Explore Geography, Weather, Biomes, and More!
Happy Earth Day! Earth Day is a special day when we celebrate our planet and learn about ways we can take better care of it. In this blog post, we’ve put together some fun and engaging Earth Day activities for elementary students that allow them to explore different biomes, track weather patterns, learn about different climates, and discover ways they can make a positive impact on the planet.
Grades Pre-K-2 Earth Day Activities:
1. Be a Biome!
In this activity, students will explore the world’s major biomes and choose one to research. They will learn about the climate, animals, and plants that make each biome unique.
Suggested Questions:
- If you were a biome, which one would you be? Why?
- What is your climate like?
- Which animals love you?
- Which plants do you make a good home for?
- What do you like most/least about your biome?
Suggested Resource: LaunchPacks: Social Studies – Biomes for Grades PreK-2
2. Meteorologists in the Making
In this activity, students will keep a weather log and track the temperature, conditions, precipitation, and weather events. They will research different kinds of weather phenomena that occur through the end of the school year.
Activity Extension: Watch these quick videos about weather with your students. Ask the following questions. What are some of the tools meteorologists use to gather information about the weather? What is the water cycle and how does it affect weather patterns? What role do satellites play in monitoring weather patterns? Why do oceans and land have different effects on weather? What happens to wind and rain when they hit mountains?
Suggested Resource: LaunchPacks: Social Studies – Weather for Grades PreK-2
Grades 3-5 Earth Day Activities:
1. Tourists on a Budget
In this activity, students will plan a trip to explore the world. They will research the expenses and do the math to choose how much they want to spend for their vacation. They will add up the transportation costs, places to stay, food, and activities to see how far their money can travel.
Suggested Questions:
- How much would it cost to get to your destination?
- Where would you stay? Which city? In a hotel? With a friend?
- What kinds of foods is your destination known for?
- What would you be excited to eat?
- What sights would you want to see?
- Which activities would you want to do?
- What are different ways you could save money to make the trip more affordable?
- What are some ways you could help conserve resources during your travels?
Suggested Resources: LaunchPacks: Social Studies contains content sets on states, countries, sights (such as the Grand Canyon, Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, and the Great Wall of China), and more. Take a demo to explore the world with your students.
2. Create an Earth Day Environmental Bill for Congress
In this activity, students will explore laws that have been passed to protect the environment and brainstorm laws that they think should be passed today. They will provide evidence from text, images, and videos to support their claims and discuss how ideas can become bills and even laws.
Suggested Research Questions:
- What environmental laws have been passed since Earth Day in 1970?
- What human behaviors are hurting our planet?
- What laws do you think we should pass today?
- How does a bill become a law in the United States?
Activity Extension: Who are your state representatives? How could you reach them to share your ideas?
Suggested Resources:
- Kids in the House – How Laws Are Made
- LaunchPacks: Social Studies – Branches of Government for Grades 3-5
- LaunchPacks: Social Studies – Earth Day for Grades 3-5
We hope you enjoy these Earth Day activities for elementary students, which are great for students year-round.
Not a subscriber? Learn more about Britannica LaunchPacks.
