12 Inspirational Earth Day Activities for Elementary Kids in Spanish
Which Earth day activities will you do in your Spanish classroom this year?
The possibilities are endless for commemorating Earth Day with your students.
If you’re a homeschool parent or Spanish educator looking for engaging, educational, and creative ideas, read on to discover 12 inspirational Earth day activities for your elementary Spanish classroom!
Table of Contents:
- Earth Day Is an Important Holiday for Kids
- 12 Awesome Earth Day Spanish Classroom Ideas
- This Earth Day, Speak Spanish 1-on-1 With a Native Speaker
Earth Day Is an Important Holiday for Kids
Worldwide, we celebrate el día de la tierra (Earth day) on April 22.
On Earth day, we unite to bring awareness to the value of natural resources and ignite discussions about conservation practices of our planet’s ecosystems.
With our planet in the throes of climate change, environmental education and practical lessons on conservation are fundamental for our young members of society.
Even in your Spanish classroom, there’s room for teaching kids these exciting topics, such as:
- Caring for wildlife
- Planting trees
- Tending plants and gardens
- Learning about their local ecosystems
Ultimately, the younger generations will grow up and take charge of our collective future. Getting them involved on issues like pollution, deforestation, and climate change creates a major positive impact.
The following activities we share in this blog post are perfect for elementary students, ages 6-12.
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12 Awesome Earth Day Spanish Classroom Ideas
These Earth day activities are ideal for teaching new Spanish vocabulary! Here are 12 fantastic and easy Earth day activities for your students.
1. Make Seed Bombs
Seed bombs are a simple hands-on arts and crafts project that use eco-friendly materials. They make an excellent gift for adults and contribute to making your garden more beautiful and healthy.
Las semillas (seeds) are the starting point for our favorite plants and flowers to come alive. Studying them makes an opportunity for learning the parts of a plant and their life cycle in Spanish.
Combine this fun project with a lesson on The Science of Plants and Soil in Spanish.
Materials
- 3 to 4 packs of semillas (preferably flowers)
- 3 sheets of construction paper of different colors
- A food processor
- Scissors
- Water
- 3 small containers
- Parchment paper and a baking tray
Instructions
- Cut the construction paper into one-inch squares and distribute it into the three containers according to color.
- Add water to each container and allow the construction paper to soak for 20 minutes.
- Squeeze the excess water from the construction paper and blend it in the food processor to make a soft construction paper pulp for each color.
- Place the colored pulps in each container, distribute the packs of seeds evenly in each one, and mix them.
- Grab a small bunch from each container and make round bombs with the pulp and seed blend.
- Place each bomb on a baking tray and allow them to dry overnight.
Once the bombs are dry, have your students plant them into their favorite pot, or gift them to others.
Choosing floral seeds is ideal for attracting polinizadores (pollinators) that contribute immensely to the Earth’s balance and the reproduction of other plant species.
2. Build DIY Bird Feeders
Teach your Spanish elementary students to care and give back to Earth’s living creatures with a DIY comedero (bird feeder) project. This is a rewarding Earth day activity.
Los pajaros (birds) are a representation of our ecosystem’s health and productivity. By admiring birds, you learn how they coexist with other species and interact with their habitat.
Materials
- Cardboard tubes from paper towels or toilet paper
- Peanut butter and kitchen knife
- String and scissors
- Glue
- Bamboo skewer
- Bird seeds
- Paper plate
Instructions
- Use the scissors or skewer to make two small holes, one on each side of the cardboard tube.
- Tie one piece of string through the end of each hole.
- Push the bamboo skewer through the holes.
- Glue the bottom of the cardboard tube to the paper plate.
- Spread peanut butter over the cardboard tube and cover it with bird seeds.
- Leave extra bird seeds on the paper plate.
Hang your bird feeder on a branch from the piece of string or place it on top of a sturdy surface outside. The bamboo skewer works as a resting spot for the birds to feed.
