Mrs. Bee's Busy Classroom- For the Love of the Earth

Welcome to Mrs. Bee's Busy Classroom

Wheelbarrow Planter
Plastic Scoops from Laundry detergent
Milk Gallon Cap (or buttons, etc...)
Glue
Potting Soil
Seeds
Take the plastic scoop from laundry detergent (wash it) and glue on each side towards the handle the plastic lid off a gallon milk jug. It makes a little wheelbarrow. . Next add potting soil and let the kids plant seeds in it. I always plant either grass seeds or beans because they grow so fast.

Growth in the Room
Make terrariums and plant seeds. Have flowers and plants growing in the classroom or home. This really brightens up a place! Many containers can be recycled and made into beautiful planters for growing seeds or repotting plants. Children can collect milk cartons, old pots, and a variety of containers.
Earthday Project using Grocery Bags
Grocery Store Bags
Contact a nearby grocery store and offer to have your students decorate a hundred or two paper bags with a simple Earth Day design. (eg. stamp green handprints all over the bags and place a saying on it ) Then make a large poster to put up in the store to identify your class, and perhaps offer a small tabletop Earth Day display. Earth Day is April 22. Parents will LOVE going to the store and getting the bags! Be sure, however, to remind children not to place personal information on the bags (name,address,phone #, etc.)

Earthday Activities at Kid Domain.com
Make an Earth/Globe Picture
1. Dip an unused coffee filter in water and ring out so it's not dripping
2. Gently open the filter all the way so it is a circle and lay it on the middle of an 8 1/2x11 white construction paper
3. Give each student 2 q-tips and watercolor paints with a cup of water
4.Only using the colors blue, green, yellow. and orange, have the students paint all over the filter (only the filter) with the q-tip- they should not make a picture - just paint randomly blobs
5.Let these dry.
6. When dry , remove filter from paper and cut out the circle
7. Glue the colorful "earth" circle onto 8 1/2 x 11 black constr. paper
8. Students can draw stars around their earth with white chalk These turn out really nice to hang up for Earth Day on Aprill 22.
Trash Monster
* 2 Paper Grocery Bags
* Pipe Cleaners
* Construction Paper
Get 2 large paper grocery bags for each child. Cut a large oval out of the bottom of one. Slide it into the other bag, open end first, so that the oval is on top. The oval will be the monster's mouth. Decorate the top of the bag with construction paper eyes, mouth, hair, whatever. Poke a small hole on the top center, about 2" from the edge, and another on the back, about 3" from the top. Run a pipe cleaner through the two holes and twist together to make a handle. Then take the monsters for a walk, and "feed" them any trash you find. Also looks cute for a trash bag in the child's room. To empty and reuse, untwist the pipe cleaner and pull the top bag out, empty and replace.
Earth Suncatcher
(this should be started a few days before Earth Day!)
* Glue
* Blue Food Coloring
* Margarine Tub Lid
* Brown Permanent Marker
* Yarn or String
Pour about 1/3 cup of white glue into a cup, and add about 5 drops of food coloring, stir well. This will dry much darker, so don't add any more color than this. Fill a margarine tub lid with the glue, and let it dry completely. This could take several days, even a week if there is a lot of humidity. When it is totally dry, peel the blue circle out of the lid. With a brown permanent marker, draw on the land forms. This will probably stick to the glass window, but if it doesn't, punch a hole in the top and thread a piece of yarn or ribbon through it to hang. OR: Use the glue just as it is, and when it dries, use green and blue markers to create earth forms on it. Be sure to have a globe and map available to view and discuss.

Potato Planters
* Potato
* Misc. craft Supplies
* Potting Soil
* Grass Seed
Scoop out some of the potato before you give it to the children. Let the children make a face with the pipe cleaners, yarn and eyes. When they have finished add the soil and grass seed. When the grass grows your potato has hair.
The children can trim it or let it grow long!

