Earth Day 2023
Earth Day is Saturday, April 22nd this year, which means you have the week before at school to do some lead up activities! The Earth Day 2023 theme is “invest in our planet.” You could use the theme to ask students what they think that means or what actions they could take.
It’s important to keep in mind that some actions to invest in the planet are more accessible than others. For example, reducing food waste is something everyone can relate to as it doesn’t require going anywhere or buying anything and all students could brainstorm or share strategies they try at home while eating organic food or buying “sustainable” fashion can often be more expensive and therefore inaccessible for some families.
Two resources I’ve found useful when teaching about reducing food waste are:
Be A Food Waste Warrior | Educators Toolkits | WWF
Reducing Food Waste Activity Book | US EPA
But of course, follow your students’ lead and see how they want to invest in our planet and what ideas they have.
Our post from 2022: Earth Day Read Alouds has some classics and some newer books.
Speaking of new books, we are very excited about Nell Plants a Tree by Anne Wynter and illustrated by Daniel Miyares (cover photo). The illustrations look especially gorgeous and intergenerational stories are always wonderful for so many reasons. Use it for Earth Day or family timelines or a mentor text or more!
We love Jarrett Lerner’s books and activities and he has some for Earth Day: Jarrett Lerner Earth Day activities. The first activity is writing a thank you note to the Earth, which is brilliant as we love encouraging kids to express gratitude, use writing to communicate, and be creative.
For a paired read aloud with the thank you note activity, Thank You, Earth works perfectly (we heard about Thank You, Earth in this book list: Picture Books About Our Earth - Reading Middle Grade).
We love Indykids and they have some amazing environmental justice reporting. One place to start is “We Can’t Eat Money or Drink Oil” – Youth on the Frontlines Fight for Climate and Environmental Justice, but search their site and you will find so many other wonderful articles. The Newsela article Earth Day: Kid Heroes for the Planet is also a great place to start.
If the weather and your space allow, go outside! Enjoying fresh air and the natural world (or as close as you can get depending on where your school is) are a great way to celebrate the Earth. Happy Earth Day!