Students donate one piece of clothing

• Have your students each bring in one piece of clothing they would like to donate. Collect all the clothing and bring it to a clothing donation center. 

OR

Host a clothing swap with your class

• Have all your students bring in a T-shirt to swap with each other. All students should end up with a new shirt. 

Students use reusable water bottles

• Have all your students use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic water bottles in order to reduce plastic waste.

OR

Students use reusable water bottles and utensils

• Have all your students use a reusable water bottle and reusable utensils for snack/lunch time instead of plastic water bottles in order to reduce plastic waste.

Track what you throw away for a week

• Have your students keep track of everything they each throw away for one week. They can use this worksheet to help keep track.

OR

From Trash to Tree

• Collect snack bags for one week and use them to create an art project to hang in your classroom. You can use these templates as inspiration.

Have your students create a wanted poster for an endangered animal using this worksheet. If your class participated in the Change is Simple lesson about endangered animals, your students can make posters about one of the animals we discussed in the lesson.

For an added challenge, students can research an animal we did not discuss in class.  

Have a discussion with the class about the book (or books).

• Guide students in a class discussion by asking open-ended questions about the story’s message, characters, and connections to the environment around them. Encourage them to share their own ideas and experiences to make the topic more personal and meaningful.

• You can choose your own book, or one from this list!

OR

Write your own story about the environment or an animal.

• Have students brainstorm an animal they connect with, and write a story about it and how it lives in its specific environment. Have them answer questions like: What does it need to survive? Does it live alone or with friends or family? What kinds of living and non-living things will it interact with? Is this animal affected by humans? 

Livestream Links: Red Wolf • Sea Otters • African Penguin • Greater Glider • Kelp Forest

Have a discussion about the animals.

• With your class, watch one of these linked livestreams. Have a discussion with your class about the animals you see! What are the animals doing? Are they in groups or alone? What adaptations do they have? What is happening in the ecosystem around them? Do you see any plants? What do you think they might be hearing, seeing, smelling, or feeling?

OR

Discuss how humans impact the habitat.

• With your class, watch one of these linked livestreams. Have a discussion with your class about how humans impact the animals or the habitats that you see! Do these animals live close to people? Is this ecosystem close to people? Do people use the same resources as this animal? What can people do to protect these animals or this ecosystem?

Create a poster advertising a local farm using this poster template. Research what the farm sells and how local food is good for you and for the planet!

Write a letter to a younger student.

• Have your class write letters to students in a younger grade about a lesson that you enjoyed with Change is Simple. You can use this template!

OR

Write a letter to a local politician

• Have your students write letters to a local politician about a topic they learned about with Change is Simple. You can use this template!

Using this Alternative Transportation Tracker, keep track of how everyone in your class gets to school for a week. Can your class earn 50 points? Can your class earn 100 points?

Have a discussion as a class about what is compostable, using examples from lunches

• Before snack time or lunch, have a discussion with your class about what is compostable and what isn’t. Have students use examples from their snacks or lunches.

OR

Create a poster to hang in your cafeteria showing what can be recycled and what can be composted

• Create a poster with your class to hang in the cafeteria or in your classroom. Have students draw different food items that can be composted on one side, and items that can be recycled or thrown in the trash on the other side. You can use these worksheets to get started!

Use this worksheet to figure out how you can reduce your carbon footprint!

With your class, track all the ways you can save water using this rubric. Can your class earn 50 points in a week? Can your class earn 100 points in a week?

Create a poster to hang in your classroom reminding yourselves to turn out the lights when nobody is in the classroom. You can use this template, or create your own. Encourage your students to hang reminders to themselves at their homes too!

Figure out where the nearest river comes from

• Have students research their local watershed by identifying the nearest river to their school or home and tracing where it begins using maps online. Use the information to find the beginning of the river.

OR

Draw a map of where the school’s water comes from

• Encourage students to design their own map using landmarks and all the necessary information on a map surrounding or centered on the nearest water source.

Sprout seeds in your classroom

• With your class, sprout some seeds in your classroom. Easy seeds to sprout include peas, chia seeds, lettuce, or basil! 

OR

Plant a pollinator garden at your school

• Plant a garden of wildflower seeds at your school to attract and support pollinators. Let others know that there is a pollinator garden growing by making signs. 

Do a leaf or bark rubbing

• Place paper over a leaf or bark and rub with the side of a crayon or pencil to reveal the tree’s unique textures and patterns. Do this 3 times throughout the year to see differences in the leaves and bark throughout the different seasons!

OR

Research the tree species and its needs

• Investigate the tree’s species, preferred habitat, and role in the ecosystem to understand how it grows and contributes to the environment. Use a simple tree ID guide page as a worksheet for students to fill out as they collect information.

Discuss what you can see

• Take your class for a nature walk around the school playground, or other outdoor space near your school. During your walk, encourage students to make observations. What do they see? Do they see any animals like birds? 

OR

Make observations about what you see, hear, smell, and feel

• Take your class for a nature walk around the school playground, or other outdoor space near your school. During your walk, encourage students to make observations. What do they see, hear, smell, feel? How do they think plants and animals around the playground feel?

Changing Seasons

• Video link for “Bear Snores On” read-along

Noise Pollution

Light Pollution

Human Impacts on Animal Adaptations

Pollination of Flowers and Food

Coding with Native Bees

Human Impacts on Monarch Migration

Endangered Animals

Human Impacts on Ecosystems

Biodiversity

Ocean Health in Our Hands

The Future of Food

Weather and Climate

Nonrenewable Energy in Our Lives

Wind Energy and Engineering

The Journey of Natural Resources

The Race Against Waste

Watersheds and Conservation

Global Food Systems

Soil on Earth

Reducing Greenhouse Gases