Bowling Game
Use 2 liter or 20 oz plastic bottles. Decorate them with stickers, or fill them using: tissue paper (bunched or shredded), shiny cloth, Easter grass). Include an appropriate sized ball (nerf or light weight rubber).
Recycled Crayons
CRAYONS IN A MOLD
Children must be supervised.
Broken crayons
Heavy paper cups
Candy molds
Microwave oven
Remove all paper on the crayons. Sort according to color. Melt the crayons in the paper cups in the microwave. Pour into the molds. Hint: Hurry the setting along by putting the molds into the freezer.
You can make fish, flowers, pumpkins, shells, and rabbits.
COOKIE CUTTER CRAYONS
With this project you can make new crayons out of your old ones that have been just sitting around. Your kids will think of them like new, and you can also attach them as a little decoration on gift wrap. But remember: children must have an adult monitor because this requires the melting of the crayon wax. If crayon is heated to a high temp, it can burst into flame! several old crayons assorted cookie cutters or candy molds old sauce pan or tin can for melting crayons aluminum foil Take off the paper on the crayons and put them in an old saucepan. Or put the crayons in an empty tin can and place the can in a saucepan filled with water. Melt the wax by turning the stove on LOW heat.Place the cookie cutters on a sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the melted wax into assorted cookie cutters. You may need to hold the cookie cutters down to keep the melted crayons from running out. Wait for the wax to set, then cool, and pop your brand new crayons out.
Another idea is to layer different colors in the molds or cookie cutters and get a multi-colored crayon!!

Nature Creations
Collect a variety of nature items: sea shells, dried wheat, grasses, and flowers, sand, rocks, pebbles, bark, twigs, and small branches. Put these out with glue and foam trays and let the kids go for it.

Natural Earth Wonders Display natural earth wonders, such as : sea shells, rocks, crystals, geodes, pine cones, seeds, twigs, etc. Encourage the children to add to the collection. Provide magnifying glasses to study the wonders. Have books nearby that picture earth's natural resources. Many may be available at your local library.
Marble Painting Earths
Have circles cut out of blue construction paper to fit just inside of a pie pan. Have the children put a marble into some blue paint and into some green paint. Use a spoon to take it out... move the pie pan back and forth and create "an earth".. Then talk about what the green stands for and what the blue stands for. Show them a globe first..and talk about all the different names for the earth.-ie.world, globe, earth, etc.
Mural Forest
To make a tree, press a child's hand into green tempera paint. Keeping the fingers & thumb close together, press the hand on a roll piece of white butcher paper, making the tree, leaves and branches. Have the children print their hands as many times as they would like on the same paper to make a forest. Use a brown maker sideways, print the child's names under their trees to make the trunks.
Trash Collage
Use throw away paper, labels, scraps cut from junk mail, everything you can find that is typically thrown away - to make a collage.
Earthly Poems
Have poetry displayed on a bulletin board with the earth as the background.
Mr. Sun
Draw pictures of all the things that the sun's energy helps.
Give A Hand to Mother Earth
Each student has a copy of a large hand. Everyone likes a compliment. Mother Earth likes to be appreciated also. Another way we pay a compliment to Mother Earth is by taking care of her. On each finger, write one thing you should remember to do to take care of Mother Earth.

Our Earth is Unique!
There's only one you. There is only one earth. It is special. How is the earth different from all the other planets? How is the earth like the other planets?
Heal the World
Have each child color a paper plate to look like the earth from space. Then they put a Band-Aid anywhere on it they want. After a discussion about earth concerns, they write about how they would heal the world. Display in our hallway for Earth Day.
Links to Earth Day Websites

Seed Viewers
Clear Plastic Cup
Black construction Paper
Paper Towels
Bean seeds
Use a clear plastic cup that is 6-12 inches tall. Cut black construction paper so that it fits inside, up against the cup walls. Fill the center with wadded up paper towels. "Plant" bean seeds between the cup walls and construction paper, about 1/2 - 2/3 down. Water the paper towels and keep MOIST. Bean seeds will grow and you can view root growth, what happens to seeds, etc. They can grow quite large and will be fine as long as you keep paper towels moist.

