Teaching kids how to protect our planet and make environmentally conscious choices has never been as important as it is today. Finding fun ways to add these important learning opportunities to your math planning can be tricky. There are many ways to encourage kids with math and acknowledge this incredibly important day at the same time. Lead by example and show them how they can make positive choices that serve their planet all year round. Let’s take a look at 20 engaging earth day math activities for kids.
1. Spin and Cover Fraction Activity
This fun printable activity requires a paper fastener to use as a spinner and two different colored tokens to cover the different fractions. Two players take turns spinning the fraction wheel. They must place a token on the equivalent earth fraction. Whoever covers the most wins!
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2. Build the Number
A great earth day activity for motor skill development! Students must take turns building the number by placing the correct amount of glass beads into the squares. The glass beads are perfect for strengthening little fingers and perfecting those math skills.
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3. Earth Day Problem-Solving Activity
Problem-solving is a key part of developing good math skills. This activity is great for middle school students who are working on math reasoning skills. These questions get kids to work out how much paper they would have to recycle to power the average home for 6 months. They may wish to work with a partner to complete this.
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4. Math Problem Strips
This is a fun math worksheet with a twist. Students will answer each math problem and then cut out the math puzzle strips. They then arrange the strips in order from least to greatest and glue them in their math journal.
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5. Make the Right Choice
In this game, each partner uses one end of the board and will need some markers. They take turns picking a number card and either add or subtract 10 from that number. They find the number they made and cover it on the board. The first to get 4 in a row wins!
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6. Earth Day Math Game
This is a super fun idea to add to your earth day math planning! All you need are 2 counters and a die. The kids take turns solving the problem they land on. If they get it right, they stay in place, if incorrect, they move back to one place. The first to land on ‘finish’ wins!
Learn More: Math Geek Mama
7. Earth Day Video Quiz
This fun video features a quiz for kids on earth. They can answer questions such as what is the approximate diameter of the earth at the equator and how many acres does the Amazonian rainforest cover? Kids will love learning about these cool earth facts in a gamified way!
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8. Recycling Peg Activity
This activity is perfect for fine motor practice and for developing early counting skills. Kids need to count the number of recyclable items and pop the peg on the correct number. These work well as a starter activity and can be laminated to make them long-lasting.
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9. Re-Purposed Slide STEM Activity
In this fun math activity kids plan and measure carefully to create this re-purposed slide. You will need a cereal box, cardboard tubes, and glue or tape. The slide can be tested with marble and should be fully secure.
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10. Minus One Game
Challenge students with this hands-on activity for earth day. Each student rolls a die, subtracts one, and covers this number on their board. Model this for them and talk them through it “I rolled a 4 and took 1 away, now I have 3”. They keep going until all the numbers are covered.
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11. Earth Day Mystery Picture
This is a perfect activity for preschoolers who are learning number recognition! Students must follow the directions and color each number the correct color. If all the numbers are the correct color, a hidden earth-day picture will be revealed! Kids love the promise of something being revealed and are sure to love this engaging activity sheet.
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12. Play Dough Number Mats
These sweet earth-day-inspired play dough mats will challenge kids with their counting skills. They must place the correct number of play dough balls in the squares.
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13. Recycled Fact Family
This activity is easy to differentiate as kids can choose a fact family on their level. These can be handed out to kids who can cut out and color the recycling bottles and write in their fact families. They then stick the recycling box over the top. These look amazing on math displays!
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14. Earth Day Number Puzzles
This is one of the top activities for preschoolers learning number sequencing. Pre-cut these for your little ones and scramble the pieces. They must try and fit them together in the correct number sequence. They can add color once this is done!
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15. Garbage Graphing
Have your students research how much garbage is generated by their school over a week. They should then create a bar graph to show what type of garbage was generated and how much. This will get students thinking about the materials they waste in their classrooms.
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16. Recycling Math Activity
In this activity, kids use a variety of recyclable ‘treasures’ such as plastic bottle caps, buttons, jar lids, and plastic tags. Start by putting out just a few numbered mats at a time. Kids will then use the recyclable items to count out the correct number of objects.
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17. Plant Growth Chart
Have each learner plant a seed in an individual pot; making sure their name is marked on this. Every day, have the children observe the growth and measure and record this on their sheet. Children will be amazed at how quickly their plants grow!
Learn More: Fantastic Fun and Learning
18. Footprint Calculator
This website shows us how many planets we would need if everybody lives like us. This opens up lots of opportunity for discussing how much electricity and gas we use and how we can reduce it. Try plotting on the whiteboard how many kids drive to school and discuss if this number can be reduced.
Learn More: Footprint Network
19. Count and Graph
In this simple earth day math activity kids must count the different objects and color the graph the correct amount of squares. Perfect for little ones developing their basic counting skills.
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20. Earth Day Fraction Puzzles
This activity is perfect for giving kids a hands-on experience when learning about fractions! Kids can find fractions quite tricky, but by holding the different parts, the activity comes to life for them and helps their understanding.
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Life Science Activity: Ideas For Preschool, Elementary, Middle School, And High School Students