How to Create an Earth Day Study Unit

Earth Day is a particular day set aside to remember the ways that we can preserve life on earth. In today's society, living green is on the minds of many people. Here are suggestions for making an Earth Day unit for your kids.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Three ring binder
• Paper
• Computer/printer
• Hole punch
• Large paper bag
• Latex/rubber gloves
• Ingredients for Earth Bowl recipe

1. Language Arts. The first thing you can do is read a story about Earth Day so your child understands what it is all about. A good book for younger children is "Earth Day," by Trudi Strain Trueit. Older children might enjoy, "The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair," by Denis Hayes, which has some good ideas of how kids can help the earth.

2. Science. Discuss the elements that make up the earth's crust, and the various layers of the earth. The Franklin Institute has a great recipe that kids can make to help them visualize the core, mantle, and crust. Find the link below this article.

3. History. Discover the history of Earth Day and how it began. Have your child pick out an interesting fact about Earth Day and write a poem about it. The poem can be acrostic, Haiku, or rhyming, depending on your child's age.

4. Math. Have your child conduct a trash survey. This requires Internet research. Your child will look up how much trash various states throw away each year. Have your child map these amounts on a bar graph, and see which state has the most trash thrown away per year. Ask your child why this might be to encourage critical thinking skills. Now have your child write a short essay about how Americans can help reduce the amount of trash that we throw away.

5. Field trip. Take large brown bags, such as from a grocery store, and pairs of rubber gloves. Take a walk around your neighborhood and pick up any trash that you see along the way. Your child will feel a sense of accomplishment and service from helping to beautify your neighborhood.

Tips & Warnings

• Print out all of your materials ahead of time. Hole punch the pages and place them in a three ring binder.
• Let your child decorate the front of the binder with stickers, coloring pages, and other items.
• Don't let children pick up glass items or other dangerous objects when collecting trash in your neighborhood.

Resources

• The Earth Bowl Recipe - Franklin Institute
• Earth Day from Teacher Created Materials

[msopinion]

on 11/7/2009 Great article please write more. 5*

[Merriment]

on 3/5/2009 Earth day is approaching and I'm always looking for new ways to be a part of it. Thank you for these suggestions!