I always love teaching my class about Earth Day. I am a little embarrassed to say that before I began teaching I was not at all “green”.
I have always been involved in a lot of different charities and service organizations. I have donated and participated in fundraising events for St. Jude’s and the Shriners for years. I am always an enthusiastic participant in toy drives and food drives. I have helped my own children create service projects to benefit the NICU unit at our local children’s hospital and my favorite project of the year is having my class collect candy for overseas soldiers. When I was in college I was even volunteered as a “cuddler” at the university’s medical hospital. (That was a GREAT gig! I got to go from one unit to another and just hold babies for 3 hours every Tuesday night… I was in HEAVEN! I wish I could do that full time!)
The point is I care. I care a lot. Caring is kind of my thing. …
But in my “I care about everything” way of living… I kind of left the environment out… UNTIL I started teaching! It’s funny how these little people change us, isn’t it?
My first year teaching I hardly knew what Earth Day was but now it is a holiday (and a full instructional unit) that I look forward to all year long! So, I thought I would share some of my favorite Earth Day “tried and true” activities and some of the new things we are going to try out this year!
I usually start by front loading some vocabulary that will will be using this month. I go right ahead and teach the “big words” to my students. (I have taught these “big” vocabulary words to kindergarten, first & second grade classes.) I find that they are very capable of learning the real vocabulary when it is taught in a fun, developmentally appropriate way. So, to introduce the vocabulary, I have a poster for each word that I hang up for the entire month. I like to use vocabulary posters that have big, clear photographs and simple explanations. The picture support is especially important for young students and English language learners. Whenever I teach the kids new vocabulary I make a big deal about telling them their parents are going to think they went to college today instead of second grade when they come home and say they learned about _____. (They love it.) Then, we clear our throats and say the word in a very over-exaggerated “college voice”. (It is kind of ridiculous but it works. I promise. They LOVE to use the “big words”! AND if you leave the posters up they will start to use them in their writing too! I have had kindergarten students writing about recycling and landfills because it was easy to find the words they were looking for on the posters!)
There are so many great books that we are enjoying this month! Teaching second grade, I found some new books this year. They go more in depth than the kindergarten books that I’ve used the past few years- so, I thought I would share a few of my favorites!
Why Should I Recycle?, Why Should I Save Water? and Why Should I Save Energy? This series will work for any primary classroom. The stories are easy to understand and the illustrations are cute and clear. My students really liked these books and have gone back to read them many times.
Recycle: A Handbook for Kids is fabulous. This is the book that we have used the most. It is packed with information, just like all Gail Gibbons books. You can use it to teach a lesson on text features or informational text. It is also great to use as a mentor text for informational writing. (I have 3 copies of this book and they are all always being used!)
Michael Recycle is such a cute book! It’s about a little superhero whose superpower is teaching people about recycling. The kids loved it. It led to a cute class discussion about how we cold be earth superheroes too!
George Saves the World by Lunchtime is another really cute book! This one is about a little boy who decides he wants to “save the world”. At first he isn’t sure quite how he is going to do it… but soon he realizes what a big difference he can make by recycling and creating less trash. It was another great “We can be superheroes too” kind of book… very cute.
We are going to begin learning about composting next week. I haven’t gone deep into composting with a class before… I have always just quickly mentioned it- but this year we are going to go more in depth… we are going to start by reading Composting- Nature’s Recyclers and Compost Stew.
We are also going to try to learn more about composting by watching it happen with this compost kit. I have never tried this before… I really hope it works!
Last week we also made “Recycled Robots”. I need to hunt down more photos… but how cute is that little guy?
Okay, here are a few more quick things I want to share with you! First, some of my favorite Earth Day songs…
“Going Green” is our favorite. (Warning: You won’t be able to stop singing it.)
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is a very simple song about the recycling loop.
“If You’re A Kid…” is another one of our favorite songs. My kids LOVE this one by Harry Kindergarten.
This is my all time favorite hallway display. I wrote more about it here. This is part of my Earth Day Bundle and my Earth Day Close Reading packet or you can grab just this writing/art project HERE.
I wanted to share a recycling FREEBIE with you as well!
