Earth Day Exploration Centers

Earlier this year, I created a set of Kansas Day-themed stations that I absolutely fell in love with.  Similar to my morning work tubs, I really enjoy creating activities that work perfectly in tubs or at centers and their format really allows me to be creative.  With Earth Day coming up, I decided to go a similar route and I created this brand-new Earth Day Exploration Centers pack!

I created these activities so they can be used in a wide variety of ways.  They are good for centers during the month of April.  Or, if you spend Earth Day doing Earth Day activities, you could create a station set-up with these activities around your classroom.  Whenever I’ve done this in my classroom, it’s always been a win-win: the students get a small break from the norm and get to move around the classroom, and I know they’re still learning important skills and having time for independent practice!

What’s included in the Earth Day Exploration Centers?

There are 15 activities in the pack.  There are five literacy activities, five math activities, and five that are a mix of science, fine motor, and sensory.  Many of the activities include a corresponding practice page or recording sheet and I included both color and black-and-white options for the majority of the activities, too.

Here’s a look at what’s included!  *This post contains affiliate links.

Earth Day Exploration Centers Letter or Sight Word Cards

The sight word cards are editable!  These work with sand trays or students can write the letters or words on mini-whiteboards.

Earth Day Exploration Centers Vocabulary Cards

There are ten-word cards included.  If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you already know that I love these small magnetic cookie sheets for word building activities!  These are the magnetic letters that I have.

Beginning Digraph Sort

This activity covers digraphs ch, sh, th, and wh.

Save the Earth Sentences

This activity includes five color-coded sentence cards plus a matching picture card.  Students will unscramble the words to build a sentence that matches the picture.

Earth Day Picture-Prompted Writing

There are two picture cards included and students will be able to write about one of the pictures.

Earth Day Ten Frame Cards

This activity includes ten frame mats for numbers to 20.  You can use plastic linking cubes or any other small manipulative.

Earth Day Graphing

I feel like kindergarteners always love roll and graph activities!  My own six-year-old has already completed this activity at home a couple of times!  🙂  If you don’t own a pocket cube (like this), I also included a cube template that you can print and assemble.

Real-World 3-D Object Build and Sort

One of my favorite ways to teach about real-world 3-D shapes is by building with playdough.  I created a set of “Build It” cards with pictures of recyclable objects.  Students will build the object with playdough and sort it onto the correct recycling bin.

Earth Day Exploration Centers Addition

In this activity, students will draw two number cards, add the numbers, and repeat.

Roll and Add

This activity works as a partner activity or independent activity.  Students will roll two dice, add the dots, and color the number.  If students work with a partner, they can take turns rolling and play until one player colors all of the numbers.

Trash or Recycling Sort

This activity is also included in my April Morning Work Tubs pack, but it’s one of my favorites so I wanted to include in for those who don’t own my April tubs.  I got the plastic trash and recycling bins here.

Ocean Clean-Up Sensory Bin

Earth Day Exploration Centers Sensory Bins

This is my absolute FAVORITE sensory bin ever!  Students will clean up plastic pollution and save the ocean animals!  I used this pack of water beads that comes with mini plastic ocean animals.  Then I added plastic “pollution”, including plastic cups, plastic spoons, plastic straws, six-pack soda can plastic rings, plastic zipper baggies, and milk jug lids.  To add a fine motor component, I added some jumbo plastic tweezers.  I also included these kids’ safety glasses just for fun!  I included a recording page so students can draw and write to show what they cleaned from the ocean.

In this activity, first I included tree planting sequencing cards.  Then, I created a sensory bin with dry black beans, a plastic kids’ trowel, miniature trees, and mini plastic forest animals.

Lastly, students will cut around the shape and use a single hole-punch to punch on the dots.  If you would like, you can give students yarn or shoelaces and they can lace their picture when they’re done!

This activity is fairly simple, but I love adding fine motor work whenever possible.  You can use the spinner if you want or students can sort in their own way.

However you celebrate Earth Day in your classroom, I hope you and your students enjoy these activities!  I really loved creating them.  If you’re interested in checking them out, click here or on the picture below.