Environmentalism is a year-round attitude—and action plan—to advocate for positive change that impacts us all.
Raising environmentally-responsible kids is important to protecting the planet and its health, and instilling in them a love and respect for nature. Connecting to causes you and your family care about can be just as fun as it is impactful.
Get involved in your community or school’s environmental projects (or start your own!), spend time with family and friends helping to beautify or clean up your neighborhood, and take trips to ecological centers or your local park to experience nature up close – teaching children about the value it has in our everyday lives. Learn more about what can be done locally, and then think big on how to set an example for other citizen scientists and environmental stewards around the world! Together we can make a difference and protect our planet.
Keep scrolling for articles, videos, games, activities and more to help your family become planet protectors. Then, next week, learn about how our choices can positively impact the planet with Curious George and Nature Cat on PBS Kids 24/7. And keep the learning going with our Learn Along Bingo.
Jump to article sections:
Doing Our Part: Become a Planet Protector
Speaking Out | ARTHUR
Grades PreK-2
Discover how to overcome obstacles in order to take civic action for a cause you care about, in this video from the PBS KIDS series Arthur. When Francine discovers chemicals from lawn fertilizer are causing fish to die in a nearby creek, she is determined to raise awareness about the dangers of poisoning the environment. After watching the video, explore the steps involved in creating a campaign for change.
How to Raise Environmentally Responsible Kids
PreK-3
Talking with your child about the environment and ways to help take care of our planet can help your child establish eco-friendly habits that make a difference!
Setting a Good Example – Martha Speaks | PBS KIDS Lab
Grades K-3
Help children build vocabulary and understand education concepts with this Martha Speaks video! The kids try to brainstorm ideas for how to clean up the litter in the park, and inspire other kids to be more aware of litter.
Students Fighting Climate Change | Power of Us
Grades 5-12
Learn how young people are taking action to help with climate change in this video from Power of Us. In September 2019, climate strikes took place in cities all around world – and many of the participants were students. Concerned about how their lives will be affected by climate change, young people have been pressuring governments to take more actions to protect the environment. Support materials include discussion questions, support in designing a climate action plan, and a project that guides kids as they make infographics about climate change.
Can Trees Really Fight Climate Change? | It’s Okay to Be Smart
Grades 9-12
For eons, nature has relied on photosynthesis as a big way to keep carbon dioxide levels from getting out of control. But as we have put more carbon into the air, we’ve also cut down many of the forests we need to suck that carbon up. So big tree-planting initiatives like #TeamTrees to the rescue, right? Actually, we need to think bigger. Here’s 3 ways trees can help us solve climate change.
Games, Crafts & Activities
Nature Cat’s Recycling Challenge
Grades K-2
It is important for everyone to do his or her part to keep the world we live in beautiful. In this activity, children have the chance to do their part and develop important early math skills by sorting recyclable materials into their correct bins.
Make a Composter
Grades K-2
What happens to a pile of old leaves outside when you add a dash of time, maybe some worms, and a healthy splash of moisture? Make soil perfect for a garden just like Daisy’s from Nature Cat! Try making your own compost with this DIY experiment using everyday items.
AJ’s Recycle Rescue Game
Grades K-2
It’s time to recycle and reuse items in this game from Hero Elementary. Your child can help A.J. clean up wood, rope and other items from the park and then reuse them to build new items such as signs and basketball hoops. How many different items can you make?
Invaders! | Plum Landing
Grades 1-4
Players identify and remove invasive species from ecosystems around the world, in this interactive game from Plum Landing. But they must act quickly, before the invasive species use up all the resources!
Unit Conversion: Water Use
Grades 5-8
In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, watch videos and complete interactive activities to learn how much water various activities use and explore ways you can conserve water resources. Develop literacy skills as you explore a mathematics focus on using fractions to convert units of measurement, read informational text, and learn and practice vocabulary words.
Taking Action for a Clean Environment
Grades 9-12
In this media-rich, self-paced lesson, explore activism—taking action to bring about change—including some causes that activists espouse and the tactics that they use to end harmful practices or reshape policies. The lesson contains videos that feature some successful youth activists, and identifies some of the personal characteristics that many activists possess. Finish up by either planning and executing an activist campaign, or by interviewing an activist in their own community.
Local Ecological & Conservation Organizations
Take stewardship into your own hands and help conserve the environment, protect wildlife, and make a better planet for our families and neighbors with the help of these local organizations.
Lake Champlain Basin Program
The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources, in partnership with government agencies, private organizations, local communities, and individuals. Check out their online education resources, watch the Diving In video series to learn about the many ways that citizens are learning about and helping to protect water quality and habitat in the Lake Champlain Basin, and visit their Kid’s Page for more fun activities and videos!
The Wild Center
The Wild Center is a natural history center in Tupper Lake, New York, near the center of New York state’s Adirondack Park. The experiences, exhibits and programs at The Wild Center are designed to open new ways to look into the latest discoveries made by natural scientists and their educational programming, whether onsite or online, serves to engage learners of all ages in an exploration of the natural world. Explore a variety of Wild Center Digital resources including daily Lunchtime Live events, Nature Lab video series and activities, and the opportunity to become a certified Wild Center Jr. Naturalist!
AdkAction
AdkAction’s mission is to create innovative projects that address unmet needs, promote vibrant communities, and preserve the natural beauty of the Adirondacks for all. Get involved with some of their active projects like The Adirondack Pollinator Project, which helps promote the health of pollinators in our ecosystem and provides resources to become a pollinator advocate, and the Adirondack Compost for Good program, helping our communities turn food and other organic “wastes” into high quality compost.
Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation conducts loon research, education, and conservation programs, and hosts engaging exhibits at the Adirondack Loon Center located in Saranac Lake, NY where they share their wide science-based knowledge of loon ecology and love of loons with Adirondack residents and visitors throughout the year. Learn more about the ACLC’s Adirondack Loon-Friendly Lake Certification Program promoting community-based environmental stewardship to better protect loons and their aquatic habitats, enjoy a collection of loon-themed activities to keep kids (and adults) occupied at home, and keep up to date with the Adirondack Loon Blog.
Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center
The Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center is dedicated to fostering connections with nature for students, local residents, and regional visitors by providing outdoor recreation opportunities, experiential education programs, and year-round art exhibitions. Check out their Online Resources for tours and tutorials, discover the Breck Chapin Memorial Native Species Butterfly House and learn more about these colorful insects, and explore the PSC VIC trails – open year round!
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS Kids friends on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
Next week, we’re protecting our planet! Children will learn that their choices can positively impact the land, water, air, and other living things.
Grades PreK-K
Tune in: Watch Curious George at 5 PM on Tuesday, April 20th.
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Tune in: Watch Nature Cat at 12 PM on Tuesday, April 20th.
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Protecting Our Planet Collection on PBS Kids for Parents.