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Eco-Friendly
Practices for the Classroom
Tara Nieves, teacher |
* Take the
children outside. Figure out a way to take the
lessons you are teaching outdoors. This will foster a love and understanding of the
importance of the environment and will create a desire to live in a more earth honoring
way. This summer, a team of more than 10 teachers in the Hingham Public Schools created
and presented an Outdoor Science Curriculum. We examined the current curriculum and
designed lessons that would cover the same skills and concepts in an outdoor/nature
setting. Lisa Collins, science specialists and team leader, wrote the proposal for the
grant to fund the project. |
* Have each
child bring in a hand towel to use instead of paper towels. I ask the children to only use their own and to take it home to be washed
on Fridays. Using the towel gives the child an opportunity to cut back on the amount of
trash they produce. Encouraging them to share this concept with their families , I had
each student brainstorm a list of ways to reduce the amount of trash at home. We discussed
buying in bulk and the three R's (reduce, reuse, and recycle). |
* Raise
awareness. Have each child bring in a reused grocery bag. For the entire day, they are required to carry around their trash instead
of throwing it in a trash can. For homework, at the very end of the day, right before
bedtime, they have to categorize the trash and graph the data. As a follow up assignment,
they have to write a response to the activity and explain ways to reduce the amount of
trash they produced. Next, they could bring back their trash the following day to see the
amount of trash the class as a whole produced. Warning, this can get smelly. Speaking of
smelly, be ready, they always ask "What about toilet paper?" I always answer
"No toilet paper please." |
| * Start a
recycling program for your school. This year at
parent night, I asked for volunteers to research and set up a recycling program. The
response was small yet strong. One parent has taken on the project and within the next two
weeks, we will have a paper recycling program up and running. To top it off, the PTO has
volunteered to fund it. |
| * Brainstorm
ways to cut back on the use of paper in your classroom and school- We came up with the following: Use both sides of the paper, Extra
worksheets go in the computer printer so the backside can be used, and if possible,
notices are reduced in size and consolidated to fit on one sheet of paper. |
| * Environmental
projects. I use the book Save The Earth, An Action
Handbook for Kids, by Betty Miles. It is full of great info and ideas. During the month of
April, in conjunction with Earth Day, each student choose an environmental issue to
research and present. |
| * The
Trash-a-thon is a valuable experience for the children. It opens their eyes to the amount of trash we produce. We categorize the
trash and find that most of it is wrappers from single-serving snacks. It offers great
data and experiences that lead into a lesson on the importance of reducing the amount of
trash we produce. |
Environmentally Friendly Classroom Tips
Green Activities for the Classroom to Help Improve
the Environment |
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