Travel to an animal habitat near your home town, such a woods, prairie or lake. Take several large plastic bins. Each student should have a garbage picking stick as well as a garbage bag. Clear all the garbage out of the area and separate it into recyclable and non-recyclable. Take the recyclable material to a recycling center near your home town. Put the money from the recycling into a student fund. Take the rest of the garbage to a landfill.
Buy several plants that are native to your animal habitat after you clean away the pollution. Take your students into the habitat with shovels and planting soil. Dig holes and plant your plants in areas where there are few plants. Planting plants helps build up the soil health and helps create a little bit more oxygen for the environment. It can also give herbivores in your area more food to eat. Include small sapling trees as well as flowers for bees.
Create an animal habitat diorama to illustrate the impact of pollution on the environment. Use a small shoe box or other cardboard boxes to create your diorama. Use natural material, such as leaves, grass and twigs, to create your backdrop. Buy small plastic animals and place them in the diorama. Make two dioramas; one that is polluted and another that is not polluted. Research the effects pollution has on that habitat, including how it affects the animals. Write a short description of the ways the polluted diorama differs from the non-polluted, including fewer animals and dangerous swimming conditions.
Create a Power Point presentation on the positives going green has on animal habitats. Look up statistics for pollution and how to lower it. For example; quote statistics on how freon from air conditioners affects animal habitats and animals. Find statistics on how much your freon output drops if you only use your air conditioner for a few hours a day during only the hottest days. Include pictures of animals affected by pollution as well as their habitats. Find a list of effective ways of going green and post it at the end of your presentation. Give this presentation to your class or the whole school.
Use simple online activities in your class to help your students learn about animal habitats. Several free games are available online, including those on the Mr. Nussbaum.com website. These games let students explore and create multiple types of animal habitats. Some games even let your students see the effects of pollution on the habitats. Use these games to help your students understand the importance of habitats and of going green to save them.