Each year on April 22nd over one billion people worldwide celebrate Earth Day! Planet Earth is an amazing place but it needs our help to thrive. We have the power to protect our planet from damage and limit the effects of climate change, pollution and deforestation by being mindful of our everyday actions. Earth Day gives us a great opportunity to educate children on what they can do to help the planet. This Earth Day, why not striveto make your classroom more environmentally friendly? We have compiled a list of 4 ways you can do this with the help of your students!
#1: Get creative with your recycling bins
Go above and beyond with your recycling bins and make them stand out. There are a variety of ways you can decorate your recycling bins to appeal to your students (and even to other staff members) to entice them to recycle more often! Turning your recycling bin into a hungry rubbish monster or even getting the whole school involved by hosting a recycling bin decorating contest will be sure to get everyone excited about recycling!
#2: Create ‘green teams’
Put students into ‘green teams’ and allocate specific tasks such as powering down computers, closing blinds, checking taps or sorting recycling. The last five or ten minutes of class can be allocated to green teams to get these tasks finished and ready for home time! Alternatively, find a group of students who are interested in making their school more environmentally friendly and help them set small goals to get started. Encourage them to think of other ideas to make the school greener.
#3: Decorate with some indoor plants
Adding indoor plants to your classroom can have many benefits other than being a lovely decoration. Studies show that indoor plants naturally purify the air and provide health benefits, like fewer cold symptoms and improved behaviour. Find easy to grow plants such as spider plants, snake plants, jade, English ivy, or golden pothos and let your students take turns looking after them. This is a fun activity that will not only excite your students but have a great impact on their well-being, all while helping the environment.
#4: Create a ‘green data wall’
A ‘green data wall’ is a great addition to any classroom! The purpose of a green data wall is to create a graph that tracks your class’ recycling efforts over time. At the end of each week, count up the number of bottles and cans in your recycling bins, weigh recycled paper and add the values to the graph. In order to further incentivize students, you can offer parties or prizes to your students as they hit key milestones. Children learn how to recycle and reduce consumption whilst also having fun!
These four top tips are a great way to get started on making your classroom more environmentally friendly whilst also celebrating Earth Day! This year, use Earth Day to remind your kids how easy it is to make a difference in the environment.
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