EARTH BALL
We play catch with a plastic inflated globe that is like a beach ball.
Before we play catch the children predict if their thumbs will touch
water or land more often. Two children are the recorders one records
how many times thumbs touch land by putting together brown unifix
blocks as all the
children report where thumbs have landed. The other child has blue unifix
blocks and records how many times water is touched.
Discovering the Continents
Submitted by Mary
Each month my afternoon kindergartners explore a new continent. At
the beginning of the year we learn the difference between a map and
a globe. To prepare for the year's activities, I have each
child color wash(blue tempera paint thinned with water) a large sheet
of white construction paper. You can use a blue one or a sheet
of butcher paper if you wish! Each child receives a pre-printed
paper with boxes around the words for "Map of the World", all continents
and ocean names. He or she chooses where the title of "Map
of the World" will go. It's then glued to the map.
As we study each continent, the students pin-punch around a black
line drawing of the continent. We use small carpet square remnants
as a backing and push-pins to make tiny holes around the outline. This
is great for fine motor skills. It takes a while to get the idea
of punching holes close to one another, but the children get excited
when they see that the continent is almost "out of it's shell", as
one child put it!
We glue the continent to our map, sitting in front of a world map
as a point of reference. Each child has to find the name of the
continent on their word sheet, cut out around the box, and glue in
the center of the continent. They also have to find out where the continent
goes! I check it before they glue. This makes a great map,
although not to scale! The children are able to identify the
continents and oceans, and enjoy their hands-on activity all year long.
After we pin-punch the continents, I use children's literature,
flags of various countries to be studied within the continent, cooking
activities, games, etc. to enhance our studies. This usually
takes 2 weeks out of the month and is always a fun time for us.
OUR EARTH
Submitted by Melissa
Cut out a large circle out of blue construction paper (or have older
children cut out their own). Glue onto a piece of black constrution
paper. Then green paper, cut out land forms(they don't have to be
perfect, your painting over parts of it anyways). Glue green on to
the blue circle. Then add a little white paint. I put the paint into
little dixie cups and let them finger paint on the clouds by swirling
their fingers. My group of kids thought it was fun. We also used
a star punch and glued on yellow stars. They looked great up on the
wall. Especially when you have a lot of them. We also used this to
reinforce the circle shape and the colors blue and green. We also
talked about some familiar children shows. Such as Buzz Lightyear
and Rolie Polie Olie so that the younger 3's could relate to what
we were making.
DISPOSABLE CAMERAS
Submitted by Machaelle
Check your local photo development center (such as Wal-Mart) for
the plastic casings used with one-time use cameras. Some of
them still have buttons to push and wind up mechanisms still intact. My
kids love taking "pictures" of each other with their "own" camera.
CLASSROOM RECYCLING PROJECT
Submitted by Venessa
After reading "The 3 little pigs" Me and my kids set out to build
a house from other peoples junk and our recycled stuff. We visited
a construction site and they were more than willing to offer up some
of their scrap wood which we used to build the six room open front
house. We visited a couple of wallpaper stores who offered up some
discontinued wallpaper sample books. A visit to a local tile store
also offered us a box of discontinued and left over tiles that we
used for tables and a fireplace. They loved bringing home small found
items to see if we could make something out of it. We used plastic
grocery bags and cotton to make diapers, old black panty hose and
painted wood blocks to make speakers, and magazine photo's with home
made frames to hang on the walls. The project turned out much greater
than I had ever imagine. Everytime we thought of something the house
needed someone would have an idea of how to make it. I think this
would be an excellent classroom project that everyone could participate
in even if it just meant bringing some old beads to turn into vases
or shampoo caps for garbage cans. We also got into the Sculpey oven
bake clay to make food for our house but that's another story. I
would love to show you a picture but unfortunately we had to get
rid of it when we moved because of space. Anyway thats my idea and
I hope it brings as much fun to others as it did for us.
DISCOVERING THE CONTINENTS
Submitted by Mary
Each month my afternoon kindergartners explore a new continent. At
the beginning of the year we learn the difference between a map and
a globe. To prepare for the year's activities, I have each
child color wash(blue tempera paint thinned with water) a large sheet
of white construction paper. You can use a blue one or a sheet
of butcher paper if you wish! Each child receives a pre-printed
paper with boxes around the words for "Map of the World", all continents
and ocean names. He or she chooses where the title of "Map
of the World" will go. It's then glued to the map.
As we study each continent, the students pin-punch around a black line drawing
of the continent. We use small carpet square remnants as a backing and
push-pins to make tiny holes around the outline. This is great for fine
motor skills. It takes a while to get the idea of punching holes close
to one another, but the children get excited when they see that the continent
is almost "out of it's shell", as one child put it!
