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Earth Day Activities

  • 1.  Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 07:55:00 AM

    Good morning from Virginia! 

    My principal approached me with the idea of getting all students in the school involved in an Earth Day activity (or several activities). I'm excited for the opportunity to work with all students, or at least prep the activities for their teachers. I'm wondering if anyone has activity ideas or suggestions on how to set something like this up? 

    Thanks in advance! 

    Alicia 



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    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
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  • 2.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 11:11:00 AM
    Hi Alicia,

    Have you checked out the Toolkits from the Earth Day Network? 
    https://www.earthday.org/our-toolkits/

    --
    Michelle Zupan
    Curator 
    Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace
    502 Hickory Hill Drive
    Thomson, GA  30824
    706-595-7777
    FAX: 706-595-7177

    Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.
    Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

    Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc








  • 3.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 09:36:00 PM

    Thank you Michelle - I will explore this site! 



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    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
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  • 4.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 12:21:00 PM

    Here are some ideas I have done in the past. I have matched up different grades (1st and 4th, etc.) and had each group  do a different project together using items that can be recycled, reused. On that day, they can meet at whatever time works for them. 

    projects:

    Planting flowers

    Art using old CDs to make fish, other sea creatures and glue it on a large piece of blue butcher paper (waves) or make a mobile.

    make birds - Cut a basic bird shape out of cardboard. Students wrap cardboard with colorful yarn and stick feathers in it. Add a google eye, make a tree from butcher paper or cardboard and display birds in it

    Design a "city" with lots of green space on a playground or classroom floor. Use small milk cartons from the lunch room for the houses and building. Give students pipe cleaners, construction paper, tissue paper, etc. to create a town with lots of parks, gardens and  more around the buidings.

    Make bee boxes - Cut tops off small milk cartons, put a dab of homemade playdo inside on the bottom and fill with paper straws.

    Create journals from recycled folders using sticks and rubber bands for the binding.

    Make sun tea

    Put out lots of recyclable items and let kids create a movable object.



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
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  • 5.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 12:27:00 PM
    I would advise AGAINST making sun tea -- it's a bacteria magnet. 


    --
    Michelle Zupan
    Curator 
    Hickory Hill & the Tom Watson Birthplace
    502 Hickory Hill Drive
    Thomson, GA  30824
    706-595-7777
    FAX: 706-595-7177

    Visit us at www.hickory-hill.org or on Facebook.
    Follow us on Twitter: HHEducation

    Historic homes of the Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc








  • 6.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 01:11:00 PM

    Thanks Michelle for the warning on sun tea. Never actually done that one. Will take it off my list of garden actitivities.



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 09:39:00 PM

    Wow - thank you for all these wonderful ideas Evelyn!



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-16-2023 01:17:00 PM

    Caveat for making & consuming Sun Tea:

    Tea made by placing loose or bagged tea leaves in glass jars of water which are then left in direct sunlight can harbor bacteria that can make you ill. According to the Centers for Disease Control, using the sun's rays to make tea can facilitate the growth of bacteria. Tea steeped in a jar on your porch won't get any hotter than <nobr>130°</nobr> Fahrenheit, about the temperature of a really hot bath and not nearly hot enough to kill nasties lurking either in the water or on the tea itself. For that, water needs to be heated to <nobr>195°</nobr> for three to five minutes.



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    BJ Hansell
    Retired!
    Burnsville MN
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  • 9.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 01:09:00 PM

    Every year during Earth Week, I plant seeds (marigolds, cosmos, zinnia, sunflowers, etc.) with every child in the building (400) in small groups. While I am doing this, the art teacher is teaching the students how to draw flowers, pollinators, etc. We do a co-teaching "why" prior to breaking into groups. I use upcycled yogurt cups (with holes drilled into them) and use saved seeds and/ or use donated seeds. I start their seeds under lights, but you can send them to the classroom to grow on windowsills. The students love to plant and always report back about their flowers!



    ------------------------------
    Lori Princiotto
    Glenwood School
    Short Hills NJ
    9733797576
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 09:49:00 PM

    Thanks, love that Lori!



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-11-2023 01:23:00 PM

    Lori - After giving this all some thought, I would love for each child to be able to plant a seed to take home. How did you handle getting enough containers for this? We have 900 students and the idea of finding that many pots/yogurt containers, etc. is daunting! 



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-11-2023 04:02:00 PM

    Alicia, These are temporary, but how about having the older students make newspaper pots? Can you save the single serving milk cartons from the cafeteria? Thinking outside the box, maybe there is a restaurant or a big box store that throws away a lot of something that you can reuse. Check thrift shops for ideas. I know where I live in Sacramento, there is a non-profit that collects trash that can be recycled for school art projects. You might have to find a variety of containers for 900 students.



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-11-2023 04:05:00 PM

    Alicia, You could also just have students make seed balls. So easy. Then they take it home and plant wherever they find a green space that needs some color. Goes great with the story Miss Rumphius.



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-11-2023 04:16:00 PM

    Thanks for giving this thought Evelyn! I love the ideas of milk cartons because we have time to save up enough of those I'm sure. Seed balls is a great idea! When I've made them with my students in the past, I used quick air-dry clay, soil and seeds. The clay isn't cost effective for a large number of kids, however. What have you used for your seed ball recipe? 



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-11-2023 05:08:00 PM

    Seed Balls

    5 parts soil

    1 part flour

    1 to 2 teaspoons flower seeds

    water

    Mix dry ingredients.

