Earth Day Curriculum Resources, Grades K-5
Earth Day is April 22, 2013
Explore new and review familiar ways to live responsibly with these lessons, projects, activities, and games for grades K-5.
Lesson Plans
Conserving Water through Art! (
PDF, 127 KB, 5 pgs.)
Students in grades K-4 use a recycled jar to make and decorate a toothbrush holder reminding them to turn off the faucet when not in use.
Healthy Earth, Sick Earth ( PDF, 517 KB, 13 pgs.)
Students in grades K-5 use the book Planet Earth Gets Well by Madeline Kaplan to learn about concepts related to climate change and the properly caring for Earth.
Comparing Light Bulbs
Students in grades K-8 compare compact fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs to measure the difference between being energy-efficient and energy-wasteful.
Draft-O-Meter
Students in grades K-8 learn an easy technique to measure the presence of drafts in their homes and classrooms.
Build a Pizza Box Solar Oven
Students in grades K-12 make a simple solar oven using a pizza box that gets hot enough to warm up cookies and other treats, like s'mores.
Energy Detectives (3 Activities)
Students in grades 5-8 search their classroom for energy connections and record the ways they use energy throughout a typical day in an energy detective journal.
Geothermal Energy (5 Activities)
Students in grades 5-8 explore heat transfer from rock to water, energy transfer between fluids in a binary geothermal power plant, salinity’s effect on the boiling point of water, emissions from a geothermal power plant and those from a fossil fuel power plant, and the performance of a model dry steam power plant with turbine blades and steam jets of different size and number.
Lesson Units
Department of Energy: K-12 Lesson Plans & Activities
Teach your students the importance of green energy with creative lesson plans, labs, projects and other activities for grades K-12 on energy-related topics.
Teacher Resources and Lesson Plans
An array of environmental and science based lesson plans, activities and ideas for K-12.
Celebrate Earth Day (Scholastic)
Promote environmental awareness with these lessons, activities, and printables for grades 5-8.
- Green Lesson Plans & Activities K-12 (Green School Project)
- eGFI: For Teachers Lesson Plans K-12
- Green Your Lesson Plan K-12 (Greening Schools)
Portals & Websites
Science Education
ScienceEducation.gov (beta version) is the unification of federal science agencies’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education content, supporting cyber-learning and open participation.
- An Educator's Guide to Green Lessons & Activities
- EIA Energy Kids (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
- Green Curricula and Environmental Learning Activities (The Green Spotlight)
- EekoWorld (PBS Kids)
- Earth Day (Environmental Protection Agency)
- NASA Earth Day (NASA)
- Earth Hour
Games & Activities
Environmental Education: Preschool Activities and Crafts
Activities designed for grades K-3.
Top 10 Earth Day Activities
10 activities for grades K-12.
- Arthur: Groovy Garden K-3
- EekoWorld: EekoCreature K-3
- EekoHouse K-3
- PBS: Earth Day Games K-3
- Cyberchase: Eco-Haven Emergency K-4
- Wild Kratts: Tortuga HQ K-4
- DragonflyTV: Remote Operated Vehicle K-4
Printables
- Environmental Protection Coloring Book! K-3 ( PDF, 177 KB, 13 pgs.)
- Free Environment Coloring Pages K-3
- The Best Earth Day Printables K-3
- National Green Week: Posters K-12
- Hazardous Substance Information and Education Office K-12
Video
Earth Day Video Recommendations
For grades K-12. Eight full-length conservation-themed episodes from the PBS television program Nature that you can watch online.
Earth Day History
For grades K-12 there are13 brief Earth Day related videos, charting the green movement since the first Earth Day in 1970.
last updated: March 29, 2013
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mark | 2012/05/04