Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to teach 4th and 5th grade students about the importance of protecting our planet. However, finding meaningful, engaging Earth Day activities that go beyond the typical “reduce, reuse, recycle” discussions can be a challenge. Teachers need activities that are both educational and easy to implement, especially during a busy spring season.
Imagine an Earth Day celebration where students collaborate on a colorful classroom display, engage in critical thinking as they read four high-interest Earth Day passages and solve puzzles in an engaging escape room format. To reinforce learning, they tackle challenging word searches that help to build Earth Day vocabulary. These Earth Day activities make learning about environmental stewardship interactive and fun—without requiring hours of prep time!
To make your Earth Day lesson planning easy, I’ve compiled a list of six easy and fun Earth Day activities, including three must-try resources from my store and a few additional simple ideas to round out your day of eco-friendly fun.
My Favorite Earth Day Activities
🌱 1. Earth Day Escape Room & Close Reading Activity
📌 Earth Day Reading Comprehension & Escape Room
Transform your classroom into an Earth Day adventure! This close reading and escape room activity challenges students to solve puzzles and answer comprehension questions about environmental issues and conservation efforts.
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Boosts reading comprehension with a science tie-in.
- Provides problem-solving challenges for critical thinking.
- Offers an interactive, hands-on approach to learning.
Implementation Tip: Set up the classroom with small “escape” stations and let students work in pairs or small groups. Print out and give an “Earth Warrior” Certificate to students who complete all challenges!
🌍 2. Earth Day Collaborative Coloring Poster
📌 Earth Day Collaborative Coloring Poster
This collaborative coloring poster is a fantastic way to bring students together to create a visually stunning Earth Day display. Each student colors a small section of the larger poster, and when assembled, it reveals a beautiful Earth Day message.
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Encourages teamwork and cooperation.
- Makes an instant bulletin board or door decoration.
- Works as a calming activity to promote mindfulness.
Implementation Tip: Give each student an Earth Day cut-out and have them write how they can help the Earth.
🔎 3. Earth Day Hard Word Search Puzzle
📌 Earth Day Word Search Puzzle
Need a fast finisher or a morning work activity? This challenging Earth Day word search includes hard-to-find words related to environmental science, conservation, and sustainability.
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Reinforces Earth Day vocabulary.
- Keeps students engaged with a challenging puzzle.
- Can be used as an independent or partner activity.
- Perfect activity if you’re crunched for time, but still want to honor Earth Day.
Implementation Tip: Use the words from the puzzle to create a class discussion. Challenge students to define each term and discuss its relevance to Earth Day.
🌎 4. “Trash Into Treasure” Activity
This activity challenges students to take “trash” and upcycle it into something useful.
How to Play:
- Gather real-life items such as cardboard boxes, old housewares, broken toys, cans, bottles, etc.
- Collect supplies such as glue, tape, and markers.
- Give students a challenge they can solve. For example: Design a machine that can collect garbage from the ocean.
- Let students work in teams to design and build an invention that would solve the problem.
- Have each group present their invention to the class.
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Helps students use their imagination.
- Encourages eco-friendly solutions.
- Gets students up and moving!
Bonus Idea: Take it a step further and have students include a pitch in their presentation, similar to Shark Tank.
✍️ 5. “If I Were in Charge of the Earth…” Writing Prompt
Encourage creative thinking by asking students to write a short piece about what they would do if they were in charge of protecting the Earth.
Writing Prompt Ideas:
- “If I had the power to change one thing about how humans treat the Earth, I would…”
- “Imagine a world where everyone recycles. How would it be different?”
- “If I were President for a day, the first environmental law I would create is…”
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Works as a quick writing activity.
- Encourages problem-solving and persuasive writing.
- Can be used for a class discussion or bulletin board display.
Implementation Tip: Have students read their responses aloud and discuss practical ways to implement their ideas.
🌳 6. “Go Green” Classroom Challenge
Challenge your students to reduce waste for a day!
Classroom Goals:
- No paper waste – Use whiteboards or digital tools.
- No plastic waste – Encourage reusable water bottles.
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room.
- Bring in a plant to add greenery to the classroom.
✅ Why It’s Great:
- Encourages real-world eco-friendly actions.
- Shows how small changes make a difference.
- Creates long-term habits in students.
Bonus Idea: At the end of the day, calculate how much waste was saved!
Earth Day is the perfect time to teach students about their role in protecting the environment—and it doesn’t have to be complicated! These Earth Day Activities for Upper Elementary students make learning engaging and fun while reinforcing critical reading, problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity.
Quick Recap of Earth Day Activities:
✅ Collaborative Coloring Poster – Teamwork + art = classroom masterpiece!
✅ Escape Room & Close Reading – Interactive reading & problem-solving fun.
✅ Word Search Puzzle – A vocabulary challenge for Earth Day.
✅ “Trash or Treasure?” Sorting Game – Teaches recycling & composting.
✅ Earth Day Writing Prompt – Encourages creative & persuasive thinking.
✅ “Go Green” Classroom Challenge – Promotes eco-friendly actions!
Here Are My Favorite Print & Go Earth Day Activities
