Earth Day is more than a date on the calendar—it’s a chance to help students connect with the world around them in a hands-on, meaningful way. What better way to celebrate than with creative projects that turn recycled materials, natural elements, and everyday classroom supplies into planet-friendly art? In this roundup, you’ll find Earth Day crafts and activities that spark creativity, reinforce environmental awareness, and give students a tangible reminder that even small actions can help protect our planet.
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Earth Day Worksheet Bundle
Use these Earth Day–themed worksheets to get students talking about our planet. Students will learn about single-use plastic bottles, solve math problems, learn how to sort items, and write about the future of Earth. Just click the button and fill out the form to get yours.
1. Make nature bracelets
Using a roll of wide masking tape, form a bracelet on each student’s wrist, sticky side out. Then, take your kids on a nature walk to search for interesting leaves, flowers, berries, and such. When they find things they like, have them stick them to their bracelet.
2. Piece together magazine collages
This is one of our favorite Earth Day projects. After all, generations of kids have loved creating free-form collages from magazines. Ask families to donate used magazines, then encourage students to cut out images that appeal to them. Next, glue the pieces onto a sheet of card stock, making sure they overlap so that no white shows.
3. Weave a place mat out of recyclable materials
We love this Earth Day craft because it turns everyday recyclables into something both creative and useful. Ask families to send in clean recyclable materials like old magazines, scrap paper, junk mail, or cereal boxes. Then, have students cut the materials into strips and weave them together to make a colorful place mat while learning that reused materials can become something new.
4. Repurpose toilet paper rolls into binoculars
This is a super-fun Earth Day activity involving cardboard toilet paper rolls customized into binoculars. Simply glue two toilet paper rolls together, side by side. Decorate using paints, stickers, markers, and/or crayons. Finally, attach a string so kids can wear them around their necks.
5. Feed the birds
This one is an oldie but a goodie! Take your kids outside and collect pine cones. Attach a string to the top of each pine cone. Roll the pine cone in peanut butter, then sesame or sunflower seeds. Take your bird feeders outside and hang them in a nearby tree, then enjoy watching the birds gather!
6. Create art from nature
Take students outside to collect natural materials like small rocks, pebbles, sticks, grass, etc. Bring them inside and have them play around with creating a nature scene on card stock. Once they’ve settled on a design they like, they can glue or tape their creations onto the card stock.
7. Brew up a coffee filter Earth
This fun craft is simple, colorful, and turns out a little different every time. Have students color a coffee filter with blue and green washable markers to create an Earth-inspired design. Then, lightly spray the filter with water and watch the colors blend together into a soft watercolor-style planet.
8. Make cupcake paper flowers
This project is so fun and easy. All you need is cupcake liner papers, mini-cupcake liner papers, buttons, paper straws, and glue. To construct, glue a button to the center of the small cupcake liner. Then, glue the smaller liner to the center of the larger one. Finally, attach a straw to the back to serve as a stem and add paper leaves.
9. Grow paper roll flowers
Recycled paper rolls have a second life in a bright, cheerful way. Start by cutting flower petal shapes into the end of an empty toilet paper roll and bending them outward to make a stamp. Then, dip the roll into paint, press it onto paper to create flowers, and add a center with markers or another recycled item like a bottle cap or small scrap of paper.
10. Drum up some balloon bongos
These musical instruments are so much fun and easy to make! Simply take recycled tin cans of various sizes and stretch a balloon across the top. Secure the balloon onto the can with a rubber band or piece of jute string, then get drumming!
Earth Day Craft Videos
Check out our library of fun how-to videos to celebrate Earth Day:
Plus, don’t forget to download your printable Earth Day bundle!
Just click the button below and fill out the form to get your free Earth Day worksheets!
What are your favorite Earth Day projects? Come share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!
Plus, check out these Beautiful Earth Day Poems for inspiration.
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