Celebrating and Learning on Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22! Our science teachers and the faculty advisors of Environmental Action Group have compiled a list of ideas and resources to help students and parents make the most of the occasion—which marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day!
Fun & Simple Ideas
- Do a trash clean up in your area, with gloves & mask.
- Make an Earth Day poster and hang it in your window for your neighbors to see.
- Use sidewalk chalk to create an Earth-friendly message for your neighborhood
- Write a poem to the earth and share it with Andy Bromage and your teacher.
- Research native plants for your family lawn or garden.
- Go on a nature walk or participate in a neighborhood safari.
- Grow seeds inside to plant outside in warmer weather.
- Build your own bird feeder from household materials.
- Create a list of 50 things people can do to help the earth.
- Make a pledge to change one thing about your lifestyle to help the earth.
Activities for Families
- Select a Digital Event to participate in at Earth Day 2020's official website. They also have links to many other resources!
- Save the Sound virtual Earth Day: short film & discussion, Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m. (recording will also be available after the date). Local to New Haven
- Audubon's "I Saw a Bird Spring Migration" webinar: Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m.
- Earth Optimism Summit hosted by the Smithsonian April 22-24.
- Hartford celebrates Virtual Earth Day 50 by Hartford Climate Stewardship Initiative April 22-29
- Environmental History Timeline with add-your-own-ending from earthday.org
- Free Family Activities & Earth Day specific ones from Project Learning Tree
- 12 Meaningful Earth Day activities for all grade levels
- Earth Day poetry from poets.org
- 10 free Earth Day coloring pages from Parents magazine
- EPA Earth Day ideas
- Family Activity Ideas from National Geographic
- Get ideas from the Sierra Club
- More Earth Friendly Product Ideas.
Short Films (20 minutes or less)
- Earth Day 50th Anniversary Movie from The American Museum of Natural History, as shown at tomorrow morning's Middle School meeting.
- History of Earth Day by History Canada
- Earth Challenge 2020 by Woodrow Wilson Center
- Earth Day Daily Challenge by earthday.org
- Rachel Carson documentary from PBS
Full-length Movies
- Environmental Film Festival at Yale
- Environmental Films EAG has shown the community: Chasing Ice, The Lorax, WALL-E, Fly Away Home, Disney's Bears, Monkey Kingdom, Born in China
- A Plastic Ocean documentary (not suitable for students below 5th grade.)
- Mission Blue (a nice mix of the realities our oceans are facing and hope, likely not appealing for students under 5th grade)
- Many nature documentaries, such as Planet Earth & Planet Ocean, available for streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, etc.
![Cara Hames]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1675092858/footeschoolorg/x6bvkjew2hdaeudxfj58/cara.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1675092858/footeschoolorg/x6bvkjew2hdaeudxfj58/cara.jpg","width":512}])
![Foote parents with students]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1674757611/footeschoolorg/pmicbds5paorfrurhqbo/8thgradehumanities005copy.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1674757611/footeschoolorg/pmicbds5paorfrurhqbo/8thgradehumanities005copy.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1674757611/footeschoolorg/pmicbds5paorfrurhqbo/8thgradehumanities005copy.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1674757611/footeschoolorg/pmicbds5paorfrurhqbo/8thgradehumanities005copy.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1674757611/footeschoolorg/pmicbds5paorfrurhqbo/8thgradehumanities005copy.jpg","width":1500}])