Observing EARTH DAY across the classes

As long as life, As dear as free, I am the Earth and the Earth is me.

Earth Day is an annual event observed on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network)] including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.

This year marked the 51st anniversary of an environmental movement that started way in 1970, when a United States senator from Wisconsin organised a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. The fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more and more apparent every day.

The Day is celebrated every year to create awareness about protecting our planet and preserving the environment. Saving water, reducing pollution, protecting the wildlife, segregating garbage, recycling waste are just a few ways to achieve the larger goal. Children too can make a significant contribution in saving the environment. The theme for Earth Day 2021 is Restore Our Earth.

The students of The Indian School participated in a plethora of virtual activities to observe Earth Day. They wholeheartedly participated in the activities planned for them on the virtual platform.

Children especially the tiny tots learn best through music and rhymes. So, a rhyme Earth Day, Earth Day comes once in a year was introduced to the Pre school students to usher them to understand their responsibility towards Mother Earth. To create awareness among children about protecting our environment and saving natural resources, the teachers shared ideas to teach them to keep their home and surroundings clean, save water and electricity.

Children also did a cotton dabbing art activity, in which they coloured a circular shape representing Mother Earth with blue and green, symbolic of water and land respectively.

Students of the Pre-primary made the most of the day with each class conducting varied activities to help the children know and empathise with the growing concern for protecting Mother Earth. A discussion on the importance of Earth Day told the children about 'Reduce' (do not waste water, electricity etc.), 'Reuse' (plastic bottles, cans and usage of rechargeable batteries for toys) and 'Recycle' (paper as in old magazines, books etc. so that less trees are cut).

Beautiful Earth Day songs like Earth is my home and Ped lagao, Ped lagao were taught to the children. The video, Its Earth Day was shown to all the five sections and the children were made aware that EVERYDAY IS EARTH DAY' and it is our moral duty to protect our planet.

Hand printing of a plant using blue and green paint was also done with the help of dried leaves. Students were then asked to insert arrows showing Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in the pot.

A video was shown to the children of class I which aimed at raising awareness towards the conservation of the environment and its resources. The children made craft in the form of head gear and wall hangings to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. The special class concluded with the Earth Day song.

Class II talked about their contribution towards saving the planet. Their teachers laid stress on the fact that there is a need to take care of Mother Earth and one must make it a habit to conserve energy and not waste resources. Students took a pledge to save the earth and protect the environment.

The children played games and with the help of an activity learnt how a bee is important for the environment.

Classes III-V displayed their love for wildlife by making beautiful bird feeders from used kitchen tissue rolls and pop-up books in which they creatively displayed different ways of cutting the wastage of resources. They also made use of old and discarded materials to make attractive seed planters.

Classes VI-VIII talked about utilising the three Rs (recycle, reuse and reduce) to reduce the carbon footprint on Earth. They made numerous items to show the use of waste products like the egg shell garden, upcycled plastic suncatchers, egg carton tree craft, coke bottle terrarium and waste cardboard.

The senior students showed their love by making videos on the innovative use of plastics to reduce its threat to the environment.

All these activities aimed to continue promoting environmental awareness among the children and to remind all that we can protect the earth by accommodating simple changes in our everyday lives. Although only one day in the year is formally dedicated to this cause, it is the continuous effort of each individual including children who are the citizens of tomorrow and will make a difference to the health of the planet.

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