Lesson 237: Caring for the Earth

❤️ SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (40 Lessons) • 🟠 E. Growing Together

← Back to Level 1

Objective

I can talk about why the Earth is special and how I can care for it in small, hopeful ways. I can notice caring actions and feel proud when I help.

Materials

Mini-lesson — What does it mean to care for the Earth?

The Earth is our big home. It has land, water, air, plants, animals, and people. We live here together.

Why is the Earth special?

  • It gives us air to breathe.
  • It gives us water to drink and wash.
  • It gives us food to eat.
  • It gives us beautiful places like trees, parks, and beaches.

Caring for the Earth

  • Means treating our planet like a friend we want to protect.
  • Means making kind choices that do not hurt nature.
  • Means working as a team with family, school, and community.

Simple caring actions for children

  • Putting rubbish in the bin, not on the ground.
  • Using both sides of paper before recycling.
  • Turning off lights when leaving a room.
  • Turning off the tap while brushing teeth.
  • Being gentle with plants, trees, and animals.

Feelings when we care for the Earth

  • We can feel proud when we make a good choice.
  • We can feel more hopeful when we know we are helping.
  • We can feel more connected to nature and to other people who care.

Earth-care, not worry

  • Children do not need to fix everything.
  • We focus on small actions we can do.
  • Grown-ups make the big plans; children can take small, kind steps.

Earth-care routines

  • Green check: each day, notice one Earth-care choice you made.
  • Earth-care corner: a spot for nature drawings or Earth messages.
  • Earth-care jar: slips of paper with small caring ideas to try.

Adults can say: "We cannot do everything, but we can do something. Our small Earth-care choices still matter."

Picture strip: "Little Earth helpers"

Guided Practice — Our family Earth-care promise

You and an adult will make a simple Earth-care promise with small, realistic actions.

  1. Talk together about why you love the Earth (for example, trees, animals, playgrounds, the sea).
  2. On a page, draw a big heart around a small Earth in the middle. Under it, write or trace the words "We care for the Earth".
  3. Around the Earth, draw three small circles. In each circle, choose one child-sized action, such as:
    • "Turn off lights"
    • "Use less water"
    • "Put rubbish in bins"
  4. For each action, talk about when you can do it (for example, "at bedtime", "when brushing teeth", "when we go to the park").
  5. Practise a sentence together like: "We cannot do everything, but we can do these small Earth-care steps."
  6. Decide how you will check in on your promise, such as asking at dinner: "Did we do one Earth-care action today?"
  7. At the end of a few days, look at the page again and talk about how it felt to keep (or miss) your small actions, staying kind and hopeful.
Tracing Pad
Tracing snapshot for print
Tip: As you trace, say a sentence such as "My small choices can help the Earth."

Practice — My "I care for the Earth" picture

Use this practice to help your child picture themselves as an Earth helper.

  1. On a new page, draw a big circle and turn it into the Earth with blue water and green land.
  2. Around the Earth, draw three small pictures of you caring for the planet (for example, putting rubbish in a bin, turning off a light switch, watering a plant gently).
  3. Under each picture, write or trace a short sentence with an adult, such as "I turn off lights", "I use less water", or "I keep the park clean".
  4. At the bottom of the page, draw yourself with a small badge or star that says "Earth helper".
  5. Practise saying out loud: "I can take small steps to care for the Earth."
  6. Ask an adult to hang your picture in a place you can see, as a daily reminder of your caring actions.
  7. After a few days, come back to the picture and circle the actions you actually tried. Add a small heart next to any new action you want to try next.

Quick Check — Caring for the Earth

Answer each question about Earth-care, choices, and hopeful actions.

1) What does it mean to care for the Earth?

Caring means making kind choices that help our shared home.

2) Which is a good Earth-care action for kids?

Keeping places clean helps nature and other people.

3) Why might you turn off lights when you leave a room?

Saving energy is one way to care for our planet.

4) When brushing your teeth, what caring choice can you make?

Turning off the tap helps save water.

5) How might you show care for plants and trees?

Gentle hands and water (with adult help) show care for plants.

6) You see paper on the classroom floor. What could you do?

Cleaning up helps keep places nice for everyone.

7) How can you remember your Earth-care promise?

Visual reminders help you remember caring choices.

8) If you forget to do your Earth-care action one day, what can you do?

Earth-care is about learning and trying, not being perfect.

9) Who can you talk to about caring for the Earth?

Talking with others can make Earth-care feel hopeful and shared.

10) What is one big goal of this lesson?

The goal is to feel empowered and kind, not worried or helpless.

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Exit ticket (student)

Next time I will practise…

← Lesson 236 Lesson 238 →