Earth Day 2024 Teaching Resources
Teach students about Earth Day in 2024 with printables, worksheets, activities, crafts, and more about being kind to our earth and living a more sustainable life.
This collection of teacher-created resources for ELA, math and science teachers touches on a variety of eco-friendly themes, including sustainability, environmental impact, and recycling. Most resources are curriculum-aligned and editable so you can differentiate work for individual students, and each has undergone rigorous review by an expert teacher on the Teach Starter team.
Teaching Earth Day for the first time this year, or need a quick guide to the 2024 holiday? Read on for tips from our teacher team!
When Is Earth Day 2024?
Earth Day is held on the same day each year, which means this year the holiday will be on April 22, 2024. This is a Monday, so schools should be in session!
What Is the Theme of Earth Day 2024?
Following the Earth Day theme — chosen annually by EarthDay.org — can help you focus your lesson planning to save time and have the greatest impact on your students.
The 2024 theme is Planets vs. Plastics, opening the door to talk about the impact of single-use plastics on the environment!
How Do You Explain Earth Day to a Child?
Depending on the grade level you are teaching this school year, explaining the state of our planet can be a challenge. So how do you touch on the importance of being green and sustainability in kid-friendly ways?
First, you may want to consider why it's so important that our students learn about Earth Day in the first place. Earth Day is an important opportunity for children to learn about the environment, the importance of conservation and sustainability, and to understand their role as active citizens.
Among the issues kids are learning when you teach about Earth Day in the classroom:
- Environmental education: Learning about Earth Day helps students understand the importance of protecting the environment and preserving natural resources for future generations.
- Climate change: Understanding the impacts of climate change and how to reduce carbon footprint can be started in elementary school and have a real impact as kids grow up
- Active citizenship: Children learning about Earth Day are learning about how they can make a difference in their own community, such as recycling, conserving energy, and protecting endangered species.
- Interdependence: Learning about Earth Day also helps children understand how everything in the world is interconnected, and how our actions can have a direct impact on the planet.
- Encouraging curiosity and creativity: Earth Day promotes curiosity and creativity in children, leading them to want to explore and learn more about the world around them.
What Can Students Do on Earth Day?
This collection is full of activities you can use with your students this Earth Day, and here are some things elementary schools can do to mark this important annual event:
- Get Planting at School — If you don't already have one, Earth Day is the perfect time to create a school garden and teach students about the benefits of planting fresh plants, flowers and trees.
- Clean-Up Litter Around the Community — Organize a clean-up event to pick up litter in the school's community.
- Amp Up Recycling Efforts — Encourage your students to do more to keep trash (especially plastic!) out of landfills by setting up recycling stations around the school or in your classroom.
- Conserve Energy — Educate your students about energy conservation and encourage them to turn off lights and unplug electronics when they're not in use.
- Enjoy Nature — Organize a nature walk around the school or in a nearby park. Your class can learn about different types of plants and animals while they enjoy fresh air.
- Bring in a Guest — Invite an expert to speak to the class about environmental issues and what kids can do to help.
- Get Creative With Reuse — Your class can make artwork using recycled materials and learn about how these items can be transformed into something new and beautiful.
- Experiment — Conduct a science experiment in your science classes related to an environmental issue, and learn about how we can make a difference.
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Recycling Writing Prompts - Earth Day Worksheets
Differentiate writing instruction in primary grades with informational writing prompts about recycling and conservation.
- Free Plan
The Recycling Process Poster
Show your students the process materials go through when they are recycled with printable recycling posters.
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Happy Earth Day Coloring Sheet
A coloring sheet to be used in the classroom when learning about Earth Hour and Earth Day.
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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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What Can Be Recycled? Poster
A poster showing the products that can be recycled.
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Deforestation-Infographic Analysis Activity
Read and understand an infographic about Deforestation with a thought-provoking poster and comprehension questions.
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How Can We Help Our Planet Mini Book
Make an Earth Day mini book that your students can complete to explain how they can help the planet.
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Earth Day Vocabulary and Writing Pack
Help your young students learn and write about Earth Day with an illustrated word wall and writing prompts.
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Earth Day Build a Sentence Worksheet
Build and write sentences about Earth Day with a cut-and-paste Earth Day worksheet for kindergarten and first grade.
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Earth Day Quotes – Environmental Quote Poster Pack
Inspire sustainable practices in the classroom with a pack of printable Earth Day Quotes.
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Develop a Habitat - Garden Project
A project-based assessment task for students to demonstrate their understanding of how habitats can be preserved and protected in and around where people live.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Earth Day Foldables
Display different ways to conserve resources with a set of fun recycling–based foldable interactive notebook templates.
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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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My Promise to the Earth - Flipbook Template
Make a promise to protect the planet with a printable Earth Day flip book.
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Trash, Recycle, or Compost Sorting Activity
Learn about recycling, composting, and sustainable practices for waste management with a fun sorting activity.
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Trash, Recycle, and Compost Posters
Remind your students where to put their waste with these trash, recycling, and compost posters.
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My Ecological Footprint - Worksheet
A worksheet for students to evaluate their family's ecological footprint and compare it with the class.
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What Could Happen? Environmental Change Task Cards
Predict and identify the effects of environmental change on plants and animals with a set of printable science task cards.
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Oil Spill Science Experiment
Investigate water pollution and discover the effects of oil spills on wildlife with a hands-on science lab!
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Natural Resources Word Search
Review the different natural resources with a word search.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rethink Posters
Teach the concepts behind reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking waste with this set of 4 posters.
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Overfishing Infographic Poster
An infographic displaying important facts and statistics about overfishing.
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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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Sustainability Activity - Caring for the Environment Sort
Promote sustainable living with a sustainability sorting activity.
- Earth Day 2024 Worksheets
- Earth Day 2024 Templates
- Earth Day 2024 Posters
- Earth Day 2024 Writing Templates
- Earth Day 2024 Projects
- Earth Day 2024 Instructional Slide Decks
- Earth Day 2024 Games
- Earth Day 2024 Word Searches
- Earth Day 2024 Flipbooks
- Earth Day 2024 Puzzles
- Earth Day 2024 Sorting Activities
- Earth Day 2024 Mini Book
- Earth Day 2024 Coloring Pages
- Earth Day 2024 Graphic Organizers
- Earth Day 2024 Cut and Paste Worksheets
- Earth Day 2024 Bingo
- Earth Day 2024 Word Walls
- Earth Day 2024 Craft Activities
- Earth Day 2024 Custom Studio Resources
- Earth Day 2024 Task Cards
- Earth Day 2024 Card Games
- Earth Day 2024 for Pre-K
- Earth Day 2024 for Kindergarten
- Earth Day 2024 for 1st Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 2nd Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 3rd Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 4th Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 5th Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 6th Grade
- Earth Day 2024 for 7th Grade