These 5 Earth Day Crafts are perfect for kids to help reinforce the importance of protecting our planet.
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Star Wars Day School Activities Students Will Love
May 4th will now forever be known as Star Wars Day! This is a day where we all happily showcase our love for the beloved franchise by greeting everyone around us with a happy “May the 4th Be With You” and participating in some fun and stellar Star Wars activities!
This day is particularly fun with kids. If you are an elementary teacher looking for ways to celebrate, you’re in the right place! You may be wondering- how do people celebrate May 4th? Or what can kids do on Star Wars Day?
Don’t worry, I have you covered! I knew students would love the galactic theme so of course, I came up with some super fun, low-prep activities that you can use to get your students engaged in Star Wars-themed activities.
Check out these Star Wars Day school activities!
My May the 4th Be With You Star Wars Themed Day Plan is full of Star Wars Day printables that will get students engaged in their lessons all day long.
This resource includes a full day of fun with training, activities for finding planets, instructions for cool intergalactic treats, and activities to learn force and motion. These activities are perfect for pre-k, kindergarten, first, or second grade students.
Here’s what’s included
Donations Please Page for Parents, Create a Space Creature activity, Give you space creature a personality activity, Sweet Fighter Treats instructions (EASY to Make), Venn diagram of Earth vs any other planet you choose, Venn diagram of Earth vs a star, Venn Diagram answer key, I SPY Planets activity, ODA SODA (ingredients and directions to make punch, galactic water labels for water bottles, fight training code of conduct poster, training laser directions, Training Academy certificate, Push, Pull, Force, and Motion Posters.
Another one of my favorite May the 4th activities is this Star Wars Day digital escape room!
This space escape activity will help students to review planets, and practice problem-solving. Digital Escapes™ is a fun way to get students to learn without even realizing it. No printing and no prep needed for this digital escape! Students will love these Star Wars-inspired challenges!
To play, students will click an audio button for directions and watch a short video with a problem to solve to help with their first clue. During the escape, students will be tasked with solving 4 lock clues to escape the room.
There is a pdf included in this download with directions, the link to the site, an answer key, and an optional note-taking worksheet for students. This activity takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete but students will remember it for years!
Check out the video preview!
I hope these Star Wars Day ideas inspired you to have an out-of-this-world celebration with your elementary students! What’s your favorite May the 4th activity? Let me know in the comments!
For more themed day fun, check out my post here!
Earth Day Activities For Elementary Students
A very special and important holiday is quickly approaching- Earth Day!
Earth Day 2022 is coming up on April 22nd, and it is the perfect time to teach students about our planet and the importance of conservation efforts. We need our planet and it is more important than ever to take whatever steps we can to improve our environment.
So what can students do for Earth Day?
To celebrate Earth Day in your classroom, it’s important that we start by explaining why this holiday is so important. When I was in the classroom, I would begin by teaching students about our planet and what it needs from us. I explained to them that no matter how small their actions are, they are making a difference. It’s a great way to inspire students to be an Earth hero!
Here are some lessons and Earth Day activities for kids to learn about protecting our environment
- Take a walk around the school or playground and pick up any trash. Take this as an opportunity to teach students how this harms our environment.
- Teach students why it is so important to always turn off water when you aren’t using it and making sure it is completely off
- We need trees in order to have oxygen! Teach your students how they can care for the environment by planting a tree. This is a hands-on activity that has a big impact.
- Read books about protecting our planet and caring for the environment or watch movies and have a discussion about it after about how students can be more eco-friendly in their own lives.
- Teach students about the importance of recycling. Explain landfills and how recycling reusable materials can help our planet. Don’t forget to tell them about what materials can be recycled and how they can do it. You can help them practice by going around the school and identifying recyclable materials.
Looking for virtual Earth Day activities? Take your recycling lesson to the next level with a virtual field trip!
This fun and engaging digital resource lets your students “visit” a recycling center!
Use these interactive, editable Google Slides to easily have students copy and paste movable parts, learn about Earth Day, recycling, what to bring on a trip and so much more! This is perfect if you’re looking to do Earth Day activities at home while distance learning or in the classroom.
Here’s what’s included:
- KWL Chart
- Packing A Suitcase for the Trip
- 1 Minute Take OFF Flight Video
- 7 minute Field Trip Video (Earth Day, Car Ride to different Recycling Centers, Train Ride)
- Sequencing Events, 2 Writing Prompts, Counting Objects (under 10), Labeling Parts, Recycling Song, and Comprehension Questions
- One extra slide for you to add anything you would like to the lesson. (videos or an assignment)
- Home Connection Optional Assignment for students to build something with recycled materials.
- Black and white ink-saving Writing Pages and Home Connection Page for in-person teaching.
Easily share through Google Classroom to collect information or share from your computer to Zoom or Meets. Students move images, add text, and moving parts to get plenty of writing and computer practice!
What are your favorite Earth Day activities for elementary? Let me know in the comments!
Reading Strategies For Read Across America Day
National Read Across America Day is coming up on March 2nd. This is a fun day to celebrate one of the best things ever- reading! This day was established to get students more excited about reading and the wonderful stories we get to enjoy.
For younger students, reading is still a little more challenging because it is still so new to them. Unfortunately, this means they may not be as excited to read on Read Across America Day.
Here are some strategies you can work on with your students to help them find more joy and satisfaction in reading.
Preview
This method is when students skim a text to get the main idea and important points before they start to read. Research shows that this improves comprehension which makes the reading experience more enjoyable and satisfying for students.
Picture Cues
Teach students that the pictures in their books connect to the words on the page and they can look at them for clues about what is happening in the story when they get stuck. Ask students what they notice about the pictures in the book and what they think it means for the story.
Making Connections
Show your students how they can connect what they learned in another story with what they are currently reading to help them better understand what is happening in the story. For example: “This story is about an elephant. Do you know any other stories about elephants?” This helps students think more deeply and get more engaged in the content they are reading.
Predicting
Readers can gain meaning from their text by predicting what will happen next in the story. They can do this by using their existing knowledge or illustrations to make an informed prediction. When reading, pause and ask them what they think will happen on the next page based on the information they have.
Ask Questions
Teach your students to ask questions before, during, and after they are done reading to help them better understand what happened in the story and why.
With some practice, these simple and effective reading strategies will increase reading comprehension and help your students gain more confidence while reading. Ideally, this will help them develop a lifelong love for reading!
If you’re looking for some reading-themed activities to do for Read Across America Day, I have you covered!
These reading activities are just what you need to get students engaged. It comes with over 100 pages of language arts, math, STEM, and crafts with the “celebrate reading” theme in mind!
Here’s a preview of what’s included:
Language arts activities: rhyming words, creative writing with prompts, write the room activity, sorting nonsense words from real words activities, poems, and more.
Math activities: word problems, adding to 10, shapes counting, 1 more and 1 less.
Plus a STEM activity, awards, reading pledge, bookmarkers, journal cover, and a recipe for a treat!
I hope you love these activities! Let me know your favorite Read Across America activities in the comments!