We love Earth Day! When I was in college in California, Earth Day brought out the handmade crafts, dancing, music, and organic foods. It was a weekend event and I loved it!
Now that I am a teacher, we celebrate Earth Day with lots of fun activities. They have even added to our science curriculum to reflect recycling, caring for the Earth, planting, awareness of resources. We spend a week or two on Earth Day books and songs. We do celebrate on April 22nd with fun centers all morning.
Below you can see our Earth Day crowns. The kids make an earth, write a Earth Day sentence and decorate their crowns.
Another center they enjoy is illustrating What a Wonderful World for a class book. I have started letting them use oil pastels to illustrate. Last year, my assistant laminated each page before binding them for us. Some years I have used page protectors. It is my favorite class book! The kids will sit together and sing as they turn the pages.
These kids are creating an Earth from torn paper. Then they write a goal about how they can help the earth: I can help the Earth by planting flowers. I can help the Earth by not littering.
These kids are painting turtles that look like a patchwork Earth based on Frank Asch's book, The Earth and I. This year I plan to add in one more project: Pinterest stalking pays off! A cute idea to use paper plates with tempera paint to make an Earth print (here is the original idea at Teach Preschool.)
The kids make little books with ideas on how to save the Earth (we make a chart as a class).
We also use eye droppers to color coffee filters to look like an Earth. I hang them in the window.
We learn the songs "What a Wonderful World" and "The World is a Rainbow" in sign language. I play the guitar but I usually don't play very often until after Spring Break, mainly because the kids need too much attention and help for me to be busy doing something else! It is a lot of fun, though, and many kids have told me it is one thing they remember from being in my class (Hey! I taught you how to read, too!).
The Baltimore Zoo is coming to visit us on Wednesday! We will learn some new things about ecology and habitats as we see some (small) exciting animals.
Spring break was relaxing and fun. It will be busy from here to summer!
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1 comments:
Laura, I am SO excited that I found your blog today through the K-2 Linky Party. I work in Bladensburg, MD, and I wondered how you got the Baltimore Zoo to visit your school with animals? Is there a special process? Also, do you know that if you take a class from the Aquarium in Baltimore 1 time, you can then take your class there for a free field trip once a year?
It's so cool that you play the guitar. If it's easier for you, there is a version of "What A Wonderful World" by Dr. Jean on her CD "Just For Fun". I particularly like the Louis Armstrong version - I place it in the Listening Center so the children can listen to it while they're turning the pages.
I totally love your ideas and I would be so grateful if you could stop by my blog and leave me a comment about the Zoo. I also have tons of freebies for kindergarten.
Sharon Dudley, NBCT
http://teachingwithsight.blogspot.com
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