Taking Care of Mother Earth

As spring arrives in many parts of the world, our thoughts turn to the changes the Earth goes through during this season. This is a great time to make children aware of the importance of protecting the Earth's resources and taking care of good old Mother Earth.

Teachers can play an important role in this process. A great project for middle grade students is to plan a multi-disciplinary unit on ecology. Combine science, research, and reading to expose students to the many ecological problems facing the Earth, and ways to lessen their impact. Here are a few activities to make learning about the environment fun!

Some Great Environmental Books

Use these, and other books to build an environmental library for your students. Plan reading project allowing them to choose and report on several, or choose one or two for the whole class to study. Mix fiction and nonfiction for a good balance.

And Then There was One: Mysteries of Extinction - a "well-organized survey of the causes and victims of extinction."

Earth Day Bulletin Board-in-a-Book - "Everything you need to create a bulletin board and themed curriculum activities to go with it!"

Come Back Salmon -"Describes the efforts of the Jackson Elementary School in Everett, Washington, to clean up a nearby stream, stock it with salmon, and preserve it as an unpolluted place where the salmon could return to spawn."

Dear Children of the Earth - "a remarkable letter from Mother Earth asking for help from children everywhere."

Kid Heroes of the Environment - "an inspiring collection of environmental success stories about real-life kids who are doing great things for the earth."

One Day in the Tropical Rainforest -"describes the ecology of a tropical rain forest and efforts to conserve it." Canadian readers - order from Chapters.ca

The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo - fiction, "excellent ecology, good pacing, and an intriguing story."

A Fun Art Activity for Learning about Insects

Is your class studying insects and other creepy, crawly things? Here's a fun way to check their understanding of the nature of insects. Set aside some time for your students to make imaginary insect models. Then check each student's model for the correct number of legs, wings, and other body parts.

Materials needed: various 3-D art materials such as egg cartons, Styrofoam balls, modeling clay pipe cleaners, construction paper colored tissue paper crayons, markers, paint glue scissors any other art supplies you may wish to use

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