Allow your students to go bird watching outside. Have them identify bird species that drop by with this Comprehensive List of Spanish Bird Names.
3. Assemble Classroom Recycling Bins
One of the Earth day activities you shouldn’t skip is teaching your students the value of Las Tres Erres (the Three Rs).
Reducir – to reduce
Minimize the amount of waste consumed by choosing products that have little or no packaging.
Reutilizar – to reuse
Extend the use of objects and give discarded materials a second chance.
Reciclar – to recycle
When reducir and reutilizar aren’t an option, give waste a new use via reciclaje (recycling).
To teach these valuable concepts in class, make recipientes de reciclaje (recycle bins) with your students.
Materials
- 4 large plastic empty paint containers
- Acrylic paint and brushes
- Labels and markers
Instructions
- Wash and clean each container.
- Have your students paint each container with acrylic paint and label them:
- azul para papel – blue for paper
- amarillo para aluminio y vidrio – yellow for aluminum and glass
- rojo para plástico – red for plastic
- verde para basura orgánica – green for organic waste
- Teach your student to classify the waste produced in class and how to dispose of it properly.
Make recycling a habit by establishing a class calendar for when each bin should be emptied. Delegate responsibilities to students and encourage teamwork and collaboration.
4. Organize a Classroom Outdoor Compost
Every day your student’s homes produce organic waste like cáscaras de frutas (fruit peels), cascarones de huevos (egg shells), restos de café (coffee remains), and more.
These materials make productive and nutritious composta (compost) for feeding plants.
Materials
- Large plastic container with lid
- Worms from your garden pots
Instructions
This insightful video is perfect for young kids to learn how to make compost as part of the Spanish classroom Earth day activities. It’s a superb visual resource that supports their Spanish listening skills.
5. Perform Earth Day Yoga for Kids
Take the Earth day activities outside with an outdoor active yoga for kids class.
The benefits of yoga for kids and for adults are worth your while. Yoga improves your mood and gets you energized. It’s good for improving your posture through stretching, breathing, and meditation exercises.
Choose a scenic natural setting for your Earth day yoga practice. Watch a Spanish yoga video or book a Spanish-speaking yoga instructor from your community.
Discover useful vocabulary for this activity and all about Yoga in Spanish to prepare for this unique activity.
6. Go on a Nature Hike With a Field Guide
Celebrate Earth day with a nature hike with your students in a nature reserve or national park. Pack snacks, water, a picnic blanket, and have each student bring a notebook and pencil in their backpacks.
Encourage each student to identify and draw the pajaros (birds), mamiferos (mammals), anfibios (amphibians), reptiles (reptiles), and insectos (insects) they observe on the hike.
As you enjoy a picnic together, each student can share about their nature hike in Spanish and compare what they observed.
Take this opportunity to teach your students the seven leave no trace principles in Spanish.
7. Play Earth Day Spanish Bingo
Play a classic game of Bingo as a classroom Earth day activity! This wonderful game teaches vocabulary and enhances memory. It’s a top literacy activity for your Spanish classroom.
Our free bingo set includes cards with relevant Spanish concepts and illustrations for your students to color. Earth day topics for elementary on the template include:
Earth Day Vocabulary in Spanish
| English | Spanish |
| air | el aire |
| animals | los animales |
| Earth | la Tierra |
| ecosystem | el ecosistema |
| emissions | las emisiones |
| fossil fuels | los combustibles fósiles |
| litter, trash | la basura |
| nature | la naturaleza |
| paper | el papel |
| plants | las plantas |
| plastic | el plástico |
| recycle | el reciclaje |
| solar power | la energía solar |
| trees | los árboles |
| water | el agua |
8. Craft an Endangered Species Collage
Draw inspiration from this lesson on Endangered Species in Spanish for kids.
Inspire students to make a collage of their favorite endangered species using old magazines, markers, and glue.
This inventive art project lets your students express their creativity using recycled materials, while spreading awareness on the importance of animal species.
