Earth Day Activities for Upper Elementary

By Rissa Hanneken, Marissa Despins, Rachel Deroche, and Rach Jamison – UPDATED MARCH 20, 2024

Are you searching for engaging Earth Day activities to captivate your upper elementary students? In this post, I’m sharing a collection of engaging and educational activities designed by some of my talented teacher-author friends. Each activity is crafted to celebrate Earth Day and instill a deeper understanding and appreciation for our planet in young learners. These resources, ranging from outdoor learning activities to engaging reading materials, are ideal for elevating your lesson plans and ensuring Earth Day is both memorable and meaningful in your classroom.

Earth Day Reading Activities

Teaching kids about Earth Day is like planting seeds for a greener future. It’s all about showing them how cool and important it is to take care of our planet. When we bring Earth Day into our classrooms, we’re not just talking about trees and recycling. We’re lighting a spark in our students to think about their own footprint in the world. It’s a chance to get creative with lessons and activities that make a real impact, showing kids that every little bit helps and that they can be superheroes for our planet. 

One of the first Earth Day activities I start with is building background knowledge about Earth Day with reading passages that connect reading and science in a meaningful way. Clever teachers know that upper elementary students should be reading to learn about new concepts on a daily basis. This builds content knowledge and reading comprehension. 

This Earth Day reading passage reminds students to reduce, reuse, and recycle – but also to find the main idea with a main idea graphic organizer and targeted comprehension questions! 

Outdoor Learning on Earth Day

One of the most important things we can do for our planet is to appreciate and take care of nature. Marissa from Creative Classroom Core believes that one of the very best ways we can do this is by simply taking our students outside to learn! So many different math, reading, writing, science, and art concepts can be turned into meaningful Earth Day activities when taught outside of the four walls of the classroom. For more information on the benefits of outdoor learning, check out the Creative Classroom Core blog!

Earth Day Scavenger Hunt

Our students have a natural curiosity about the environment, so why not lean into their interests? Marianna from Creatively Comprehensive thinks Earth Day is the perfect way to engage students in nonfiction text about the types of environmental issues the planet is facing today, and simple ways they can become more conscious about their global impact. In addition, the evolution of Earth Day as a holiday is a great example of how a grassroots campaign started by young people turned into a worldwide celebration!

Spark your students’ interest with this fun Scavenger Hunt activity, which is perfect for this time of year. Your kiddos get to get up and move about the room AND learn interesting facts about Earth Day…win/win! For more ideas on how to use holidays to engage students in learning, check out Creatively Comprehensive’s blog!

Earth Day Reading Activity

Earth Day holds a special significance. Rachel from Uniquely Upper believes It serves as a vivid reminder of the beauty and fragility of our planet. As students approach the upper elementary years, they begin to develop an understanding of the impact of their actions on the world around them. Celebrating Earth Day provides an opportunity to build a deeper connection with nature, encouraging students to become proactive stewards of the environment. Through engaging activities and meaningful discussions, Earth Day can illuminate the importance of sustainability, recycling, and conservation, teaching kids about our planet’s challenges and their powerful role in making a difference.

Check out this free reading activity to help kick off Earth Day. To learn more about fun and engaging activities to use in your classroom, check out Uniquely Upper’s blog.

Arbor Day Books

Are you ready to plant a tree? Rach from Fifth is my Jam suggests deep diving into one of her favorite Arbor Day books! This collection of books is perfect for guiding you toward Mother Nature and remembering Earth Day. While literacy is in your front seat, Life Science is along for the ride. She goes on to discuss Arbor Day and how important it is to plant a tree in her post 7 Arbor Day Books That Will Make Your Students Want to Plant a Tree. You can also check out other reading passages, life science suggestions, and more!

Earth Day Activities

It’s clear that the journey to a greener tomorrow starts in our classrooms today. Thanks to the creative minds of my fellow teacher-authors, we’ve got a treasure trove of Earth Day activities to make Earth Day both meaningful and fun. Let’s carry this enthusiasm forward, turning every day into an opportunity to teach and practice environmental stewardship with our students.