[tripteach]

Can we perhaps start a list of fiction or non-fiction books that we plan to use for Earth Day week? Perhaps add your favorite...

One of my favorites is The Wartville Wizard. How about yours?? If you have an activity you do with your favorite that is even better!

[newteach]

Last year I read my class Prince William, by Gloria Rand. It is about a little girl who finds a baby seal covered by oil from an oil spill. It really engaged them and they were very concerned about the baby seal. After reading we did an activity where we took feathers and put one in water and the other in vegetable oil. When we took them out we observed how the water feathers dried and were like new, but the oil covered feathers didn't dry and were slimy with the oil. They made the connection with the book and how being coated with oil would affect birds, etc.

[sharon77]

We read The Wump World by Bill Peet. It's an older book, but has a good message.
We do a picture and writing prompt after.
If I were a wump, I'd clean up this dump. I'd.....
I usually make them tell 2 or 3 things they could do to help take care of the Earth.

[pmpkin]

I love to read The Lorax. Since we do a monarch butterfly project, we connect to the loss of habitat. The students hand out milkweed seed packets to be planted for future monarchs.
We also watch the movie Fern Gully.

[Mr. K]

I use:
1. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
Have students take a quote from the book and make an inspirational bumper sticker.

2. The Great Kapok Tree
Discuss distruction of habitats, I do a reader's theater of the book, enjoy snacks from the rainforest while watching a related video, make step books of the layers of the rainforest

3. Just A Dream
Students create a paper T-shirt with an environmental message, take a litter scavenger hunt around school grounds (collect trash, chart how many of each item you find, and graph)

4. Recycle
I give the hstudents a juice box to enjoy while I read. They then rinse out the box, and put in powdered tempra paint, water and plaster of Paris. After two days they have their own sidewalk chalk.

5. The Wump World
Compare and contrast the Pollutiants and the Wumps

6. The Lorax
We always watch the video and then I have partners write a plan for saving the truffula trees. They can also illustrate their plan.

7. Whare Does the Garbage Go?
Challenge students to take an empty plastic beverage bottle from home (water, pop,, milk, etc) and make something new from it. Have students bring them to class and present them to their classmates. Display th efinished products.

[Ms. J]

Thanks for sharing!

[icare]

Wow, Mr. K, those are great, thanks! My kids always love The Wump World!

[ConnieWI]

50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by EarthWorks Group lends itself very well to making posters. I copy the easier pages...one for each child...he/she reads it and designs a poster. Of course, I model reading for info and the process of making a poster. These make a great display with the title "Simple Things Can Save the Earth."

I love your ideas, Mr. K. Thanks to all of you for these great ideas!!

[shapnic]

How do you make the sidewalk chalk?

[Mr. K]

Put three tablespoons of powdered tempra paint and three tablespoons of water in the empty juice box. Mix completely. Add three tablespoons of plaster of paris in a mix completely. Let dry for two days or so. The reused juice box is the chalk holder. Just have the students tear down the juice box as students use the chalk. The kids love it.

[shapnic]

Can the paint be washable?

[Mr. K]

It needs to be powdered...I'm not sure what I used...just whatever was in the school art supply closet.