Apr 12, 20232 min read

Earth Day: A lesson to care for

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."

A Quote That Resonates

There are profound quotes made by inspiring people, but one that always stuck with me was from the insightful Lorax. Maybe it's my immaturity showing, but reading this story to my children, sharing such a deep moral, made me swell up in inspiration and hope. I desire to make my kids take note of the world around them, the people they can help, and to recognize their gifts for making their world- however big or small that will be- a better place. The statement in The Lorax seems to captivate that desire in that simple quote, and it has left its mark on me.

I CARE AN AWFUL LOT.

As parents, we care an awful lot about our children's futures, their well being, and our impact on them. Each lesson taught, taking root inside them, and hopeful we have set a fine example for them to learn from. As Earth Day rotated through again on the calendar, I knew that having a lesson themed upon The Lorax, was a great fit for my young learners, and a launching pad to further their understanding of their responsibility to, and their effects on, our Earth.

So, if an Earth Day lesson plan is on your calendar this year, here's some ideas to get your mind moving to prepare a great Earth Day lesson, themed upon the wise old Lorax.

Plant The Seeds. . .

The seeds for learning, that is! With some colored paper and starburst cutouts, your young learner can create their own truffula forest while practicing spelling skills. Have spellers grow the truffula tuft on each tree by identifying the missing letter on each tuft. Match the word on each tuft to the correct letter trunk needed to complete the spelling word. By the end of this activity, they'll not only have had spelling practice, but also a beautiful truffula tree forest to show for it.

Oh! The Truffula Trees!

With such vibrant and fun illustrated truffula trees shown in the story, why not plant them further into the learning activities? Utilize truffula trees manipulatives to practice measurement by creating a quick board game with varying straw, or "trunk", lengths with pom poms or cotton balls on top. Players can choose which tree to measure and compare to other tree lengths. Next, grow your truffula tree to new heights by having them find items around the house that measure the next desired increment, in order to then earn a pull on the truffula tree paper roll.

Earth Day/The Lorax Unit: Learning Activity — Deciding which tree trunk to measure next in the "Measure the Truffula Trees" math game.

Earth Day/The Lorax: Learning Activity — Growing our truffula tree to the highest height!

Treat It With Care.

Taking lesson from The Lorax, showing care for the Earth is what Earth Day is all about! In order to get them active in showing the difference they can make in just the area around them, I created a fun neighborhood trash scavenger hunt. Gear them up with the proper tools and checklist, then head outside to collect as many items left behind as they can find.

Get a FREE copy of our trash scavenger hunt sheet here.