The best 4th grade activities for Earth Day

1. Kids Can Help
to Reduce Global
Warming
Top Ten Tips

2. Refuse, Reuse, Recycle
Look for products without a lot of
packaging. Use your own canvas bags
for shopping instead of plastic or paper
bags. It takes energy to make a lot of
packaging and to make plastic and
paper bags.
Reuse all items that are reusable.
You can reuse paper for writing and
solving math problems. Reuse plastic
and paper bags and some containers.
Recycled paper needs less power to manufacture than making paper from
trees. Also recycle bottles and cans. If you do you will save more power. We need
to give trees more time to make paper.

3. Compact
Fluorescent bulbs
Compact fluorescent light
bulbs use two-thirds less
energy than regular bulbs,
so they save energy. This
light bulb lasts much
longer – about five years
-- and gives off more light
than the incandescent
bulb.

4. Turn Off
and Disconnect
Electronics
Some even use electricity when they’re turned off but plugged in.
Turning off and
disconnecting
electronics (television,
computers, etc.) when
you aren’t using them
is important to save
energy.

5. Line Dry Clothes
Dry your clothes on a clothesline outside when it is warm in the
summer and spring. The sun and the wind will dry them. It saves
energy and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

6. Thermostats
Move your thermostat
down in winter and up
in summer. When we
move our thermostats
down in winter we use
less heat. If we put it
higher in summer, our
air conditioning uses less
energy.
Heating and cooling our homes takes almost half of the energy
we use.

7. Save Electricity
 Cover your water heater
with a blanket so that it
uses less electricity.
 Start the dishwasher only
when it is full.
 Take short showers
because they use less water.
 Turn off the water when you’re not using it. (When you
brush your teeth turn off the water when you’re brushing.)

8. Less Car Travel
Walk, bike, carpool or ride the bus. A car releases carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere. It also uses gas. The less you
and your family ride in the car the more energy you save!

9. Plant Trees
Trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They provide
oxygen for us to breathe and we provide carbon dioxide for them to
breathe. Plant trees next to houses and buildings to shade them and
use less air conditioning.

10. Buy fresh, local food
Buy locally grown and produced foods. It saves gas because the
food is grown closer and does not have to be shipped.Buy fresh
food instead of frozen food because it takes energy freeze it and
keep it frozen.

11. Play outside!
When you play outside you aren’t using energy by watching
TV, or playing on the computer, or using a lamp to read.
Besides, playing outside is just fun.

12. Sources
About.com. Top 10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Global Warming.
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm
An Inconvenient Truth. Take Action.
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/
Stopglobalwarming.org. Take Action!
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_actionitems.asp
Nature Conservancy. Climate change: What you can do.
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/activities/art19630.html
Seventh Generation. Making a difference.
http://www.seventhgen.com/making_difference/global_warming/climate_action_list.html
Weather Channel. Global Warming: What You Can Do.
http://climate.weather.com/resources/resourcesHighlights.html#147
Environmental Law and Policy Center. Seven Action Steps You Can Take To Help Solve
Global Warming Problems.
ttp://www.elpc.org/energy/globalwarming/whatyoucando.php