Earth Day Projects

Earth Day School Projects

• An Earth Day Signature Drive
  
  Ask kids to make a promise to act environmentally responsible. Teachers can create a promissory note, and kids can promise to respect the Earth. List examples like, I will throw trash into the garbage, instead of littering our ground; I will recycle at home and school, whenever possible; I will turn off the lights at home and school when they're not being used; and I will save water by using my own water bottle, rather than using plastic, water bottles.
  
  Set a goal that 100% of the kids will participate. Make it school-wide, with a 'reward' like their name announced on the school's news show or posted on a Earth Day supporter banner.
  
  
• Clean - Up The School
  
  Plan a school clean-up. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air while beautifying your school's grounds. You'll need a list of school volunteers; donations of cleaning supplies, like garbage bags, rakes, shovels, and gloves; donations of drinks and snacks; and list of participating kids.
  
  Ask families to participate in the school clean-up. If your school requires volunteer time for all families, then this would be an excellent opportunity for parents to get their hours.
  
  Send home fliers with all the students to let parents know the day and time. Plan for a Saturday morning. The time involved will depend on how many volunteers you have and how much work the school grounds need.
  
  Make sure everyone has on protective gloves before starting. Pair small groups of children with adult leader and divide the teams into different sections on school property. Instruct kids not to pick up any glass or harmful items - you might be surprised what things your teams will find, and you certainly don't want anyone getting hurt by picking up glass or sharp metal objects.
  
  Assign adult supervisors who will rotate through sections and make sure teams have what they need: more bags, drinks, removal of filled bags, etc. You don't want team leaders walking away from the kids in order to throw a bag away or grab drinks.
  
  Once the clean-up is done, take a final tour: make sure all equipment is put away, and the garbage is thrown away.
  
  Enjoy your wonderful, new school property - cleaned up and beautiful. Mother Nature will thank you for getting it clean too.
  
  
• Grow a Garden
  
  As a second part to clean-up day, you could find a section at the school to start a school garden. Many people are growing their own foods, and this would be a fun, teaching experience for the kids.
  
  If you have a small section of ground, then you could grow a garden. Decide what kind of garden you'd like at the school - my son's elementary school grew a butterfly garden, with plants to help butterflies; you could choose certain plants that are good for your area (and also require less watering); or foods that teachers could use as snacks.
  
  Contact a local nursery for advice and possible donations. You'll need to make sure the dirt is good for planting, what plants are good for your area, and advice on maintaining the garden. Your county's agricultural area will also have some help on getting started.
  
  To determine who will help with the garden, you can choose kids who eagerly want to participate. Another option would be to divide chores or days of the week for different grade levels. The important thing is that the students feel a part of the process, from the decision on the type of garden, through the planting and caring, to enjoying the fruits of their labor. Whether it's a real fruit or a flower, the school garden will give students the pleasure in knowing they're helping Mother Earth and learning about sustainability.