Skip to content

Let’s celebrate Earth Day!

We’ve put together a unique collection of engaging activities that students and educators can do to learn all about our home planet and how to make a meaningful difference in protecting it. Find our favorites below along with our Earth Day on-demand events! Then sign in to DE to explore more.

Events Navigation
K-2 Navigation
3-5 Navigation
6-8 Navigation
9-12 Navigation

On-Demand Events

Available Starting April 22

Going to the Moon with NASA

Grades 6-12

Hear Erika Alvarez, NASA Systems Engineering & Integration Manager for Advanced Exploration Systems, share fun facts about the Artemis mission, explain why it’s important, and discuss how studying the moon helps us better understand and protect the Earth.

Exploring the Ocean with Luke Tipple

Grades 3-12

Find ways to preserve our planet and its oceans with scientist and Shark Week host Luke Tipple! Learn about his adventurous career path, his passion for the ocean, and his experiences diving with one of the ocean’s most feared (and most misunderstood) predators.

Growing a Forest with Vooks

Grades K-5

Teach students the importance of conservation with award-winning author Sophia Gholz. Explore her experience writing The Boy Who Grew a Forest, the true story behind it, and how she hopes this story will inspire children everywhere to make a difference.

Grades K-2

N*GEN: Sustainable Living

Nnena and Jiji discuss the realization that even though we want nice things, we need to find sustainable ways to live so that a good life is possible for every living thing.

Fishtronaut: The Case of the Missing Water

In this episode, Fishtronaut and his friends find that people have been consuming too much water in the park. Watch as the trio finds a way to stop the overuse.

The Boy Who Grew a Forest: K-2 Activity

Listen to the true story of Jadav Payeng, a man in India who single-handedly planted an entire forest throughout his lifetime! Then practice literacy skills in a variety of activities.

Earth to Luna!: Wiggle Worms

Discover how worms are farmers’ friends when Luna and her family visit Grandma and Grandpa at Plum Creek Ranch. The trio ventures beneath Earth’s surface to investigate why Grandma wants worms in her garden.

Earth Day: Ready-to-Use Quiz

Students tell if they know why we celebrate Earth Day, think of ways we can reuse paper and name other items that can be recycled.

Access more resources today!

Sign In Now Learn More

Grades 3-5

DEmystified: What Are Natural Resources?

Have you ever imagined what life would be like without trees? Besides not having forests, you would have to give up chewing gum, toothpaste, and ice cream! In this episode, explore how natural resources like trees affect our lives.

Classroom Activity: Power Down

Invite students to explore energy consumption and its impact on our environment. They will also analyze how energy is consumed at their school, then collaborate to develop recommendations on how to reduce energy consumption.

Virtual Field Trip Student Activity: Earth Day with Polar Bears

Take a Virtual Field Trip and explore curious questions! Use this Studio Slideshow to learn all about polar bears and some simple actions you can take to have a positive impact on our planet.

Costa Rican Deep Sea Connections

Join the Schmidt Ocean Institute team as they explore the water off the coast of Costa Rica and a nearby island. Take an exciting glimpse of the footage the team captured of rare deep sea animals and amazing deep water ecosystems.

Contaminated Air, Contaminated Water: Ready-to-Use Quiz

Students explore the dangers of contaminated air and water and discuss how air pollution contributes to water pollution.

Access more resources today!

Sign In Now Learn More

Grades 6-8

DEmystified: Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources

In this episode of DEmystified, explore the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources, and why it’s important that we treat all our natural resources with care.

Tiny Swimming Robots May Help Clean Up a Microplastics Mess

This article highlights miniature swimming robots that clean up microplastics in water! Learn how the microbots accomplish this and how scientists are working hard to create even more microbots.

Background Builder: Earth Day

Assign this ready-to-use activity to students to help them understand the key events and the true impact of Earth Day on the community around them.

Encyclopedia Womannica: Ynes Mexia

In this podcast, meet Ynes Mexia—a woman who was an extraordinary botanist, writer, and lecturer who collected over 145,000 samples of plants to study.

Farming the Desert: Ready-to-Use Quiz

Students explore farming methods to grow crops and answer questions about the challenges that farmers face when adapting their practice to a desert environment.

Access more resources today!

Sign In Now Learn More

Grades 9-12

Focal Point: Skyscrapers of the Future Will be Engineered to Copy Nature

This episode describes the architecture, design, and technology behind wooden structures in Singapore and Canada, then explains the environmental benefits and the potential negative impacts of wood-based buildings.

When a Town Runs Dry

Learn more about the struggles of Stratford, California residents amidst an ongoing drought and witness how the town is struggling with farming, job security, and food security due to a lack of water.

Earth Day Choice Board

Use this Choice Board for students to explore a variety of Earth Day topics. Then have students demonstrate understanding by completing one of the recommended activities.

Using Art to Show the Threat of Climate Change

Meet seven artists, scientists, and composers whose projects help spread awareness about climate change. This article includes descriptions of a musical composition, a wedding dress design, dance choreography, and more!

Global Energy Consumption: Ready-to-Use Quiz

Students explore global energy consumption and discuss the differences between renewable and non-renewable energy resources.

Access more resources today!

Sign In Now Learn More