Free Printable Green Environmental Science Earth Day Lesson Plans

There are many reasons to celebrate April. April bids farewell to winter and ushers in spring. Easter and Earth Month are celebrated in April. April 22 is the official Earth Day. Here are environmental science worksheets and lesson plans to explore this "green" month of April.

Maine.gov has a free printable earth science activities. There lessons on different environmental features. Teach them as parts of the body.

Rocks (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary). Rocks are the bones of our planet.

Minerals (quartz, silica sand, crystals, MOS Hardness Scale, cleavage, color, mineral identification). Minerals are earth's tendons.

Water (ground water, aquifers, watershed, water cycle, precipitation, percolation, wetlands, acid rain, bodies of water, oceanography, polar ice caps). Water is our earth's lifeblood.

Soil (structure, layers, decomposition, fossils, fossil fuels, composting). Soil is the muscular system.

Geophysics (geology, plate tectonics, magnets, earthquakes, volcanoes, the Ring of Fire, thermodynamics, geysers). Geophysics is the endocrine system. Given the recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdown in Japan, these lessons are even more vital and significant.

Ecology (land use, deforestation, slash and burn farming, fallow periods, water testing, soil evaluation). Think of ecology like health. Caring for the earth is like caring for our bodies. What we put into or do to our bodies heal and sustains or hurts and destroys. Likewise, what we do to our earth either helps or harms it. Environmental groups are like the earth's physicians.

This booklet provides hands-on activities, games, simulations, map reading exercises, field trips, treasure and scavenger hunts, experiments and extensions for social studies, reading and math. It gives interactive practice applications for Point-Slope formula (y=mx+b). That's helpful for S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, math) connections. In keeping with earth month, don't waste paper printing. Use recycled paper or scraps from your recycling bin. Print with biodegradable ink.

For more printable science lessons, visit my blogs Free Printable Lesson Plans and Free Lesson Plans 4U and Science Experiments and Chemistry Lessons.

Free Printable BP Oil Spill Lesson Plans for Environmental Science

The BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been pouring 5,000-70,000 barrels into the gulf daily for almost a month. Life science, ecologyy, biology, environmental science, earth science and wildlife biology are excellent classes to explore the gulf oil spill.
Students need to study current issues in any class they take. Why keep reteaching the same dull meaningless content, when something of earth shaking proportions is happening right at our doorstep? Students want to know what's happening and going to happen because of the oil spill? How will the oil spill affect the environment, the animal population, our waters, our food supply, our health? Effects of oil spills on wildlife, efforts to clean up the oil spill and contain the damage yield interesting lesson plans for students. Here are some resources including free printable lessons, film clips, activist efforts and teacher materials.
EPA.gov (click here) The Environmental Protection Agency is on the front lines of the oil spill and other issues affecting our ecology and earth. I've linked you to the main page of the EPA for updates on the recent BP gulf oil spill. Click here for a comprehensive resource guide to living green, saving the earth and understanding oil spill and their effects on life on this planet. Click here for lesson plans on oil spills. These lesson plans are based upon the Exxon Valdez oil spill but apply to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Dawn Dish Soap (click here) has been instrumental in cleaning animals and natural resources after oil spills. Visit this website to learn how the animals are cleaned, what is being done to help and how you can get involved in animal oil spill rescue and clean up.
National Geographic Kids (click here) Kid-friendly activities, lesson plans, games and learning experiences, to help kids understand the BP oil spill, especially its effects on animals, plant life, habitats and biomes of the gulf regions.
Remember, teachers, don't just tell students what happened and leave them hanging. Children are born activists. They will want to do something about the oil spill. Give them ideas and activities to help them respond proactively to the oil spill. These links will help.
For more lesson plans, visit me at www.freelessonplans4u.blogspot.com and www.freeprintablelessonplans.blogspot.com.