We glue the continent to our map, sitting in front of a world map as a point
of reference. Each child has to find the name of the continent on their
word sheet, cut out around the box, and glue in the center of the continent.
They also have to find out where the continent goes! I check it before
they glue. This makes a great map, although not to scale! The children
are able to identify the continents and oceans, and enjoy their hands-on activity
all year long.
After we pin-punch the continents, I use children's literature, flags of
various countries to be studied within the continent, cooking activities, games,
etc. to enhance our studies. This usually takes 2 weeks out of the month
and is always a fun time for us
RECYCLING FILM CANASTERS INTO NECKLACES
Submitted by Lisa
You can make the cutest necklaces that can even hold things. We used
old black film canisters with the lid to make spider necklaces.
You need
1 film canister per student w/ the lid
a string for the necklace
4 pipe cleaners / per necklace
2 sticker wiggle eyes / necklace
fabric paint
black duct tape
Each student starts by painting on the film canister a face w/ fabric
paint (mouth and nose) and sticking on the wiggle eyes. Let this dry. Later
they bend their pipe cleaner legs and use the black duct tape to tape on the
opposite side of the face. The teacher need to use a knife to poke
a hole in the lid of the film canister and put the string through. Put the
lid on and you have the cutest spider necklaces.
Instead of using fabric paint you could try paint pen markers and instead of
using wiggle sticker eyes you could use white out and a marker.
AIR POLUTION DETECTORS
Use markers to write each child's name on a
separate index card. Have each child spread some petroleum jelly
on it and hang around the school and outside. See what is in
our air by letting the kids use magnifying glasses to observe what
dust, debris, particles, bugs,
etc have collected during a one-week period. Sticky contac paper also
works well.
EARTH DAY PUPPETS
Encourage students to help keep the earth clean by reusing items that
would otherwise go into the trash. Provide each child with a plastic
scoop from a box of powdered laundry detergent. Supply yarn, wiggle
eyes, buttons,
permanent markers, paper scraps, and glue. Invite youngsters to create puppets
from the provided materials. Then have youngsters use the completed puppets
to put on a puppet show with an Earth Day theme!
VOLCANO SNACK
Submitted by Jan
Need:
Clear Cups
Milk
Coke/Pepsi
Whipping Cream
Have child pour l/3 cup of milk in glass.
Add whipping cream (we used the Ready Whip (canned) kind
Pour coke until the cream floats to the top.
Add a straw and enjoy.
EARTH DAY
Submitted by Marilyn
This is something I do each year with 3's. Take bubble wrap
and cut it into about a 6" circle. Have the children paint
the wrap with green, blue and lighter blue paint. Then have
them press the painted bubble wrap onto a sheet of light blue construction
paper. It looks like the earth. It really turns out quite
nice.
EARTH/ECOLOGY UNIT
Submitted by Kris
Note pad
Have children save paper that has been used only on one side and
bring to school. (My school office saves for me also) I staple
3 or 4 sheets together, blank sides facing the same way. I
draw a tree shape, like an evergreen, on the top sheet. Have
children cut as many of these as they are interested in. Staple
together to make a small notepad. On the top sheet write "Save
a tree and write on me!" Good for grocery lists, phone messages,
etc.
Earth model
Stuff a small lunch bag with newspaper. Tie off the top. Have
children paint bag blue. When paint is dry have children paint
or glue on land forms. Hang in room.
Planting
Any kind of planting works for this unit. Discuss how plants
help to clean the air. Animals eat plants, we eat plants and
animals, decomposing helps the plants, etc.
Acid rain
Haven't tried this yet, but, have 3 like plants. Label them so
you water one with water, one with water mixed with 1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon
juice, and one mixed with 1 cup lemon juice. Discuss and graph
changes, etc.
Water Pollution
With celery or white flower, place in container of colored water. As
the colored water works it's way up the stem and into the flower, discuss
how water pollution would get into plants, how animals eat plants,
so pollution would get into us!
Food chain game
Throw varied colored beads or markers on the floor, this represents "food." Have
the "animals" gather a certain amount of food. When they are
finished, look at their "food." Tell them all the red beads are
poisoned from pollution, so those animals die. Repeat. Even
if they then avoid the red, eventually that will be all that is left,
so they should see the effect.
Earth Day Collection from the web
Submitted by Barbara
I did not collect these...but I thought that they needed to be shared
by all.
Tune- Drummer Boy (Christmas song)
Come, they told us parumpapumpum,
The Earth is sore they said parumpapumpum,
Don't take our tusks and horns parumpapumpum,
Don't take our fur and hides parumpapumpum,
rumpapumpum, rumpapumpum.