9. Plan Earth Day Field Trips
Plan an Earth day field trip to important sites in your community where kids learn about the value of nature and conservation:
- el acuario – the aquarium
- el jardín botánico – the botanical garden
- el museo de historia natural – the museum of natural history
- el refugio de animales – the animal shelter
- el zoológico – the zoo
Start a conversation using these discussion prompts for your students to reflect:
¿Qué me gustó más de la visita?
What did I like most about the visit?
¿Por qué visitar este lugar es importante?
Why is visiting this place important?
¿Que puedo hacer yo para apoyar la conservación?
What can I do to support conservation?
If your Earth day field trip is to the aquarium, check out this free lesson on Ocean Animals in Spanish for Kids.
10. Construct an Insect Hotel
Los insectos (insects) are everywhere and are an important part of our ecosystem. They play a big part in las cadenas alimenticias (food chains) and the life cycle of plants.
Building a house or hotel for creepy crawlers is a unique Earth day activity.
Materials
- Leaves, bark, twigs, bamboo, and grass
- Wood chips, moss, nut shells, and twine
- Toilet paper rolls
- Scrap paper
- Bricks
- Popsicle sticks
- A large plastic bottle
- Scissors
Instructions
- Collect the natural materials for the project and brainstorm how you can put them together.
- Cut the top end of the plastic bottle and remove it to make a see-through bucket.
- Start making layers of the natural materials from the bottom to the top. Keep it inventive! There’s no exact way to do this.
- Put the plastic bottle with nature scraps in your garden or balcony.
- Check it in the following weeks to see which insects have moved in and made it home.
This is a simple version to do at home. Get inspired by this elaborate and fascinating bug hotel.
11. Carry Out a Melting Ice Caps Experiment
Two Earth day topics for elementary you can’t skip are el calentamiento global (global warming) and el cambio climático (climate change).
Kids need to understand how climate change is affecting the melting of polar ice caps.
Doing an interesting and entertaining class experiment as part of your Earth day activities is an effective way to teach them about these growing threats.
Materials
- Two identical plastic containers
- Ice cube trays
- Room temperature water
- Food coloring
- Stopwatch
Instructions
- Use two ice cube trays to make two batches of ice.
- Add food coloring in one of the trays. Allow the ice to freeze.
- Put the same quantity of colored ice cubes in one container and non-colored ice cubes in the other plastic container.
- Add a small amount of room temperature water to one of the containers.
- Set the stopwatch and observe each container every 5 minutes.
- Record the time it takes for the ice in each container to melt.
The goal of this activity is for your students to visualize how fast ice melts when in contact with warmer water. Talking about the melting of polar ice caps, and the importance of climate change actions is now more important than ever to ensure a brighter future for younger generations.
Hand-picked for you: How to Teach Kids About Global Warming
12. Present “What I Love About Earth” Show-and-Tell
¿Qué te gusta de la tierra? (What do you love about Earth?) is the top question you want to ask your students as part of the Earth day activities.
Have each of your students prepare a show-and-tell presentation in Spanish about their favorite animal, plant, tree, or place in nature.
The goal is for them to share their feelings and what makes them happy about our planet. Follow these discussion prompts and start a Spanish conversation about their presentations.
¿Por qué te gusta esto?
Why do you love this?
¿Cómo te imaginas esto en el futuro?
How do you imagine it will be in the future?
¿Cómo podemos cuidarlo más?
How can we care for it more?
Kids are bright, innovative thinkers. You’ll be amazed by how they come up with creative solutions to today’s problems
This Earth Day, Speak Spanish 1-on-1 With a Native Speaker
Let this list of Earth day activities motivate you to plan an unforgettable Spanish lesson for your kids.
Your children are likely to encounter Spanish speakers in school, on the playground, and in your neighborhood. Thanks to self-awareness, children who speak Spanish have stronger ties to their community and a strong sense of purpose.
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