A guide for using our resources

Children will identify animals and their habits, as well as discuss the importance of keeping those habitats litter-free.

Vocabulary: habitat, litter

Social Studies Focus: Earth Day

Science Focus: animals and habitats

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• Poetic, rhyming text and stunning photographs grace this love letter to our planet.

• Pass out this bonus skill sheet. Read the poem aloud. Then have kids write what they love about Earth—it can be anything from nature, including an animal or plant, a type of environment, or even a type of weather.
• Then have children draw a picture of what they wrote. Let children share their work.

Skill: art, fine motor

Materials: picture of Earth, paper plates, shaving cream, baking sheets, spatula, blue and green food coloring (or liquid water colors), craft sticks

• Celebrate Earth Day by making mini Earths! Show children a picture of Earth from space. Tell them that this is what Earth looks like. The blue parts are water, and the green parts are land.
• Have children squirt shaving cream onto baking sheets. Then smooth the shaving cream with a spatula. Drip blue and green food coloring onto the shaving cream, and gently swirl the colors with a craft stick.
• Lay a paper plate on the colorful shaving cream, then gently lift it up. Place the plates on a table and use a craft stick to scrape off the excess shaving cream. The result will be a gorgeous representation of our planet.