Blossom Tree
Construction Paper
Paper
Glue
Powdered Tempera Paint
Popcorn
Cut out a brown tree trunk and some branches. Take popcorn and sprinkle pink or red tempera paint on it. Children glue the colored popcorn onto the branches. It should look like a tree with blossoms
.
Animal Litter Bags
Paper grocery bags
Stapler or Tape
Glue
Crayons
Construction Paper
Scissors
Cut out a large mouth opening on the plain side of the paper bag. Color or cut out eyes, ears, nose, feet, etc.Then go for a walk and pick up trash to "feed" the animals. You might want to warn the kids that they will be throwing it away. Maybe you can make an extra one for them to keep.

Rock Hunt
Go on a walk and collect various rocks, when back in the classroom make a list of words to describe your rocks. Heavy, light, shiny, dull, big, little, smooth, rough, etc.
Rock in a Sock
Provide several porous rocks for the children to examine. Then put the rocks in an old sock and hit them with a hammer to break them up. Explain that mountain rocks break down and create smaller rocks and sand.
Rock Collage
        Glue various sizes of rocks to cardboard, children can build rock layers. Use a hair dryer to speed up glue drying time. Extension: Use colored aquarium rocks to create a mosaic design.

Rock Place Card
Paint each of your children's name on a separate rock. Place the rocks on the snack table as place cards.

Pebble, Pebble, Who has the Pebble?
Children sit with their hands folded. One child stands in the center. You go from child to child passing your hands between their folded hands, drop the pebble into one child's hand but continue around the circle. The child in the center tries to guess who has the pebble.

Rock Art
Search for flat, smooth rocks during an outdoor hike. Wash and dry. Paint or faces on them. Paint them all one color or paint different colored shapes on them.
Rock Paperweight
Need: Large rounded rock
tissue paper squares (various colors)
wax paper
diluted glue
paintbrush
Spread a sheet of wax paper on top of the workspace. Lay a square of the tissue paper on the rock and paint over it with the diluted glue. Continue painting and placing until the rock is completely covered. Allow the glue to dry.
Below is a list of items to find in your school yard or neighborhood.
1. Find something wet
2. Look for something that is moving fast.
3. Find something green.
4. Find something that has branches but no leaves.
5. Find something hard.
6. Find something brown.
7. Look for something orange.
8. Find something that floats.
9. Find something pointy.
10. Look for something with cracks.
11. Listen for something noisy.
12. Find something with a strong smell.
13. Find something a deer could eat.
14. Look for something a bird could eat.
15. Find something with thorns.
16. Find something slippery.
17. Look for something soft.
18. Find a something new.
19. Find a plant with leaves.
20. Find something put here by people.
21. Find something cold.
22. Find something tall.
23. Find something short.
24. Find something hot.
Print this list to take outside with you. Take some extra paper to draw a picture of each item you find. How many items did you discover? Did some things you find fit into more than one category? What was your favorite thing you found today? Why?
Dirt Dessert
3 1/2 cups milk
2 small packages of instant pudding
10 ounces dessert whipped topping
gummy worms
1 bag chocolate layer cookies, crushed
dried coconut
green food coloring
1.Bottom Layer: Mix together 3 1/2 cups of milk with 2 small packages of instant pudding. Fold in 10 ounces of dessert whipped topping. Then gently fold in gummy worms!
2.Middle Layer: Finely crush a bag of chocolate layer cookies with a rolling pin, or put the cookies in a food processor (this is the "dirt")
3.Top Layer: Color the dried coconut with green food coloring, and sprinkle on top (as "grass")
4.Layer the ingredients in a new (unused and washed) flower pot covered with foil. To serve, spoon into individual cups (make sure everyone gets some worms!). This recipe will serve ten.

Read the book Recycling by Gail Gibbons. Then bring in things from your recycling box and we talk about things that can be recycled at home. Discuss what your town does for recycling.Does it have a program? If so, get some flyers from them to distribute to the children to take home.

Watch The Lorax on video. Have kids write in journal and draw pictures of as many forms of pollution as they can spot. Encourage them to give opinion on what happened.
Plant A Tree
Plant a tree or grow a garden. Plants turn carbon dioxide into the oxygen we need to breathe. Trees also help keep the soil from eroding away, and they give animals like birds and squirrels a place to live. You can grow plants inside, too. Try growing some salad greens or herbs, that you can eat, on your windowsill.
Earth Day 1 *** Earth Day 2 *** Earth Books *** Earth Poems
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