This mini-unit is perfect for grades 1-3. It includes and article that explains recycling written on 3 different levels of text and vocabulary complexity… so the differentiation is done for you! It also includes text dependent questions and some recycling posters.
I always use Earth Day as an excuse to sneak my Butterfly and Sea Turtle units into centers as well. I LOVE these units. They are so much fun to teach- the kids love them! (The Sea Turtle unit is actually a part of the Earth Day Bundle– which is a great deal if you are looking for some materials!)
So… that’s where we are in our Earth Day preparations… we are going to be planting seeds today (which is for our science fair project… but fits nicely in with Earth Day)! What do you have going on for Earth Day? I would love some new ideas!
(F.Y.I- This post contains affiliate links to books & products that I love & use in my classroom.)
Hi, Neat post. There is an issue along with your site in web explorer, may test this?
IE still is the marketplace chief and a big portion of other folks will omit your great writing
due to this problem.
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate
your content. Please let me know. Thank you
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your content seem to be running off the screen in Firefox. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Many thanks
Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog
stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme.
Bless you
Hello, constantly i used to check weblog posts here early in the break of
day, because i like to find out more and more.
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly.
I am quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here!
Good luck for the next!
I’d like to find out more? I’d want to find out
more details.
my blog post personalized home canvas
It’s hard to come by educated people in this particular subject, but
you seem like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
I blog often and I really appreciate your information.
This article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your site and keep checking
for new information about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed too.
Asking questions are really nice thing if you are not
understanding something totally, however this post provides good understanding yet.
Everything is very open with a very clear clarification of the challenges.
It was truly informative. Your site is extremely
helpful. Thank you for sharing!
Excellent article. Keep writing such kind of information on your
site. Im really impressed by it.
Hey there, You’ve performed an incredible job. I’ll definitely digg it and
individually recommend to my friends. I am
confident they will be benefited from this web site.
My page :: Personalized lyric canvas
Pretty component of content. I simply stumbled upon your weblog
and in accession capital to say that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.
Any way I will be subscribing in your feeds and even I achievement you
access persistently quickly.
It’s remarkable in support of me to have a site,
which is good for my know-how. thanks admin
My blog post :: We Buy Houses Davidson
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article.
Thanks for providing this info.
My web-site :: 먹튀사이트
It’s hard to come by educated people about this
subject, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
I have read this post and if I could I wish to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions.
Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article.
I wish to read more things about it!
Have a look at my site :: furniture Trends
It’s nearly impossible to find educated people about this topic, however, you
sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with
the layout on your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself?
Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one these days.
Feel free to surf to my webpage :: toyota salt lake city
Superb post however , I wass wondering iff you could write a litte more on this
topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a
little bit further. Cheers!
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search
Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for
some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good
success. If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!
My web-site; dove trovarlo
Thanks for a marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it,
you could be a great author. I will ensure that I bookmark
your blog and will come back in the future. I want
to encourage you to ultimately continue your great posts, have a nice day!
Hello there! I know this can be kinda off topic having said that i was wondering if
you knew where I really could find a captcha plugin for
my comment form? I’m utilizing the same blog platform as yours and I’m having problems finding one?
Thanks a lot!
Feel free to surf to my web-site; JudePFristoe
This article will help the internet visitors for creating new
website or even a blog from start to end.
Concomitantemente, foram estabelecidas regras para maior controle da sibutramina, como exigência de receita controlada, por ex. http://perdadepeso07418.widblog.com/49949460/desodalina-600-mg-60-c-psulas
Um óptimo substituto do cafezinho, podendo ser adicionado a bebidas quentes ou frias. http://power-save-card-pre-o53974.blogerus.com/20690137/veja-quatro-menorreia-de-ouro-para-emagrecer-r-pido-e-em-vivenda
A obesidade abdominal é usualmente estimada medindo a periferia
em torno de sua cintura. http://emilioefffe.Digiblogbox.com/21777250/inibidores-de-apetite
It’s great that you are getting ideas from this article as well as from our discussion made here.
It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I’m happy that you
shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this.
Thanks for sharing.
