Today, in our blog post, we want to share the exciting activities we did with the children to introduce the concept of Earth. We started by showing them an actual photo of the solar system, highlighting how tiny the Earth is compared to the Sun. The children were amazed by this realization, as many educators often jump straight into teaching about recycling and saving the Earth without first explaining what the Earth is.
To further explore the concept, we engaged in some teacher-directed art activities. We encouraged collaboration among the children and created a beautiful art piece together.
Additionally, we did a handprint Earth art piece, allowing the children to express their creativity.
While we understand that teacher-directed art has less value compared to exploratory art or child-led projects, we believe that these small activities can still be beneficial. They help children follow directions and develop important skills. Please note the sarcasm in our previous statement – we truly value children’s autonomy and self-expression.
As part of our exploration, we provided orange and green Play-Doh provocations, which the children eagerly mixed together.
We also had blue gemstones for sorting, counting, stacking, and creating representations of the Earth.
We placed pictures on the table as visual inspirations for the children to use in their artwork.
To start the day on a delicious note, we served yummy French toast to the children. To make it even more special, we adorned their milk glasses with green marshmallow cream on the inside, creating a visual representation of the Earth.
We also took a moment to watch a quick five-minute video on what Earth Day is. Did you know that it started in 1970, 54 years ago? We briefly discussed the word “recycle” and engaged in a fun Freeze Dance activity.
Of course, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day by going outside.
After all, being in nature is the ultimate way to honor our planet. The children were thrilled to discover that we had new sidewalk chalk outside,
which quickly became a favorite activity for them. Despite the cool breeze, it was wonderful to soak in the beauty of nature.
