Earth Day is all about raising awareness about the importance of protecting the Earth and taking action. Teach your class more about why appreciating our planet is so important and encourage your students to help make a difference with these classroom activities inspired by the upcoming holiday!
Carbon Footprint by Kitchen Counter Chronicle
For this activity, students will research the science behind their carbon footprint and work together to brainstorm solutions to the hurtful impact of major carbon footprints. After stamping a footprint onto a canvas, students will discuss items that contribute to having a big carbon footprint. Once the list is created, they will brainstorm choices they can make to reduce their own carbon footprint before writing those ideas on their poster.
Earth Day Fractions by Life Over C’s
This activity is a fun way to incorporate the upcoming Earth Day celebration into your math lesson! To play, students will get a worksheet that has different fractions displayed in empty circles on the page. They will then spin the fraction wheel to see which circle they need to cover with their Earth chips. To play independently, simply cover the Earths as the fraction or equivalent fraction is spun. To play in a group, use two kinds of ‘chips’ to cover the earths, take turns spinning the spinner, and whoever covers the most earths wins.
Earth’s Atmosphere Balloon Experiment by Carrots are Orange
This hand-on science activity is a great way to practice the scientific process and provide a visual aid for students learning about scientific reactions in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. For this experiment, students and teachers can work together to pour baking soda into a balloon and fill a plastic bottle with a cup of white vinegar. Then, you will place the balloon opening around the mouth of the bottle, and hold the balloon up so the baking soda falls into the bottle. Step back and observe!
Seeds in Eggshells Activity by Steamsational
Experience the joy of nature and growing things by planting your own mini garden inside of an egg shell! After creating a small pot out of the egg shell, students will lightly fill them with dirt before adding the seeds they have chosen to plant. Place in a sunny spot and wait for the seeds to sprout! This activity is a great resource for teaching your class more about different types of soil and why seeds grow differently in various conditions.
Homemade Seed Paper by Views From A Step Stool
This homemade seed paper is a simple activity that will have your students excited for the next day of class. All you have to do to create your own seed paper is gather some construction paper, blend it with water, add some flower seeds, and let it dry! Once they have completely dried you will be left with small seed pods that you can plant and watch grow!
Dirt Battery Experiment by TeachBesideMe
Looking for an activity that’s a little more complex? Did you know you can make a battery out of dirt? The author lays out step by step instructions for how you and your class can work together to use dirt and wire to build a functional battery. This is a great experiment for older students to learn more about conductivity and how it affects soil.
We hope this short list was able to provide inspiration for ways you can incorporate Earth Day into the STEM classroom. What are your favorite activities for celebrating Earth Day with your students?
Looking for more free resources, lesson plans, and activity ideas for Earth Day? Check out our Earth Day Pinterest Board!
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