Here Are 15 Fun Earth Day Activities For Elementary Students and Preschoolers

Earth Day activities for kids include fun craft projects and learning. The day is all about celebrating mother nature and learning different methods to be active in taking care of it.

Earth Day provides opportunities to educate kids around the world about global warming, pollution, waste, climate change, and more. Teaching the young one about the special occasion can create passion and desire to keep our mother nature safe and clean.

Introducing the importance of protecting our planet to the younger generation is a step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future. You can teach your young ones the significance of mother nature with the help of fun and educational activities.

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Here are some of the activities to create a learning environment for your little one:

1. Plan A Nature Walk

Free Earth Day activities for elementary students include exploring nature. Take your little ones on a nature walk and help them explore the beauty of mother nature. The outdoors creates the best learning opportunities for kids in numerous subjects such as arts, science, and geography.

As you stroll in nature you can plan various activities for the little ones such as seed collecting, dip netting, investigating local watersheds, and natural object collection.

2. Create A Bug Hotel

Every living organism on Earth has importance even the little insects. The bug hotel helps to attract the necessary insects that help control pests. Building a bug hotel is the best way to bring your kid out in the garden and explore nature.

To make the bug hotel you will need basic materials such as:

• Large plastic bottles
• Pinecones
• Tree bark
• Fallen twigs and sticks.

The process to make a bug hotel:

• The first step is to cut the bottle into two halves. Remove the top and bottom of the plastic bottle.
• Create holes at the top of the bottle pieces and thread twine to hang them.
• At last put the pinecones, tree bark, and twigs before hanging them outside.

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3. Make A Bird Feeder

Welcome other mother nature's creatures into your home as you create a simple bird feeder with recycled materials. To make the bird feeder you will need the materials such as:

• Birdseed
• Strings
• Cardboard tube or toilet paper roll
• Butter Knife
• Peanut Butter
• Bamboo skewer

The procedure to create the bird feeder are:

• Make two holes at the top and bottom of the cardboard.
• Insert the bamboo skewer at the bottom holes for the birds to stand on.
• Cover the outside part of the cardboard tube with peanut butter.
• Roll the tube in bird seed until it is covered completely.
• Thread twine the top holes of the tube to hang.

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4. Make Seed Bombs

Making the seed bombs is one of the easiest activities for kids. This activity is best to kickstart the planting season and teach the little ones about the importance of afforestation.

The seed bombs are simply created from shredded paper balls and seeds. These seed bombs can be made from clay or flour as well. We should use seeds that are easy to germinate such as flower seeds.

Create the seed bombs by mixing one part of seeds, three parts clay powder, and five parts compost. Then add a few drops of water as you mix the ingredients together. Finally, shape the mixture into balls and lay them out in the sun to dry.

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5. Plan A Trash Cleanup Activity

Teach the little ones to take care of our planet by organizing a cleanup activity. Plan a neighborhood clean-up at a local park, school, beach, and roadside in your community.

Make the clean-up fun by changing the activity into a game whoever fills the trash bag the most wins an exciting gift. Picking up litter is also the best way to teach the kids the concept of reuse, reduce, and recycle.

6. Carbon Footprint Activity

Earth Day projects for the students at school include carbon footprint activity. The teachers can introduce the young ones to the concept of carbon footprint and the ways they can reduce it with the help of the activity.

The supplies needed for the carbon footprint activity are:

• Carbon footprint worksheets
• Glue
• Markers
• Scissors

The instructions for the activity include:

• Print out the carbon footprint worksheet as per your need.
• Cut out the colorful carbon footprint icons.
• Instruct the kids to match the icons to their respective locations in the worksheet.
• Provide the kids with new ideas to reduce their carbon footprint.

7. Oil Spill Experiment

Aware the young ones of environmental accidents and harmful side effects of oil spills on marine birds and animals with the help of oil spill experiments. The required supplies for the experiment are: 

• Water
• Dish soap
• Spoon
• Cooking oil
• Cotton balls
• Paper towel
• Medicine dropper
• Two tin pans

The procedure for the oil spill experiment:

• Fill the pan halfway with water.
• Add some oil to the pan filled with water.
• Now try to clean the oil with different methods such as using cotton balls or paper towels or sucking up the oil with the use of a medicine dropper.
• At last squeeze some dish soap into the pan and observe how soap breaks the oils apart and clean up becomes an easier task.

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8. Plant A Tree

Planting a tree is a common activity performed during mother nature's day. According to horticulturist Sean Fox, the kids are thrilled when they find out that the trees they plant are going to live for hundred and thousand of years.

Trees improve air quality as they absorb carbon dioxide. Tree plantation is a step towards a greener future.