Let us live as friends, parumpapumpum,
Under the sun.
Come, they told us parumpapumpum,
The Earth is sore parumpapumpum,
Don't chop our forests down parumpapumpum,
Don't fill our seas with waste parumpapumpum,
rumpapumpum, rumpapumpum.
Let us live as friends, parumpapumpum,
Under the sun.
Let us all hold hands parumpapumpum,
To the children of all the lands parumpapumpum,
To heal what has been hurt parumpapumpum,
To plant new trees with care parumpapumpum,
rumpapumpum, rumpapumpum.
For all life is one parumpapumpum,
Under the sun.
The Earth
The earth must be a lady;
She likes to change her clothes
In winter time she loves to wear
The very whitest snows
In spring, she goes about in green.
In summer, flowers bold.
And in the fall, she's very grand,
All dressed in red and gold
"He's Got the Whole
World in His Hands". It is sung to the same tune but we made up
our own words. It goes like this;
Verse 1 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Verse 2 - We've got clean water for the fish
Verse 3 - We've got clean air to breath
Verse 4 - We've got no garbage on the ground
Verse 5 - We've got the whole world in our hands
Each verse just repeats itself 4 times.
OR this one:
We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands"
(tune: He's Got the Whole World in His hands)
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole, wide world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the whole world in our hands.
We've got to reduce all our trash.
We've got to reduce all our trash.
We've got to reduce all our trash.
We've got to take care of our world.
We've got to reuse all we can.
We've got to reuse all we can.
We've got to reuse all we can.
We've got to take care of our world.
We've got to recycle all we can.
We've got to recycle all we can.
We've got to recycle all we can.
We've got to take care of our world.
Repeat the first verse.
Story:
The earth is getting filled up with the things we throw away
and
it's getting hard to handle all the waste we add each day.
You can help
to solve the problem. Here is something you can do
Learn all about recycling using trash to make things new
You can save your old aluminum. You can save your cans of tin
Just wash them out with water for the metal recycling bins
(All join in for refrain)
You can save your old newspapers Tie them up with cord and string
At the paper recycling center They'll make cards and books and things
(refrain)
You can save your jars and bottles Sort out green and clear and brown
There's a glass recycling center on the other side of town.
(refrain)
You can save your plastic bottles. Just don't add them to the trash.
Find out if your grocery store will turn them into cash!
(refrain)
The peelings from your vegetables will help your plants grow big.
Put them in a compost pile or in a hole you dig.
(refrain)
You can really save most anything, to use another way.
A box can be a place for toys, or a stage for your next play!
(refrain)
So now that you know all about this plan that can't be beat.
Tell your friends and tell your neighbors. Keep this whole world nice and
neat!
(story by JoAnne Nelson Pictures in book by Clovis Martin)
Caring for the Earth Lotto game:
Materials needed: scissors, construction paper, markers,
glue, reproducible pictures of: clouds, rain, smoke and fire, sun,
water, trees, paper, aluminum cans, glass bottles, animals, flowers,
and plastic bottles, put into a lotto game 3 pictures wide, 4 pictures
long, pictures labeled.
During this activity the children will be identifying many common things,
some which are manufactured, others which are natural. Before preparing
the materials, decide how the children will complete the lotto game. If
the children are matching pictures, make two photocopies of the lotto game. However,
if the children are ready to match labeled pictures with words, provide a lotto
board that only shows words. For playing cards, copy just the pictures. Color
the pictures as desired and set the materials in the center. After the
children are familiar with the pictures shown on the playing cards, invite them
to play the game by matching the picture card in the corresponding space on the
board. If appropriate, ask the children to place all pictures of items
that are manufactured in one group and to talk about these items.
Variation: To give children opportunities to work with new vocabulary
words, write the new words on a poster board, leaving extra space for the pictures
that children clip from nature magazines. The pictures on the lotto board
may be used to start the list.
Thinking about the earth:
Record the following poem on a tape:
"When quiet feelings come to me,
I sit as still as still can be.
I think about trees or a pretty tune,
Or storybook time, or a big, full moon.
I think about darkness covering the town,
Or twinkling stars as Im lying down.
I think about wings on a butterfly,
Or clouds moving gently across the sky.
I think about leaves, or a nest in the tree,
And all of these bring quiet feelings to me.
Louise Binder Scott
Make a large copy of the poem, and have the children point to the
words as they listen to the tape. If desired, laminate the poem,
and have children
circle specific words or letters.