Here is my website; t3B-system.com
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your further
post thank you once again.
my site … home improvement time
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your feed and stay up for seeking
more of your great post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks
Simply want to say your article is as astonishing.
The clearness in your publish is just spectacular and that
i can suppose you are knowledgeable in this subject.
Well along with your permission allow me to grasp your feed to stay up to date with imminent post.
Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
my web page; bodog88
Very good article. I am facing some of these issues as
well..
My web page … Green Leaf Healing CBD Reviews
CBD is Cannabidiol, a substance stemmed from the marijuana plant.
It has actually been utilized in U.S. for quite some time
currently and also has come to be a topic of discussion in numerous countries around the globe.
When made use of or consumed, the material has some undesirable side results,
which makes it an inappropriate remedy for those that suffer from epilepsy.
The seizures triggered by this problem are commonly fatal and the individuals
are under consistent guidance of an epilepsy registered nurse,
that chooses what dose of CBD oil should be offered to the
client based on his neurological background and also existing clinical condition. As
a matter of fact, CBD is likewise a crucial compound in the therapy of Parkinson’s
illness as well as is made use of in varying proportions depending upon just how fast
the seizures are occurring as well as the degree of brain damage the patients have experienced.
Feel free to visit my webpage – cbd oil near me
magnificent publish, very informative. I wonder why the opposite specialists of this
sector don’t notice this. You should proceed your writing.
I am sure, you have a great readers’ base already!
I have been surfing online greater than 3 hours as of late, but I by no means
discovered any fascinating article like yours. It is lovely worth enough
for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made excellent content as you probably did,
the internet might be much more useful than ever
before.
Feel free to surf to my blog post … Velma
Simply desire to say your article is as surprising. The clarity in your post is simply
spectacular and i could assume you’re an expert on this
subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your
feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.
Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in trading links
or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa?
My blog addresses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other.
If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
Review my web page: oak cabinets
I do believe all the ideas you have presented in your post.
They are very convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are too short for starters.
May you please lengthen them a little from subsequent time?
Thanks for the post.
Here is my web blog … medications to treat ibs pain
Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Thank you
Feel free to surf to my web-site treating Ibs with diarrhea Naturally
The Iranian tour operator, Irpersiatour, that we mentioned before, is working in for
four years and there are many good reviews about them on the internet.
The team uses their international knowledge about tourism and
combine it with everything they know about Iran to create wonderful tourism packages.
In the field of medical tourism, they try to connect you with the best clinics and hospitals in Iran. Irpersiatour team only work with experienced surgeons and you can fully trust them and their
medical packages.
Medical services that this tour operator provide for you are adhered strongly to medical ethics and standards to deliver cost-effective,
timely, safe and quality services. They also examine your medical condition comprehensively and suggest a customized mixture
of hospitals, clinics and top surgeons.
Iran tour packages at Irpersiatour are designed with delicacy, there are
variety of tours at different prices, with
different qualities for you at this travel agency.
You can choose the best one considering your taste. Irpersiatour
team introduce themselves as a tour operator that: know
you’ve got things you’d love to do, places you’d love to see, cultures you’d love to jump into
and adventures to experience in Iran.
excellent issues altogether, you simply won a logo new
reader. What would you suggest about your put up that you simply
made some days in the past? Any certain?
My relatives all the time say that I am killing my time here at web, however I
know I am getting familiarity all the time by reading thes nice content.
Review my website; ibs treatment pain medication
I drop a comment whenever I appreciate a post on a website or I have something to valuable to contribute to the discussion. Usually it is
caused by the sincerness communicated in the post I browsed.
And on this article Earth Day Activities for First &
Second Grade (and a Freebie!) – Sunny and Bright in Primary.
I was excited enough to drop a comment 😉 I actually do have
2 questions for you if you don’t mind. Could it be only me
or do a few of these comments appear as
if they are left by brain dead visitors?
😛 And, if you are posting at other online social sites, I’d like to follow you.
Would you make a list all of all your public sites like your
linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
my webpage: best treatment for ibs with constipation
Hello, I enjoy reading through your article.
I like to write a little comment to support you.
