together
to celebrate the Earth and commit to greener living. The concise
illustrated guide details ways to get composting, tree planting, energy
efficiency, and recycling projects going on a street-by-street basis. For additional ideas, consider perusing the posts on
the Earth Day/Ecology Projects Chatboard on Teachers.net. Several teachers
have posted ideas for Earth Day projects and activities, from putting on a
play based on Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax to raising money for school by recycling inkjet
cartridges.
For more information:
Earth Day Network, www.earthday.net; Kaboose.com’s Earth Day page,
www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/earthday; Earth Day Groceries Project,
www.earthdaybags.org; Heartland All Species Project, www.allspecies.org/neigh/blocka.htm; Education World, www.education-world.com/holidays/archives/earthday.shtml; Teachers.net,
www.teachers.net/projects/earthday.
This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2006.