Our beautiful oceans and rain forests:
Materials: books about the rain forest and ocean, magazine pictures,
tapes
of nature sounds, cassette player.
Have children listen to music (sounds) while looking at books or pictures,
or tape stories about the ocean, etc. You could also have the children
draw
pictures of what they "see" when they just listen to the music, and display
in the center.
Who litters? Not me!: (Much like the junkosaurus)
Materials: brown lunch bags, craft items, markers, glue, construction
paper
scraps, scissors, books about recycling, recyclable items (plastic caps,
soda can tabs, newspapers)
Have children make puppets out of recyclable, and encourage them to put
on
a puppet show, or do dramatic play with the puppets, about caring for the
earth by recycling and not littering.
Telling Earth wise stories:
Provide pictures about people cleaning up trash, recycling, pollution,
etc.
Have children talk about the pictures and make up stories about the people
in the pictures.
Writing center activities:
My favorite place in Nature:
Nature magazines, newspapers, rubber stamps, stamp pad, construction paper,
scissors, glue, markers or colored pencils
Have children look through magazines and choose a favorite place. Cut
out and glue to construction paper. Make a fancy border with stamps, and
have them cut out letters to name their picture or write (dictate) short sentence
that tells why that is their favorite place.
Rain Forest Crunch
Shredded coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, cupcake liners, spoons,
crayons, paper, scissors, glue, construction paper
MAKE SURE NO ONE IS ALLERGIC! Put all items in small containers. Write
(add pictures as necessary) the following recipe on a large piece of paper:
Take a paper cup and spoon.
Place 1 spoonful of coconut in the cup.
Add 1 spoonful of nuts
Add 1 spoonful of chocolate chips
Mix together. Eat and enjoy
LITERATURE
Recycling by Gail Gibbons. Then I
Just A Dream - Chris Van Allsburg
The Lorax - Dr. Suess
The Earth and I Are Friends - Frank Asch
Clifford's Spring Clean-Up - Norman Bridwell
Litterbugs Come In Every Size - Smaridge
Compost! - Glaser
The Earth and I by Frank Asch.
Children complete the phrase "The Earth and I...
Read Recycle by Gail Gibbons.
Earth Day/Recycling
Submitted by Betty of the KOS Loop
I cut out 2 large circles from white tagboard..the bigger the better. I
then draw a rough sketch of the continents of the world with blue,
brown and green crayons on both circles so we have 2 worlds. I
grid in the area with the matching color so the children can color
the worlds themselves. As they are coloring, we talk about
land and sea, etc. At another sitting, the children decorate
lunch bags on which I have programmed, "Johnny's Litter Bag". I
put instructions in the bag for the parents to help the child pick
up some litter or to bring something in that is recyclable. The
next day, the children take turns emptying the litter bag contents. We
talk about what things are made of...where they were found...how
they could have been disposed of..etc. We categorize and count
the "junk". I then hot glue them to one of the above worlds
and sometimes tell a story, i.e., "Oh, this soda can was thrown over
the side of a boat one day when a man was fishing.." and I
glue it in the sea (the blue colored area). Of course,
the one world gets very "trashy"/"dirty". We compare it to
the other world which is "clean". We have a great discussion
on what we can do to keep our world clean! This makes a very
impressive wall display. I put up the words,"Which world would
you like to live in?"
Title: Good Earth Art
Submitted by Peg
Litter Collage
Take children outside on playground to pick up litter. Collect the
litter in several paper bags. With large or small group let children
make collage on large butcher paper using litter. As children work
stimulate thinking by asking: "What might happen if an animal ate
this?", "Will these things help the plants grow?", "Does litter make
our world more beautiful?"
Title: Songs for Earth Day
Following songs submitted by Peg
Use It Again
Tune My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
We all need to learn to recycle
Recycling will help save the land
If you want to keep our earth clean
Recycle as much as you can
Use it, use it,
Please try to use it again, again
Do not waste it
Recycle as much as you can
Keep It Clean
Tune: Farmer in Dell
Let's keep the earth clean (2xs)
Let's all work together
To keep the earth clean
Let's keep the water clean (2 xs)
Let's all work together to keep the water clean
Let's keep the air clean (2 xs)
Let's all work together to keep the air clean
I Saw a Piece of Trash
Tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic
Oh, I saw a piece of trash, so I went to pick it up
I saw a piece of trash, so I went to pick it up.
I saw a piece of trash, so I went to pick it up.
But it blew away up in the air.
I keep my earth clean, so I ran and ran and ran.
I keep my earth clean, so I ran and ran and ran.
I keep my earth clean, so I ran and ran and ran.
I threw that trash in the garbage can. |