coolmelbourne.org

Celebrate your green achievements at your school by holding a happy planet party! We’ve thought of a whole lot of activities to get your kids, their parents and other teachers engaged in your happy planet celebrations. You’ll also get them thinking about how they and your school can be even greener and cooler.

Activities

1. Plan a classroom SWAP. Have kids bring in items such as school supplies, backpacks, lunchboxes, or toys that they no longer need or want and swap them for something they do! (We advise getting parent approval slips before you embark on this – don’t want mums and dads ‘losing’ things.)

2. Teach kids to love and nurture earth. Prepare lessons about growing and eating your own food. Start seedlings and plant a class garden. Follow up by watering and watching them grow.

3. Have a schoolyard cleanup and revamp. See if you can encourage local shops or parents involved in donating materials to your school to bring new life to your school.

4. Get your student to create posters with environmental messages and post them around the school. Take it one step further and ask local merchants to post them in the windows!

5. Throw a happy planet party! Get students involved in baking a happy planet cake, cupcakes or cookies illustrated to look like a happy earth, and encourage them to play earth-related games and read or write happy planet stories.

 6. Teach kids about packaging. Show them how to look for recycling symbols on products and read labels and use less packaging. Discuss the importance of being healthy inside and out. Discuss pre-cycling concepts such as buying products responsibly. Visit your local council’s website to learn more about what you can and can’t recycle in your area.

7. Put on a happy planet play or puppet show. Invite other classrooms and/or parents. Create your own music and have students make paper mache puppets and scenery from recycled materials.

8. Do a nature crafts project - make bag holders, dryer lint clay, paper mache or paper and happy planet gift cards. You could even sell these items to raise money for environmental projects at your school!

10. Make a recycle bulletin board. Post photos of items that can be recycled, including what to do with things like batteries and oil. You could also list ideas about where you could take things like books, bags and old Christmas cards.

11. Plan a school garage sale. It's a great way to practice the 3 R's. Students, parents and teachers can bring things to school that they want to sell. Advertise your garage sale around the community. All or a proportion of the funds could go to the school.

12. Make a classroom website or blog on an eco-friendly topic. Have each student or groups of students contribute articles and images... and work on it collectively throughout the year.


Any more ideas? Send them through to us and we'll post them on the site! Click here to contact us.