Teaching Ideas for an Environment Day

Try some of these teaching and activity ideas during an Environment day (or an environment topic over a longer period).

Don’t forget that World Environment Day takes place on 5th June every year.

If you have any suggestions of your own, add a comment below. We would love to hear your ideas!

English:

• Try some of our teaching ideas for books about environmental issues, such as The Lorax, There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom, or Somebody Swallowed Stanley.
• Use our Environment Inspiration Posters as discussion starters.
• Our Climate Change Pack includes some differentiated comprehension texts on the impact of climate change.

• Write a short story about saving the environment.
• Create posters or leaflets to raise awareness about an environmental issue that you are interested in or have been studying.
• Have a look at this webpage from Olio, which has ideas for making your school more eco-friendly. Choose one action that could be implemented in your school and write a persuasive letter to the head teacher about it,
• Create a short script based on a recycling theme and perform it in class.
• Research and write a biography of a famous environmentalist, such as Greta Thunberg, Jane Goodall or Sir David Attenborough.

• Create a newspaper article focussing on a local or global environmental news story.
• Create a vocabulary bank with words to describe an eco-friendly world. Use them in a descriptive paragraph.
• Write and illustrate an eco-themed picture book for younger children.
• Create a word search or crossword puzzle with environmental vocabulary.
• Write acrostic poems using the words “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

Maths:

• Empty the bin at the end of the day and measure the mass and volume of waste generated. Calculate the amount of waste the class produces in a week or over a school year. What percentage of it is recyclable?
• Download the School’s Water Audit Pack from Anglian Water and calculate how much water is used in your school. Other local water companies provide similar resources.
• Use these ideas to explore your school’s energy usage.
• Calculate the savings by using reusable containers or bottles instead of disposable ones. For example, if a refillable bottle costs £5, a litre of tap water costs 0.1p, and a litre of bottled water costs 50p, how long will it take to recoup the cost of the refillable bottle?
• Collect data about environmental issues, such as how children get to school, and present it in a suitable form.
• Design an eco-friendly garden and work out the amount of materials (such as fencing, compost, etc.) required to create it.
• Create a timeline showing how long it takes different materials to decompose. This page has a great example.

Science:

• Provide the children with some clean waste products. Discuss and sort into different categories, for example, recyclable and non-recyclable.
• Explore the life cycles of plants by planting seeds and recording observations.
• Try one of these investigations from Kids Against Plastic.
• Try to Keep the Lights on and reach Net Zero in this game from EDF Energy.
• Design a nature scavenger hunt to learn about local flora and fauna.
• Use our Environment Pack to investigate which common materials can be recycled.
• Compare different places in your school’s grounds and surrounding areas. What lives and grows there? What can you do to help the natural environment in those places?
• Learn about climate change and global warming through research or speak to a guest speaker. This video has some helpful information.

• Investigate the water cycle, evaporation and condensation, and the importance of water conservation. Our Water Cycle Pack has plenty of useful resources.

Computing:

• Research and design a presentation about endangered species or ecosystems.
• Create a quiz or game using online tools like Kahoot or Scratch to help learn about the environment.
• Create an animation that raises awareness of an environmental issue. Here is one example:

• Develop and program a waste sorting game to improve understanding of recycling and proper waste disposal.
• Collaborate with pen pals or other schools online to discuss environmental issues and how you could work to improve the environment together.
• Create digital art or infographics to convey messages about environmental care.
• Explore the British Museum’s ‘Arctic; culture and climate’ exhibition using this virtual tour. Make notes as you explore.

Design Technology:

• Follow these instructions to make an eco-friendly bag using old newspapers. You could also make some beeswax wraps with adult support.
• Conduct an audit of the different types of packaging used in your home and school. Redesign the packaging for some of these products with eco-friendly materials.
• Design a device or machine that is powered by renewable energy, such as solar or wind.
• Construct bird feeders, birdhouses, or insect hotels to encourage wildlife in your school grounds.
• Design and build a miniature recycling centre with signs and labels to help people sort different materials.
• Make a compost bin using these ideas and tips.
• Make a model of a wind turbine.
• Plan and create a 3D model of an eco-friendly classroom or building. What different features will it have?
• Design and create some upcycled furniture using reusable materials.

Art:

• Work together to create a mural or collage with an environmental focus.
• Design recycled fashion items such as jewellery or accessories.
• Draw or paint portraits of endangered species.
• Explore and experiment with nature-inspired art techniques like leaf or bark rubbings.
• Create animal masks or puppets from eco-friendly or reusable materials.
• Use natural materials such as flowers, leaves, or twigs to create transient art. Andy Goldsworthy’s site has some examples for inspiration.

Music:

• Write and perform an environmental-themed song. Here are some examples:

• Listen to the soundtrack for an environmental / nature documentary. How might changing the soundtrack affect the video? Here is one example:

• Explore and create music using recycled instruments or everyday objects.
• Investigate the sounds of nature and create soundscapes or compositions incorporating these. Nature Soundscapes has a number of videos to explore on Youtube.

Geography:

• Investigate the effects of climate change around the world. NASA has some examples that show some of these.
• Find out how land use has changed over time. Our World in Data has some helpful graphs to explore.
• Discuss how tourism affects the environment. Create a travel brochure to promote eco-tourism in a chosen destination. This page has some examples.
• Produce a report about an environmental conservation program (e.g. the Great Green Wall). What did it achieve?
• Learn about areas of the world that are environmentally fragile zones, e.g. rainforests or coral reefs. Find out what people are doing to help these places.

History:

• Create a timeline of key environmental milestones or events around the world. Britannica has an example to explore.
• Research and present information about ancient civilisations’ attitudes towards nature and the environment. For example, how did the Ancient Egyptians use their and adapt to their environment?
• Learn about historical environmental catastrophes and their impact. The Council on Foreign Relations has some examples.
• Investigate the history of the Earth’s climate and how it has changed over time. NASA has a useful time machine.

Physical Education:

• Organise a clean-up activity in your local area. What tools and resources will you need to clean the area safely and effectively?
• Teach and practice orienteering skills in the school grounds or the surrounding areas. The British Schools Orienteering Association has plenty of ideas and tips.
• Play an outdoor scavenger hunt with an environmental theme.
• Create an obstacle course that emulates an animal’s natural habitat.
• Create an active play or presentation that promotes environmentally friendly transport options like walking or cycling.

Languages:

• Choose a selection of words based on an environmental theme and translate them into different languages.
• Create bilingual posters or informational resources about the environment.
• Plan, write and perform a short role-play scene about the environment in a different language.
• Find represent examples of environmental onomatopoeia in other languages. For example, ‘Svisch’ is the sound of the wind blowing in Swedish.

PSHE:

• Plan a meeting or club to discuss environmental concerns and how you might be able to work together to help.
• Create a class or school eco-code to discuss some ‘rules’ that might help to improve your local environment.
• Find out about different careers and job roles dedicated to conserving and protecting the environment. Learn about the daily tasks and responsibilities that people have.
• Spent some time in nature. How does this affect our mental health?