EVEN MORE STUFF

Working with Others

Organise a "pledge drive" encouraging people to make an Earth Day promise. People can write their own promises to improve the environment on paper "leaves" which can then be placed on a "tree" either painted onto a poster or you can build your own "tree."

Challenge other classes or schools to see who can sign up the most people.

Hold an environmental fair. If you can charge for table space, the proceeds can go to an environmental organization or for books for the library or to set up a recycling program.

Invite speakers to talk about environmental issues. Invite elected officials to speak.

Have students write letters to officials asking them to support a specific local project.

Do an environmental survey of your school. Look to see have much waste is generated and what types, how much water is used, how much and what types of paper, what kinds of cleaners, how much food, how much energy.

Schoolyard Activities

Plant trees where appropriate around school grounds.

Grow trees from seed.

Set up an organic garden at your school complete with a compost pile.

Survey how many different kinds of plants, animals, and insects live in/ around your schoolyard and draw pictures of them.

Organise a cleanup of the schoolyard or a local park.

Recycling

Organise a school recycling programme with collection bins in the cafeteria/ lunch hall and other areas where waste is generated.

Set up a paper reuse box in your classroom. Paper with one good side can go into a box to be reused.

Energy & Water

Conserve and Renew Curriculum designed for grades 4-6 and readily adaptable to other grades. An activity guide focusing on conservation and renewable energy sources. Twenty-three field-tested hands on activities, teacher background information, student handouts, annotated guide to energy education resources.

$12 made payable to SSU Academic Foundations to:
"Conserve and Renew, Energy Center,
Sonoma State University,
Rohnert Park,
CA 94928
(707) 664-2577.

Also, Eco Clip Art for Educators, and Energy Education Hypercard Stack for Apple Macintosh users. $12 each. (U.S. only)

Arts & Crafts

Organise a poster contest dramatizing the best (beauty) and worst (pollution) of nature.

Make a paper tree on the classroom wall with each leaf containing the individual promises of students to improve the environment.

Have students perform a play or puppet show with an environmental theme.

Make reusable canvas bags as a sewing project.

Make nature cards to wish parents and friends a happy Earth Day!

Sing songs about nature.

Organise an All-Species parade with students dressed as their favourite animal or plant, form and entry and enter a local Parade with a "Take Care of the Earth" theme or create your own theme.

Create 'Earth Day' Grocery bags - request summary of this simple and meaningful project

Field Trips

Visit a landfill and a recycling center to learn about different ways to deal with waste.

Arrange a tour of a local energy facilities.

Survey what kinds of rubbish washes up on an ocean beach or lakeshore. "Adopt" a site and organise a clean-up.

Visit a nature centre, natural history or science museum, or a wilderness area.

Take a trip to a local organic farm.