    Slowly add water a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. It should clump together when you squeeze the soil in your hands. Form into golf size balls.

    Works great. Got the recipe from www.edibleschoolyard.org 



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-13-2023 09:36:00 PM
    Here's another resource for seedball material (they call it matrix): 
    I like their matrix and the website is also informative. They recommend that seedballs be small - about the diameter of a dime. You don't want a biggish ball with lots of seeds germinating close to each other.
    Good luck!


    ------------------------------
    Corri Gottesman
    Ramah Day Camp
    Lansdale PA
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  • 17.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-12-2023 11:21:00 AM

    is there a budget for paper cups bought in bulk? Otherwise maybe students can bring in recycled containers from home - might give them some responsibility and ownership of the project, too. There is enough time that I would think you'd be able to gather enough. We go through tons each week at our house. 



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    Jaclyn Ryan
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  • 18.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-12-2023 11:56:00 AM
    Alicia,

    My favorite way to make seedling pots is out of paper towel or toilet paper rolls! I always have a bunch stored away for various craft projects, and parents, etc are happy to donate them. The pots can be planted directly into a bigger pot or in the ground where it will decompose, so no waste, either!

    All you need to do is cut 4 slits on one end of the roll, then fold the tabs down, and tuck the corners like box flaps :)

    If the kids will be making their own paper-roll pots, it is often easier to flatten the tube and then fold it in half lengthwise, pressing the edges to make nice creases. This gives the kids lines to cut along, and will also make the seedling pots more square, which can help them fit together better in a tray, box, windowsill , etc. 





  • 19.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-12-2023 03:24:00 PM

    Here's another way to make seedling starters. https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Newspaper-Seedling-Pots

    Happy Planting!



    ------------------------------
    Kim Aman
    Grow Garden Grow
    Dallas TX
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  • 20.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-13-2023 08:12:00 AM

    One cheap, quick way to get lots of pots for seedlings, (assuming most of the kids drink milk) is to save all the milk containers from lunch. We have done this and it works great. Open each container up all the way and rinse it out well before the inside dries out or gets smelly. No need to wash, just rinse well. Then poke some holes in the bottom, from the inside out (we used a pen). 



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    Julia Birtolo
    Sweetser
    Saco ME
    207-294-4740
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  • 21.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-14-2023 10:12:00 AM

    ..Believe it or not, my family collected enough yogurt cups to supply my entire school (400 cups)! We get the ones with the removable labels, allowing the students to decorate the outside of the cups. I am confident you could collect enough cups to make this happen for your students. Send out a "reuse before recycle" notice and all the students will begin collecting for your project. (Reminder, you will need to make drainage holes at the bottoms of the cups. I use a soldering iron outside and make 2-3 holes in each.) I have also used compostable (corn-based) bathroom dixie cup sized cups. These only need 2 holes for drainage, which I have made with corn cob holders just punching the holes into the bottoms.

    I have used newspaper pots and toilet paper cores. Both will rot fast and fall apart before the students get the plants strong enough to plant out in a garden.

    I like the yogurt cups in particular, as they are bigger and can sustain a small plant to get it to flower. (Just my 2¢, but I have tried many things over the years.)



    ------------------------------
    Lori Princiotto
    Glenwood School
    Short Hills NJ
    9733797576
    ------------------------------



  • 22.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-14-2023 02:40:00 PM

    Wow I just love this community! Thank you all for the great suggestions. This gives me hope that I have enough time to collect reusable containers. I will send out an email to our school community asap! I'll let you all know how it turns out :)



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 23.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 04:06:00 PM
    Edited by Kim Aman 03-07-2023 08:32:58 PM

    Great question with plenty of time to plan!

    We celebrate Earth Day every day, but around April 22, there is  a great opportunity to shine a bright light on this day. Did you know that Earth Day is over 50 years old? We have a lot of work to continue to do to grow a healthier planet!

    I always read Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, Chief Seattle's address to congress in 1884, about his people's respect and love for the earth, and concern for its destruction. This story still rings true today. 

    • Often times, we make zinnia seed bombs to spread beautiful joy and support pollinators. 
    • Don't stop at the 3 R's there are 9, and probably even more

             Recycle

             Refuse

             Reuse

            Repair

            Repurpose

            Reduce

            Regift

            Recover

            Rot (compost)

    • We also take a deep dive into the Monarch Migration, as they are flying back through the Texas skies around Earth Day.
    • During the pandemic, we did an Earth Day Challenge that could easily be adapted during Earth Week.



    ------------------------------
    Kim Aman
    Grow Garden Grow
    Dallas TX
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  • 24.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-07-2023 09:52:00 PM

    Thank you Kim! I loved listening to that reading and definitely plan on incorporating the 9(+?) R's into our activities. 



    ------------------------------
    Alicia Rodriguez
    Conway Elementary School
    Fredericksburg VA
    ------------------------------



  • 25.  RE: Earth Day Activities

    Posted 03-15-2023 07:48:00 PM

    Kim, I love these ideas and the explanation of Earth Day. I'm taking your idea and doing an Earth Day Challenge. I'm at a low income elementary school and a majority of our students don't have cell phones so I will modify it a bit. Kids can complete the challenge and we will display the work in the library along with some great books. 



    ------------------------------
    Evelyn Margolin
    (916)501-1173
    ------------------------------