9. Make A Bottled Hanging Garden

Teach the concept of reuse to your kids by constructing a cute hanging garden with the use of a plastic bottle. To make a hanging garden you'll need the following supplies:

• Used plastic bottle
• Pencil
• Craft knife
• Strings

The process to construct a beautiful garden include:

• Take the plastic bottle and the knife to cut a long line from the top of the bottle down toward the bottom. Cut the bottle into a rectangular shape.
• Create a hole at each end of the container.
• Push the string through each hole with help of the pencil and tie a few knots.
• At last, fill the container with soil and plant seeds of your choice.

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10. Start A Compost Bin

Help your little ones to understand and develop good environmental habits by reusing plant waste for a healthy garden. The concept of compost can be taught with a small activity.

Put all the vegetable scraps and other bio-degradable waste products into a bin to make a nutrient-rich compost mixture for your garden. Allow your child to dump the scraps in the bin.

11. Virtual Field Trip

Earth Day virtual field trip is the best way for the kids to gain knowledge and explore the beautiful natural resources around the globe.

You can take your little ones on virtual field trips to Amazon Rainforest, Grand Canyon, Mount Everest, Hawaii, Antarctica, and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Introduce the concept of Earth Day to preschoolers and kindergarten students in a creative way. Let your kids create beautiful art-piece as you celebrate mother nature's day.

Here are some of the art activities that teachers can create with their students on Earth Day :

1. Upcycle Unused Paper Into Flower Art

Let the students collect paper scraps from their homes and classroom. Instruct them to collect the scraps several days prior to the big day. On Earth Day, have each kid create their own flower design on paper with colored pencils.

After the completion of the drawings, have the kids head to the table filled with scrap paper to complete their designs with suitable paper. At the end create a paper garden on the classroom wall.

2. Egg Carton Tree

Earth Day craft activities for kindergarten students include making an egg carton tree. Recycle the egg cartons into a fun and easy craft project.

The craft project will require the following supplies:

• Egg carton
• Blank canvas
• Green and brown craft paint
• Scissors
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Directions to create an egg carton tree:

• Cut out the individual section of the carton with the help of scissors.
• Let your students paint the egg carton green color.
• Sketch and paint the trunk of the tree with brown color on the canvas.
• Glue the egg carton pieces into the canvas to make it look like a tree.
• You may add extra items to the tree such as birds, and fruits.

3. Make Binoculars With Paper Towel Rolls

Easy Earth Day activities for Preschoolers include recycling paper towel rolls and creating binoculars. To make the binoculars you will be needing paint, strings, paper towel rolls, and hot glue.

First paint the paper towel rolls as per your color choice and design. Then stick the cardboard tubes together with glue and braid the string as per your desired length. At the end glue the braided twine to paper towel rolls.

4. Create Paper Owls

Reuse the old newspaper by creating paper owls. Start the activity by painting the newspaper with watercolors as the paint dries out cut the paper into the shape of an owl. 

Cut out the beak from cardstock paper and all the body parts of the owl. Finish the craft by drawing outlines with the help of metallic markers.

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Teaching children with the help of videos has been proven to be an effective method of learning. Videos help the kids understand and store the information in their memory for a long time.

We can also use videos to raise awareness about planet Earth among the young ones. Here are some of the Earth Day videos that would help your kids to understand the importance of saving mother nature.

1. Earth Day for Kids: 5 Easy Ways Kids Can Help

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2. Betsy's Kindergarten Adventure: Happy Earth Day

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3. Let's Celebrate Earth Day

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4. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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5. How Is Earth Day Celebrated Around the World

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6. Formation of the Earth

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7. Earth Day Celebration: Earth's Resources

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8. Earth Day Song by The Kiboomers

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9. How To Take Care of the Environment

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10. Teach Your Students About Earth Day & Plastic Pollution

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Plan a fun trip and activities for the young ones to enjoy with their scout members. Here are some of the fun scout activities:

1. Bird Watching

Bird watching is a fun and educational activity for young scout members. Plan the activity near the area with binoculars, a camera, and a bird identification guide. 

This activity will help the young scout members to love nature as they explore the outdoors for bird watching.

2. Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunt is one of the best ways to engage kids in learning. The activity includes the kids finding the objects showcased in the list, and when they complete the list, you can discuss the usage of the items they have collected.

It is also the best way to discuss mother nature and the importance of spending time outdoors.

3. Create Fun Patches

Create a list of fun activities that the kids need to solve to receive their scout patches. This encourages the kids to learn the importance and necessary ways to save our planet Earth.

Earth Day girl scout activities comprise creating cute and fun patches to honor the members participating in Mother Earth Day events. Boy scouts are also included in the aforementioned activity.