Earth Day Projects for Fourth Grade Kids
Every April humans pause to consider their impact on the planet. Use Earth Day as an opportunity to educate your fourth grade students on planetary protection and encourage them to green their daily routine. Offer your students hands-on projects that are both educational and engaging to enhance their understanding of the impact their actions have on the planet.
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Dear Principal, Go Green!
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Engage your students in the composition of a letter to your school principal, in which they urge this official to green up the school. To begin this activity, gather resources regarding green practices, such as installing motion sensor lights in bathrooms or starting a recycling program. Divide students into groups, and give each group a resource to peruse. Ask each group to create a list of things that they could do to improve the eco-friendliness of their school based upon the information in the resource.
After students have created extensive lists, place a large sheet of butcher paper on the front board and cooperatively compose a letter to the principal including many of the students' suggestions. Invite the principal to your class, and allow the students to read him their carefully composed letter.
Trash to Treasure Contest
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Turn re-using into a competitive activity by holding a Trash to Treasure contest. Introduce this contest several weeks before Earth Day, and tell students to begin to hang on to waste material that they feel they could repurpose. Give each student a bag in which to store her gathered waste supplies.
On Earth Day, give students time to create a treasure using their gathered trash. Allow students to exercise their creativity when creating their treasure. Tell them that they can create whatever they want, be it a piece of jewelry, a purse or even a piece of sporting equipment.
Once students have crafted their piece, allow them to present it to the class. Hold a class vote, and reward the student who receives the most votes with an appropriately recycled prize.
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You Should Know... Wall
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Use Earth Day as an opportunity to share knowledge by creating a You Should Know... Wall. Section off a portion of your classroom wall and dedicate it to eco-friendly information, labeling it "You Should Know..." using die-cut or hand-cut letters.
On Earth Day, take your students to the computer lab, or provide them with print resources, and allow them to research planetary health concerns such as pollution and excessive waste production. Provide each student with an index card. Ask the students to write a particularly disturbing fact that they uncover on their index card. Tape the index cards to your section of classroom wall to create an information station dealing with planetary health.
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References
- Photo Credit earth image by Leticia Wilson from Fotolia.com
