FIVE EARTH DAY INSPIRED READ ALOUDS FOR PRESCHOOL
If you are a teacher like me, then you’re probably always looking for a last minute simple, low prep activity for your students. Whenever I was in a pinch, I loved pairing a read aloud with a simple activity. With Earth Day approaching, I have a simple and easy activity that your students are sure to love. In this blog post, I share five Earth Day inspired read alouds and take you through my free activity that you can pair with any of the read alouds. These five read alouds touch on topics like the importance of recycling, ways that we can help protect the Earth, and using our voice to make a difference. Each picture book is beautifully written and includes captivating illustrations that encourage learners of all ages. If you would like to purchase any of these books for your classroom, can click on each the image of the book below. I also have you covered with a digital version of each read aloud on YouTube. This blog post also includes a short description of each book and link to a digital version of the book on YouTube.
THE EARTH BOOK
The Earth Book by Todd Parr is a fun book that teaches students simple ways to take care of the Earth. Students not only learn about the importance of being kind to the Earth but they also learn that when we take care of planet Earth, we will be able to reap the benefits that it has to offer. I highly recommend pairing this read aloud with my free Earth Day activity (see below). One of the reasons why I love using this book with my free resource is because the author includes a free list of ideas that your students can use for the activity. I love brainstorming a list of ways that students can help protect the planet in a large group setting. This helps students gather their ideas to complete the activity. If you’re looking for a digital version of the The Earth Book, you can find it on YouTube by clicking here.
10 THINGS I CAN DO TO HELP MY WORLD
Similar to The Earth Book, 10 Things I Can Do To Help My World by Melanie Walsh shares 10 simple ideas that we can all to do protect the Earth. Each of these simple ideas to help the Earth are also paired with simple statistics of how we are making a bigger impact on saving the Earth. For example, in the story the author shares that every time we turn off the water when brushing our teeth, we save 18 glasses of water. This book would also be a great alternative read aloud to pair with my free Earth Day activity. If you’re looking for a digital version of 10 Things I Can Do To Help My World, you can find it on YouTube by clicking here.
RECYCLING IS FUN
Recycling is Fun by Charles Ghigna using rhyming to get students excited about recycling, and breaks down all the different items we can recycle, like paper, plastic, and glass. The book also touches on the idea of reducing and reusing. Students learn about how these actions can help others in addition to saving the planet. If you’re looking for a digital version of Recycling is Fun, you can find it on YouTube by clicking here.
THE LIFE OF A LITTLE PLASTIC BOTTLE
The Life of a Little Plastic Bottle by Igloo Books takes you on an adventure of a plastic bottle that isn’t just thrown away after one use, but reused and recycled into many different purposes. While single use plastic bottles are a very controversial topic, I love how this book teaches students that different ways to reuse them once we have them. If you’re looking for a digital version of The Life of a Little Plastic Bottle, you can find it on YouTube by clicking here.
EARTH DAY EVERY DAY
Earth day Every Day by Lisa Bullard follows Trina, an earthling who is passionate about preserving the planet. Tina has a voice and she isn’t afraid to use it. She uses her voice to gather members of her community on Earth Day for activities like planting trees and gardens, and she even forms an Earth Day club. Trina and her community learn that Earth Day isn’t just one day each year but is everyday. This is such a cute little book that I think your students will love. If you’re looking for a digital version of Earth Day Every Day, you can find it on YouTube by clicking here.
FREE EARTH DAY ACTIVITY
No matter which Earth day read aloud you choose for your class, this low prep and free activity is sure to be a hit and is a great way to introduce your student to importance of taking care of the Earth. Students can take a vow by drawing a picture and writing a sentence of one thing they can do to protect the Earth. This free activity includes 4 pages in 2 layouts. Before I start this activity with my students I love to create a list of ideas of vows we can take as a whole group. This was a great way to help the students who struggle with coming up with ideas on their own. By brainstorming a list in advance, students have ideas to pull from. This is where The Earth Book and 10 Things I Can Do To Help My World come in handy. You can use each book to help create a list of ideas for students to draw from.
I also like to model the completion of the activity for my students. I will complete the activity for students so they can see just how easy it is for them to do it on their own. When I completed this activity with my class a few years ago, most of my students weren’t ready to write a complete sentence, but most did practice labeling the items in their photo. Some students could write the first letter sound of a word they hear in their picture and some can write an entire word. Students would then use their labels to tell a story of their vow. You can pick up your free copy of this Earth Day activity by using the link below.