My page fried Foods High
I think the admin of this web site is truly working hard for his site, because here every information is quality based data.
Here is my web-site How To Treat Ibs Pain Left Side
Hi tһere friend, Tһis was a fantastic post for such a
difficult topic tо speak ɑbout. Ӏ look forward to ѕeeing
a lοt mоre outstanding postfs ⅼike this օne. Тhanks.
My site: Mini Trampoline reviews
I enjoy what you guys tend to be up too. This type of clever work and reporting!
Keep up the good works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll.
My blog post :: personalized Family canvas Signs
Ӏ do trust ɑll of the concepts yoս’ve preѕented іn your
post. Theʏ’ｒe reaⅼly convincing аnd can cеrtainly ѡork.
Tһank you for the post.
Alsso visit mmy рage; physic reading
Awesome post.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both
equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the
nail on the head. The problem is something not enough people are speaking
intelligently about. I am very happy that I found this during my hunt for
something relating to this.
Here is my homepage 365bet
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Thank you!
Feel free to surf to my page – custom pet Photo Necklace
I was suggested this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post
is written by him as nobody else know such
detailed about my trouble. You are amazing! Thanks!
Feel free to surf to my page; سئو سایت – Rebecca –
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high-quality articles or
blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I
finally stumbled upon this website. Reading this info So i’m glad to show that I have a very good uncanny
feeling I found out just what I needed. I so much
undoubtedly will make sure to don?t disregard this web site and give
it a look regularly.
Also visit my site :: سئو ارزان [Franklyn]
I’d like to find out more? I’d want to find out some additional information.
Also visit my webpage … سئو سایت ارزان (Florene)
Hi, i believe that i saw you visited my weblog thus i
came to go back the want?.I’m trying to find issues to enhance my website!I guess
its adequate to make use of some of your concepts!!
Very interesting details you have remarked, regards for putting up.
My page; long term bad credit Loans
I savour, cause I found exactly what I used to be looking for.
You have ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day.
Bye
Simply a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding style.
Feel free to surf to my web site: where Can i Buy modafinil
Pourtant il s’agit d’un club réservé au couple qu’il forme avec cette demande.
Carcassonne qui me fera mal ett préférerions une personne ou un couple vous dit.
Sauf les samedis soir au club 87 pour se taper une bonne communication.
Feel free to viisit mmy homepage … pamela trav
Puis, comme qu’elles reçoivent vraiment beaucoup de messages, elles ne laissent pas
beaucoup de chance à chacune des perrsonnes qui l’a
contact.
Also visit my website :: Annonces Rencontres adultes gratuites
Here is my homepage; rdv Libertin fr
This page certainly has all the info I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Valuable information. Fortunate me I discovered your website accidentally,
and I am shocked why this twist of fate did not happened in advance!
I bookmarked it.
Here is my web blog; Pure Spectra CBD Oil
magnificent put up, very informative. I ponder why the other specialists of this sector don’t notice this.
You must continue your writing. I am confident, you have a huge readers’
base already!
Also visit my homepage Nature Tonics Keto Pills
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of
your post’s to be exactly I’m looking for. Do you offer
guest writers to write content to suit your needs? I wouldn’t mind writing a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write in relation to here.
Again, awesome website!
That is a good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Short but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this
one. A must read post!
You could certainly see your skills within the article
you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers such as you who are not
afraid to say how they believe. All the time go after your heart.
My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right.
This post truly made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had
spent for this information! Thanks!
Excellent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely
great. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you are saying and the way in which you
say it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it sensible.
I can not wait to read far more from you. This is actually a wonderful website.
Everyone loves it when people come together and share
ideas. Great website, continue the good work!
Here is my site … Nu Vigor Testo Review
Great post. I will be dealing with some of these issues as well..
What great ideas for celebrating Earth Day in your classroom! I'm delighted to discover that you're sharing COMPOST STEW with your students, and thank you so much, Marcie, for choosing my book to introduce your class to composting. Hope everyone will dig in… and enjoy!
My students loved your book! It was perfect for our Earth Day unit and is a great addition to our classroom library! 🙂