3 Easy Ways to Teach Students About Sustainability

Going Green

May 18

Written By Laura McDonell

Yes, the OFFICIAL “Earth Day” is in April, but I’m a big believer that every day is Earth Day, so here we go.

From April on, my Kindergarten kiddos get really excited about recycling, the environment, and “going green”. If you’d like to incorporate some earth-friendly ideas into your in-class or Distance Learning lessons, here are some ideas:

Read-Alouds

I read lots of stories about the earth, but my recent favourites area Moi, la Terre, Je suis capable: C'est bien d'être écolo! and Relève le défi zéro plastique: Petits gestes pour réduire la pollution. They all help to introduce children to the idea that the earth needs to be taken care of, and that they have the power to be a part of that.

How can you incorporate them into your classroom? Easy! Order the books from your local library and do a read-aloud with lots of discussion questions. How can you incorporate them into your Distance Learning Lessons? Snag a copy of the book and do a virtual read-aloud (if this is something that you’re interested in)! Or, if you’d rather show a ready-made read-aloud on YouTube, I’ve gathered a few for you below!

Hold a Single-Use Plastic Challenge!

I like sharing information with parents about how they can talk to their kiddos about being “low-waste”. A great source of information is Leah Stella Payne (she’s Canadian)! I’ve added a link to a cute, free hand-out BELOW that you can show families that includes an at-home challenge for making our homes a more eco-friendly place!

Lead by Example

Personally, I’ve started trying to go low-waste by re-using containers rather than just recycling them. I always thought I was doing such a good job by having loads of stuff at the end of the road on recycling day. But the fact of the matter is, things that go into the recycling don’t always get recycled (Mrs Greenway is another Canadian who has great information about this). Thankfully, a local refill store has recently opened up close to me, and is still open during the craziness of COVID-19, so we have been frequenting there. It’s been an awesome way to support a small local business AND reduce some of my waste.

Here are some of my tried-and-true, favourite eco-friendly products that I use regularly (click on the image for more info):

How about you? Do you teach your students/families about being earth-friendly all year long? What are some of your favourite stories and activities? How about some of your favourite companies or products? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW

Hey, I’m Laura!

I’m a French Immersion Kindergarten teacher from Ontario, Canada, and I can’t wait for you to see what I have in store to make your teacher life easier!

Oof. This is a hard one for me.

I have spent a lifetime trying to erase the element of “the unknown”. I wanted to make everything “known”, everything predictable, everything safe.

It has been impossible and exhausting. I&r

I mean, really.

I have a dream of becoming a librarian when I retire. 📚

Have you read American Dirt by @jeaninecummins? I loved it!

The Mess That We Made is a cumulative story (think “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly”). The way in which the words build and rhyme pulls readers right in (“This is the seal / That eats the fish / That swim in the mess that

IYKNK.

Have you read @kileyreid’s “Such A Fun Age”? It’s one of my fave reads this year.

This book is just so summer-y and bright and fresh and darling that I had to renew it three times from the library because I didn’t want to take it off the shelf. 🐚

I have a soft spot for books about girls and their grandfathers, and this bo

Maybe I’m feeling sentimental because it’s my anniversary weekend, but this quote from The Windsor Knot got me.

Even the Queen of England had her person who just “got” her. For like, 70 years.

Who is your person? 💕

In my next life, I want to be Leopold.

Leopold looooves to dance, and he gets to demonstrate this during his ballet dance classes. The much-anticipated recital is coming up, and Leopold is super excited!, until they’re told that they will be d

I finished Sally Hepworth’s “The Good Sister” and this has to be my favourite quote from the whole book. Does this not just immediately remind you of someone difficult in your life - a student, a loved one, a coworker - and make you

Nattiq and the Land of Statues is a beautiful book about a ringed seal (“nattiq”) who tells his Arctic friends of the north of the wonders that he saw in his travels south. 🦭

I love the interwoven Inuktitut words in this story. There i

Can I just say that I miss posting quotes? I was doing a bunch for a while but eventually had so many books that I wanted to share, I didn’t have the space for them in my feed. But I came across this quote in the book that I’m reading and

MORE RESOURCES FOR APRIL:

TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS

Click here for my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

COPYRIGHT 2021, Bilingual Mingle. Happy to have you link to my blog but please use a direct link to my site/post when using my photos. It is NOT permissible to copy anything else on my site without prior written consent. Affiliate links are used at times. Thank you for your support!

zerowasteplasticsucksecokidssupportlocal

Laura McDonell

3 Easy Ways to Teach Students About Sustainability

Read-Alouds

Hold a Single-Use Plastic Challenge!

Lead by Example

The Best French Kindergarten Resources for June

Distance Learning with BOOM! Decks