Each year on April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day to help raise awareness about the importance of being good stewards of our planet and how integral nature is in all our lives. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to reduce pollution, mitigate climate change, and to participate in programs like recycling, planting trees, neighborhood clean ups and so much more!
Earth Day got its start in 1970 when Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a day to acknowledge the state of our planet and try to make it a healthier place for us all to live. In its first year, over 20 million people nationwide rallied for Nelson’s cause! Since 1990, Earth Day has been celebrated worldwide with people around the globe conserving, protecting, and caring for our planet.
Keep scrolling for thought-provoking videos, interactives, crafts and games to celebrate Earth Day. And remember – anyone, anywhere can be a Planet Protector. Our choices and actions can positively impact the land, water, air, and all living things.
Jump to article sections:
Earth Day & Environmentalism
Check out these articles and videos to learn more about Earth Day, environmental stewardship, and how technology can play a part in protecting our planet!
How to Raise Environmentally Responsible Kids
Grades 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!
Take Care of the Earth | Hero Elementary
Grades K-2
In these Hero Elementary activities, children learn about how the things that humans do can affect nature. They look at the effects of what people do. For example, if we throw away garbage, it doesn’t just disappear; it has to go somewhere. Children find out that humans’ actions can be helpful or harmful. They explore things that people can do to help the earth.
The Future of Nature
Grades 6-12
Can the great systems of nature help us to rebalance Earth’s carbon cycle? Experts say yes! These resources use clips from the hope-filled PBS program The Future of Nature to introduce the latest carbon cycle science, nature-based carbon drawdown success stories, as well as the thinkers, community leaders, and technologies behind them.
Environmental Careers | Future Jobs
Grades 6-12
Have your students ever considered a career as an environmental scientist or soil and water conservationist? Learn about jobs in these growing fields using the videos and accompanying Discussion Guides in this Media Gallery.
A Wild Idea: The Birth of the Adirondack Park Agency collection
Grades 6-12
A Wild Idea: The Birth of the Adirondack Park Agency examines the early origins of New York’s Adirondack Park and the creation of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). The Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined. Using archival footage, the film examines the challenges to the creation of the APA and its role in the preservation and management of the Adirondack Park, one of the most ambitious land-use planning conservation efforts ever undertaken.
Activities, Games, & More
Go Green Game | Sesame Street
Grades PreK-K
Help Grover protect the earth by using Oscar’s Trash Blaster and making planters in Abby’s garden.
Create an Upcycled Fish!
Grades PreK-3
With a little creativity, everyday trash can be reused as a new thing! Introduce your child to the idea of waste reduction with this simple fish craft.
Habitat Mapping Game | Cyberchase
Grades K-5
This Cyberchase at-home activity, available in both English and Spanish, allows students to explore animal habitats and how human-made construction can separate animals from the things they need. See what happens when human impact divides animal habitats by playing the Habitat Mapping Game with a partner.
Biome in a Baggie
Grades K-8
A biome is an ecological community like a rainforest, desert, or prairie. Create your own biome in this activity from Zoom.
Call for Climate Change Solutions | Youth Media Challenge
Grades 6-12
The Call for Climate Change Solutions invites students to apply what they’ve learned about climate heroes and solutions to create a short video sharing their personal vision for a better climate future. Students have the opportunity to publish their videos on KQED’s Youth Media Challenge showcase to reach an audience beyond the classroom.
Local Ecological & Conservation Organizations
Take stewardship into your own hands! Help conserve the environment and protect wildlife with the help of these local organizations.
Lake Champlain Basin Program
The Lake Champlain Basin Program 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.
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 serves to engage learners of all ages in an exploration of the natural world.
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 initiatives 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.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Through their work they focus on innovative solutions to climate change, protecting and restoring forest, and helping communities build resilience. The Nature Conservancy has a local chapter in New York State focused on initiatives across the Adirondacks, Central and Western New York, and the New York Metro area.
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. Explore over 25 miles of year-round trails for hiking, nature watching, lean-to camping, and more! Stop in at the center for current trail conditions and day or season passes.
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Protecting Our Planet collection on PBS KIDS for Parents.