You help the Earth in little ways each day. You turn off the water when you brush your teeth and recycle your soda cans. But you (and your students) can make an even bigger impact on this big, blue planet when you build Earth-friendly habits into your classroom! It’s not easy to admit, but schools produce a lot of waste, from food being tossed out at lunch to worksheets being thrown in the trash. I’m sharing a few Earth Day ideas for schools that will help you reduce waste in the classroom and have a positive impact beyond just Earth Day.
7 Earth Day Ideas for School
A lot of Earth Day activities focus on this singular holiday. I think that’s a great start! But if you want to instill Earth-friendly habits into your classroom, you need to think long-term. These Earth Day ideas will help you reduce school waste, and they are great learning opportunities for students.
#1 Earth Day Challenge
In February, you might have hosted a kindness challenge in your classroom! Why not bring that same concept into April? Each day, give your students a small task that has big benefits for the planet, such as picking up trash, recycling old classroom papers, or eating all their vegetables! You can pair your daily challenge with a read-aloud, like What a Waste and What is Climate Change?
At the end of the day, have students reflect on this task and the impact it had on their classroom. The hope is that this challenge develops into long-term habits!
#2 Using Digital Resources
Your trash can is filled with old classroom work and graded papers. It’s not something you love to see. Try swapping some paper-based activities with digital ones! My favorite is using Whiteboard Warm-Ups.
These no-prep educational videos review math and ELA skills, like number sense, multiplication, the alphabet, and so much more. Plus, there are seasonal videos to add excitement to the holidays and brain breaks to reignite engagement and energy. Simply display the video on a smartboard or TV, and students will follow along. If you replaced just one paper warm-up each day with Whiteboard Warm-Ups, you could save eight reams of paper a year!
#3 School Recycling Program
Another Earth Day idea for school is to start a recycling program, with your students in the lead! Have students create informational posters about recycling after reading Can I Recycle This? or The Life of a Little Cardboard Box to hang around the school or display near recycling bins. Then, check that recycling bins are available inside classrooms, staff rooms, and the cafeteria to help reduce school waste.
You can also pair your school recycling program with a STEM activity. Using recycled items, students can create all sorts of designs, like a marble roller coaster or an egg drop basket. You can use this during your science or math block to bring Earth-friendly habits and learning together.
#4 Start a School Garden
A school garden will require support from your campus, but it’s a worthwhile project. School gardens not only provide fresh foods to students and community members, but it’s also a great educational opportunity. Visit the garden for a science lesson about plants, weather, and life cycles. Read about different plants during your ELA block or write about the taste of different vegetables and fruits (tasty and educational!).
You can also reduce waste in schools by taking leftover cafeteria food or spoiled vegetables from the garden and composting them. This compost then becomes fertilizer to support your garden’s growth!
#5 Classroom Cleanup
This is a great Earth Day idea for school, but you can also use it year-round. Team up with students to do a classroom deep clean! Clean out desks and pick up trash on the floor. Recycle any paper or plastic that is found, and put classroom materials back in their rightful place (no need to throw out those half-used pencils!). You can also have students wipe down their desks, water classroom plants, and dust shelves so that you can breathe fresh, clean air!
If you want to reduce waste in your classroom, consider using rags instead of paper towels for cleaning. And repurpose old paper for scrap sheets!
#6 Letter Writing Campaign
Our elected officials play a big role in waste around our communities and schools. As a class, identify a topic you’re passionate about, such as recycling, planting trees, or food waste. Then, have students write to elected officials and ask them to help with the cause, such as supporting green cleaning initiatives or adding water bottle refill stations to schools. This is a great research project for students, plus they will practice their letter writing and communication skills.
#7 Earth Day Sing-A-Long
Promote the importance of Earth Day and protecting the environment with an Earth Day sing-a-long! Use this as a brain break activity or during your morning meeting. You can even use it as an educational moment to talk about rhyme!
I hope these Earth Day ideas for schools inspired you to make Earth Day a year-round celebration. Reducing school waste doesn’t have to take hours of your day. It’s in the small habits and actions you build into your classroom and school!
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