Blog Posts

Earth Day Lesson Ideas

Denise Gagne

Earth Day this year is Friday, April 22nd. If you are doing an Earth Day assembly performance or if you want to teach some lessons using the theme, this newsletter has some ideas for you.

This lesson is from Musicplay 4

Create an Earth Day Sound Poem. Choose rhythm instruments to accompany the poem.

E is for __________________________
A is for __________________________
R is for __________________________
T is for __________________________
H is for __________________________

D is for __________________________
A is for __________________________
Y is for __________________________

Share your students work with us in the Musicplay Teachers Group on Facebook.
Musicplay Teachers

I just went to www.musicplayonline.com and typed “environment” into the search engine. Songs about the environment on the site include:

We’ve Got the Whole World Musicplay K
Let’s Save Water Musicplay 1
Garbage Musicplay 2
Recycle Musicplay 2
Walk, Run, Ride a Bike Musicplay 3
Compost Musicplay 3
One Planet Musicplay 4
Plant a Tree Musicplay 4
Show you Care Musicplay 5

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Many of these songs come from a musical, “We’ve Only Got One Planet” that I wrote in 1989. It’s really sad that the problems in 1989 have only gotten worse. The songs are even more relevant in 2016 than they were when they were written.

The opening song is One Planet. This song is available as a single song kit, or you can download the complete musical. This song has a moderate tempo, so you can add sign language to it

Single song kit: We've Only Got One Planet

One Planet
We’ve only got one planet, for all of us to share
The time has come for everyone to show the world we care
Old Mother Nature is doing all she can
The time has come for everyone to lend a helping hand.

One planet, one planet, made by God for all to share
One planet, one planet, time to show we care

We’re using our resources faster than they can renew
Polluting air and water - what can children do?
Every person on the earth can help to keep it clean
Young and old can do their part to keep it evergreen.

One planet, one planet, made by God for all to share
One planet, one planet, time to show we care

What I wanted to write about in this musical revue were the things that children could actually do. On Arbor Day in Alberta, Grade 1 students are green a tree - a small seedling that we plant. If we didn’t have room in our own yard, we took them to a park and found a place to plant it. One of the best things we can do to reduce carbon is to plant a tree - and the Plant a Tree song tells why.

7. Plant a Tree
Our world is getting warmer, every single day
The temperature is rising - we can stop this there’s a way

Chorus: Plant a tree Echo: (Plant a tree)
Plant a tree Echo: (Plant a tree)
Plant a tree and you will have better air to breathe.

There’s more carbon in our air, then there used to be.
The temperature is rising, soon a greenhouse world we’ll be.
Chorus (Chorus repeats)

Let’s Save Water is a song that I sang to my grandson on his last sleepover when he was brushing his teeth. He was letting the water run while brushing. You can brush your teeth with the tap off and just turn the water on when you need to rinse the sink. Grade 1 students have always liked the song:

Let’s save water (bbb, bbb, bbb, bbb)
Let’s save water (bbb, bbb, bbb, bbb)
Let’s save water (bbb, bbb, bbb, bbb)
Cause water is good to drink. Yes!
Water is good to drink.

We can all Recycle
Why put something in the dump that could be used again?
Don’t throw it out if there’s a way to use it once again.
Bundle up your newspapers and take them to the place
That makes them into paper, instead of into waste

Recycle, recycle, use it, use it again
Recycle, recycle, recycle, use it again

The final song in the One Planet collection affirms that each of us can make a difference. Make a Difference has been sung in many different settings - as the finale for the One Planet Musical, as a school song, at an environmental activitist's funeral, for Remembrance Day or Veterans Day performances, and in a health unit video to illustrate that we can all make a difference in our own health. My favorite performance was on the Canadian national news when the CBC broadcast the Gander, Newfoundland Grade 2 students singing Make a Difference at the 9/11 Remembrance ceremony in Gander.

Link to: Make a Difference - Gander, NL

Download the One Planet book/CD at: We've Only Got One Planet

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Thinking about Mother's Day? There are two very cute Mother's Day songs in this collection.

I wrote Sing and Play on Special Days in 1997 as a collection of fun songs, poems, games and activities to do on special days throughout the school year. In 2009 we created new recordings for the collection. The songs are timeless - lots of fun activities for your students. Many of the songs are in Musicplay K-5 with a few notable exceptions. Download book/CD Here: Sing and Play On Special Days