Sustainability Teaching Resources
Make teaching sustainability easy this school year with printable worksheets, activities for kids, lesson plans and more — all created by teachers for your primary classroom.
This teaching resource collection is aligned with the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority to help your students build a more sustainable future!
Each resource was designed to help your students understand how they can implement sustainable practices in the classroom and at home.
Our teacher team has carefully reviewed and curated each resource to ensure your students will be armed with information on everything from composting to conservation, as well as how to reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, and repair.
Tackling this topic for the first time in your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Sustainability? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum and for a good reason. Primary school is an important time to begin talking to students about sustainability as we can instill these practices early and make them into lifelong habits. But explaining this concept to kids can be tricky.
Here's a kid-friendly sustainability definition we like to use to explain its meaning to our students:
Sustainability is the ability to meet someone's current needs without hurting the ability of people in the future to meet their own needs.
On a more technical level, sustainability represents a holistic approach to addressing environmental, social and economic challenges in a way that supports long-term well-being and resilience.
This often includes practices such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, and promoting social equity.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources – Board Game
Answer questions related to renewable and nonrenewable resources with this printable board game.
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Environmental Awareness Flip Book - Earth Day Activity
Use this flip book to build awareness of actions that are good and bad for the environment.
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The Recycling Process Poster
Show your students the process materials go through when they are recycled with printable recycling posters.
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What is Pollution? Guided Note-Taking Worksheets
Provide your learners with an organised note-taking method with a pack of Pollution note-taking templates.
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A World Without Water - Natural Resource Worksheet
Imagine and depict what a world without water would look like with a drawing prompt worksheet.
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I Promise To... Earth Day Flip Book Craft
Make a promise to protect the planet with a printable Earth Day flip book.
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How is Plastic Recycled? – Recycling Worksheets
Explore the process of recycling plastic with a printable recycling worksheet.
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Natural Resources – Exit Tickets
Assess student understanding of natural resources with this set of exit tickets.
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Earth Day Writing Craftivity
Create a fabulous Earth Day display with a printable Earth Day craft activity.
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Classroom Practices to Promote A Green Future - A Teacher's Guide
An 18 page teacher's guide on how to drive a sustainably friendly classroom!
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Recycling Craft - We Recycle Because...
Write about why we recycle and create this recycling craft to display in the classroom.
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Recycling Word Search
Build your students’ vocabulary around the topic of recycling with this recycling-themed word search.
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National Tree Day – The Green Bridge – A Science Investigation
A science investigation embedded in a real-world context, where students design a habitat to meet the needs of specific animals.
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Critically Endangered Species Map – Poster
A poster of the world map featuring 64 species and subspecies that are on the critically endangered list.
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Conservation T-Shirt Challenge
An engaging, creative task where students design their own t-shirt promoting the conservation of the Amazon rainforest.
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Why Should We Compost? Poster
Use this poster set to explain why it is important to compost food scraps.
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Recycling Soft Plastics Made Simple Poster
A poster that shows an effective way to identify soft plastics when recycling waste.
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Helping the Earth Flipbook
Use this printable recycling flipbook with your students to teach them about ways to help Earth.
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Earth Day Mini Book
Help your young students learn and write about Earth Day with a printable Earth Day book for kids.
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What Can We Recycle? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Remember what to recycle with a cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Recycling Writing Prompts
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
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Natural Resources Task Cards
Answer questions about natural resources and their uses with this set of 16 task cards.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Flipbook
Use this printable science flipbook with your students to research and write about a chosen natural resource.
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Recycling Posters - Printable Recycling Bin Labels
Teach your students how to recycle in the classroom with labelled recycling bins!
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How We Use Natural Resources Printable Book
Read and learn about how we use natural resources with a printable mini-book.
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Earth Day Mobile - Craft Template
Inspire your students to reduce, reuse, and recycle with a fun Earth Day craft project.
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Our Natural and Built Environments - Poster Pack
Poster with definitions and examples of natural and built environments.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Environmental Word Wall
Help your students learn about recycling and conservation with an illustrated word wall.
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Earth Day Activity Wheel
Encourage students to get involved in environmental responsibility with this collection of 8 Earth Day activities that focus on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.
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Energy Saving Tips for the Classroom – Poster
A poster displaying some helpful tips for saving energy in the classroom.
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Sustainability Quote Poster Number 8
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." - Edward Everett Hale
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Classroom Energy Audit Worksheet
An investigation that will have students observing the energy usage in their classroom and proposing action to reduce energy waste.