Earth Day printables and activities can provide an opportunity to teach kids about reusing and recycling paper. To avoid the irony of using paper on Earth Day, remind children that paper comes from trees, a limited natural resource, and show them how they can extend the use of paper by reusing it in a variety of ways.
Try the Zerofootprint Kids Calculator to start a discussion about ways to use resources wisely.
Printing Tip: Many printers can be set up to print multiple pages per sheet of paper or on both the front and back of each paper. Try printing two pages per sheet of paper to reduce the total sheets by half. Save used paper for use as scratch note paper or as pulp ingredients for hand-made recycled paper.
Earth Day Printables and Activity Sheets
The Earth Day Unit provided by ABC Teach includes printable coloring pages, worksheets, games, puzzles, stories, and songs on topics including natural resources and recycling. Children will learn environmental campaign slogans such as "Earth Day, Every Day" and "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle."
The Happy Earth Day Coloring and Activities Book provided by EPA includes twelve printable coloring pages with tips for making the Earth a better place. All tips are practices children can easily do, such as turning off the television when no one is watching, picking up garbage around the neighborhood, recycling cans, bottles, and paper, riding a bicycle instead of riding in the car, using both sides of paper, turning off the water faucet while brushing teeth, and turning off lights in empty rooms.
Ways to Reuse Earth Day Printables and Other Used Paper
- Make homemade paper out of old newspaper, junk mail, and other used paper. See below for instructions.
- Make magazine paper beads and jewelry.
- Draw on the backs of coloring pages and other paper.
- Use old coloring pages or newspaper for gift wrapping paper.
- Make small scratch notepads or phone message pads from the unused sides of paper.
- Make craft envelopes from used paper, see below.
How to Make Homemade Recycled Paper and Envelopes
Supplies: Shredded newspaper, junk mail, and used paper; water; screen; sink or dish washing tub.
- Place shredded newspaper, other paper, and water in a blender and blend to desired consistency. Thicker pulp makes thicker paper. Thinner, more watery pulp makes more delicate paper.
- Fill sink or tub with water and float the screen on top
- Pour and gently spread the pulp over the screen.
- Lift the screen from the water and gently press excess water from the layer of pulp.
- Flip the screen onto a drying surface, such as wax paper, and carefully peel the screen away from the pulp.
- Allow the layer of pulp to fully dry for a day or two.
To embellish homemade paper, press into the layer of drying pulp glitter, dried leaves and flower petals, string, or ribbon. To make colored paper, add paint or colored paper during the blending stage.
Used-paper envelopes are easy to make by completely opening and tracing the shape of an existing envelope to use as a pattern for creating homemade craft envelopes. Homemade envelopes add an extra personal touch to gift cards, especially when combined with homemade paper cards.
Earth Day themed printables can be used not only to teach about environmental conservation, but also to put "reduce, reuse, and recycle" into practice. Children can color their pages and worksheets and then turn them into something more.
Easter is Next: Get your Easter Printables.
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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