R is for Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Earth Day Lesson Plans for Ages 2-5

Learn about reduce, reuse and recycle and basic activities everyone can do to save water, power, and the environment in a make your own book.

Start with a print out of the EPA's Happy Earth Coloring Book and Activities. Not only can children use their scribbling and coloring skills, but learn about different things they can do to help the earth. Read and color a page each day. There are actually 12 pages total, but you can leave some out or leave them for later. Help children assemble the pages into a book.

Book assembly ideas, these 8 1/2 x 11 pages could be assembled into one notebook that each one of the children could take turns taking home using scrapbooking or school plastic sheet covers available in an office supply store. Or you can staples pages together, laminate for longer lasting and then staple, or use yarn to create a spiral bound effect. By having just one book, children will also learn taking turns, but more importantly the concept of reduce and reuse can be introduced. If individual books are made, maybe mom and/or dad could learn a thing or two.

Concepts taught: reduce, reuse, recycle, coloring, scribbling, sequencing

Music for Earth Day

Preschool Education.com offers these adorable songs:

"This Old Earth" sung to the tune of This Old Man

This old earth
Needs our help
To stay fresh and clean and green
With a pick it up; pitch it in; and throw it in the can
This old earth needs a helping hand!

I put Litter in the Trash Can (Sung to the Wheels on the Bus)

Oh, I put litter in the garbage can,
Garbage can, garbage can.
I put the litter in the garbage can,
I'm not a litter bug.

Let's all put litter where it belongs,
It belongs, it belongs.
Let's all put litter where it belongs,
Don't be a litter bug.

Clean Up (sung to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Twinkle twinkle little star
Time to clean up where you are.
Put litter back in its place,
Keep a smile upon your face.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
Time to clean up where you are.

Nature Walk: Learn about the Environment and Nature on Earth Day

Get out and about with this nature walk. Give each child a paper lunch bag (yes these are recyclable) and have them place items in it from their nature walk. Point out leaves, flowers, branches, pine cones, feathers, anything portable that they can use later for their recycled art collage. Discuss the terms "environment" and "nature."

Recycled Art Activity/Collage for Earth Day

Using a large piece of butcher paper or poster board trace the letter "R" onto your paper, for reduce, reuse, and recycle. Draw a line down the middle of the paper. Give the children a paint brush or marker to following the tracing. On one side of the line write the words reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Glue down items that can be reduced, reused or recycled like: comics from the Sunday paper (use for wrapping paper), cardboard (from packing boxes you can cut smaller pieces for the children to handle), newspaper, plastic bottles, Ziploc bags, and aluminum cans. You may want to use a glue gun for the plastic bottle and aluminum cans, or you can cut pictures out from a magazine. Include a picture you have taken of your trash can and recycling container.

On the other side of the line attach contact paper sticky side up and choose items from a nature walk, either at the school or home. Place the natural items on the sticky side of the contact paper.

Explain how nature and the environment shouldn't mix with trash and how we can keep them separate and safe from each other.

Variation: use pictures of items from a magazine.

With these entertaining, fun and educational Earth Day activities and lesson plans, parents and teachers can teach children the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling; concepts such as the environment and nature; improve vocabulary skills and help them begin their journey to living cleaner and greener. I was never so proud as when my three year old said the other day, "No Daddy, that goes in the recycling, Mommy said so."

For more information on teaching your children about the environment and living green, read, "20 Tips for Growing Green Children," for ideas to use in the home or the classroom.

Sources:

Personal experience

http://www.epa.gov/region5/publications/happy/happy.pdf

http://www.preschooleducation.com/searth.shtml