The following blog post is by Tyler Stott.

Held every year on April 22, Earth Day is an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate our beautiful Earth.

Earth Day is a reminder that we must protect our planet if we want it to remain beautiful for generations to come. We can do this in small ways by recycling, conserving electricity, and not littering. We can also do this in bigger ways by supporting global efforts to reduce harm and increase protection of our natural resources. We only have one Earth! 

Looking for a way to begin celebrating Earth Day? Explore these classroom activities:

Animation-Ish Earth Day Activity

One way to celebrate Earth Day is by creating an animated message. 

Here are a few Earth Day animations made in Animation-ish to inspire you.

Earth Day ROCKS!

Begin by reading “Rose’s Garden” by Peter H. Reynolds. This book explores the beauty of nature and the power of imagination. “Rose’s Garden” also shows how nature can make our world a much more colorful place. 

For this activity, break students into small groups but allow each student to have their own rock. Give your students some time to paint their rock with an inspiring message tied to nature or kindness. Have students share their rock designs and messages with their small group. Once you have given them some time to finish, instruct them to return to their groups and share what they have made! Invite everyone to go around and say one nice thing about someone else's rock. Once the sharing is complete, have your students go outside and place the rocks next to something like a tree or a garden! 

When your students are done with this project, we encourage you to do a reflection time. Ask your students: What did you decide to paint and why? When else during the week do you get the chance to be creative? What is your favorite thing about nature?

Click here to download the Earth Day Challenge Card: Earth Day Rocks! 

Trash vs. Recycling:

Begin by reading “Sydney and Simon: Go Green!” by Paul and Peter H. Reynolds, a book about the dangers of pollution and the power of recycling. In this book, Sydney and Simon meet a sea turtle who has been harmed by garbage due to littering. This book will help show students the implications of littering and why it is necessary to start recycling.

For this activity, you will need to prepare kits for each group in your classroom. Each group will need a kit of different materials. These items could include: a plastic water bottle, a plastic straw, a plastic grocery bag, a glass bottle, a paper towel, a newspaper, and a piece of wrapping paper. Feel free to switch out for any items that you might not have, these are just some suggestions. 

Working in teams, students will sort the items by what can go in a recycling bin. The team in the end who gets the most items correct is the winner. 1 point for each item in the correct spot! If you have enough different types of items, you can rotate them between groups. 

Answer Key:

• Plastic Water Bottle - recyclable 

• Plastic Straw- non-recyclable

• Plastic grocery bag- recyclable-ish (Can be returned to grocery store for recycling)  

• Glass Bottle- recyclable

• Paper Towel - non-recyclable

• Newspaper- recyclable

• Wrapping paper - non-recyclable

At the end of the activity we encourage you to do a reflection. Ask your students: What made this activity difficult? Were there any items you debated whether to recycle vs. throw out? Do your families recycle at home? At home do you ever struggle to know what to recycle vs. what to throw out? 

Click here to download the Earth Day Challenge Card: Trash Vs. Recycling.

FabMaker Studio: Animal Masks

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! - This Earth Day create a classroom zoo using FabMaker Studio. Students can explore the 2D ready-made masks from within the program to fabricate and create their own animal masks. Encourage each student to create their own unique animal and research a bit about that creature and where they live.

There are so many different types of animals on our beautiful Earth! However, we must continue to protect our planet if we want to keep it this way. Scientists declared 22 species extinct in the year 2021 alone.

How will you celebrate Earth Day? Share your animations, rock gardens, and classroom zoos with us on social media. Use #EarthDay and #InvestInOurPlanet and tag us @FableLearn.