Students can help protect the environment by learning how to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Show them how a piece of waste, such as a plastic milk jug, can be transformed into a useful planter. Cut off the top third of a gallon milk jug using scissors. Paint the outside of the milk jug using acrylic paint. Use blue paint to symbolize the oceans or green to symbolize the earth. Glue cotton balls onto the jug for clouds. Allow the paint and glue to dry completely. Fill the milk jug with potting soil. Poke your finger into the soil and place a seed into the hole. Cover the seed with more soil. Pat the soil down slightly, and water it well. Place the milk jug planter in a sunny location to allow the seed to sprout and grow.
Show how much weather affects the environment by creating a wind puppet to hang outdoors and blow in the wind. Cut out two cloud shapes from white construction paper. Place a few cotton balls in between the clouds, then staple around the edges of both clouds to create a pillow. Staple three to four long white paper streamers to the bottom of the cloud. Staple a piece of string to the top of the cloud, then hang the cloud puppet outdoors.
Teach students to promote a healthier planet by creating a gift that gives back to the earth. Fill a blender with four cups of water, and add in three to four torn paper towels (made from recycled content). Blend the mixture on high for three minutes. Pour the mixture into a basin that is at least four inches deep, such as a deep sink or bowl. Sprinkle in herb or flower seeds, mixing them in well. Place a screen into the mixture, and raise it up to collect the seeded pulp onto the screen. (You can find a screen at any home improvement store.) Allow the pulp to dry completely on the screen for about two hours. Since the screen is flat, the pulp will dry in a flat sheet. Cut the sheet into strips that are around two inches wide and six inches long. Punch a hole in one end of the bookmark, and tie on a piece of ribbon as a tassel. The bookmark can be planted to grow beautiful plants.