Engage your class with our world this summer. Taking place on Wednesday 5th June, World Environment Day brings people together with a common goal of protecting and restoring the Earth.
This year, the global celebrations are held in Saudi Arabia and the campaign focuses on land restoration.
We’ve added 7 fun and active learning ideas for you to get involved.
Written by Jess White for now>press>play.
1. Take a nature walk
Take a walk around your playground or a nearby green space. Try to notice the variety in nature and the benefits you feel from being outdoors. You could also identify a spot for activity 2 or collect natural materials for activity 5.
2. Plant some seeds
Find a space in your school that could benefit from more plants and collect some seeds. Remember that plants have a positive impact on global warming. Make sure there are good conditions for growing plants then scatter the seeds.
3. Immerse yourself in a now>press>play Experience
Choose from a variety of now>press>play Experiences for key stage 1 and 2 about Earth and the climate. Remember to look through the resources for the Experience to find writing prompts, quizzes and more.
4. Go on a litter pick
Think of a green space in school or your local area that needs a tidy and go on a litter pick; you could make it extra fun with these ideas from Hubbub. Sort the items you find according to whether they can be recycled, reused, or need to go to landfill. Remember to take safety precautions such as not picking up sharp objects and washing hands thoroughly after.
5. Create some nature Earth art
Using items collected from your nature walk, you could create these natural worlds. Remember to only take leaves that have fallen and not to disturb habitats.
6. Plan a change
Think about what changes you could make at school to protect Earth’s resources. You could use eco-schools’ seven steps to help you. Write a letter to your head teacher explaining the change and how it would benefit your school and planet Earth.
7. Build an insect hotel
Find a good place in your school or local area for a bug hotel; a place for insects to find food and shelter. Use this blog post from Woodland Trust for advice on what type to build where.
We hope these ideas inspire and motivate you this World Environment Day. To find out more about how now>press>play helps enrich learning across the curriculum, you can claim a free trial for your school.