Earth Day

Half of the blue marble for Earth Day hero
This view of Earth from space is a fusion of science and art, drawing on data from multiple satellite missions and the talents of NASA scientists and graphic artists. NASA images by Reto Stöckli, based on data from NASA and NOAA.

Celebrate Earth Day on or around April 22 

Since 1970, Earth Day has increased awareness of the planet we live on, and encouraged people to learn more about pollution, climate change, endangered species, and many other environmental issues. Earth Week takes place on the week around Earth Day.

The NISE Network has compiled a selection of resources to help you plan for your Earth Day celebration wherever your learners are.

At-Home Friendly Experiences

Currently, during the crisis around COVID-19, in-person programming has transitioned into experiences designed to engage audiences online, including families at home. Below is a curated list of resources that you may find useful if planning alternative Earth Day events to engage your community in new and creative ways.

Hands-on Earth Activities

These activities were designed for use in museums or in other informal educational settings but may be adapted for online or at-home learning experiences. Many of the activity materials can found around the house or can be printed from downloaded files in advance. 

Paper Mountains Kit Components.jpg

Earth Videos, E-books, and Image Collections

Cover of the NASA Earth ebook

Use these NASA media resources to introduce online engagement programming or extensions.

Earth Apps and Interactives

DIY Lake Science cover image

Apps & interactives can be useful for self-directed exploration or as the basis of livestream events.

Earth Citizen Science Projects

Globe Observer app on iPhone

Involve your audience in citizen projects that help scientists understand the Earth and its systems.

 
Please note: Following resources are not filtered by at-home programming. 

Hands-on Activities

Earth-themed activities from the Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkits

When hosting an Earth Day event, you may want to incorporate the following Earth-related hands-on activities and resources found in the Explore Science: Earth & Space toolkits.

Sustainability-themed activities from Sustainable Futures (2020) - A collection of new public programs exploring sustainable futures.
Some programs now available for digital download - MORE COMING SOON
https://www.nisenet.org/sustainable-futures

More NISE Network activities

Additional Resources for Planning Programs and Events

Posters

Images

Library Resources

Citizen Science Opportunities

SciStarter Citizen Science Resources

NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative Celebrates Earth Day!

The NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) is a partnership among four organizations: the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and Earth science divisions at three NASA Centers: Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Langley Research Center. This year your physical toolkit has several connections to NESEC resources that will support your facilitation of Earth themed activities before, during, and after Earth Day.

  • GLOBE Observer is an international network of citizen scientists and scientists working together to learn more about our shared environment and changing climate. Your visitors, camps, or colleagues can participate by downloading the GLOBE Observer app and submitting observations. Giveaway rack cards are included with the Exploring Earth: Investigating Clouds activity and showcase the four data observations experiences in the app.
    • https://observer.globe.gov
    • https://observer.globe.gov/about/get-the-app
    • Clouds—By photographing clouds, recording sky observations, and comparing them with NASA satellite data, you can help scientists gain a new perspective on clouds that satellites can't provide: from the ground looking up!
    • Mosquito Habitat Mapper—By identifying potential breeding sites for mosquitoes, sampling and counting mosquito larvae, and using optional equipment to examine, photograph and identify the genus of your specimens, you will be enabling scientists to verify predictive models of mosquito population dynamics.
    • Land Cover—By photographing and classifying the land cover over an area the size of a soccer field, you will be assisting those scientists working to enhance global maps of land cover use.
    • Trees—The trees observation allows citizen scientists to measure tree height (and optionally tree circumference) to track the growth of trees over time. During the month of April 2020, the GLOBE Observer team is hosting a Trees challenge for Earth Day:  https://observer.globe.gov/trees-2020
  • Zika Zine is a graphic story about how Aedes mosquitoes live and how to reduce the number of places where mosquitoes can survive. Readers will also find out how citizen scientists are helping NASA by documenting mosquito habitats with GLOBE Observer. The Zika Zine is an outreach resource of the GLOBE Zika Education and Prevention Project. A sample zine is included in your physical toolkit but a digital version can also be downloaded in multiple languages. You can also download the coloring pages and make your own comic guide.
  • Elementary GLOBE is designed to introduce students in grades K–4 to the study of Earth system science. Each module of Elementary GLOBE includes a science-based fictional storybook, three learning activities, and educator notes and glossary. Elementary GLOBE is a great option to extend your Earth science engagement efforts with young learners. Modules include: Air Quality, Climate, Clouds, Earth System, Season, Soils, and Water. A sample of the Do You Know That Clouds Have Names? storybook from the Clouds module is included in your physical toolkit and can be used with visitor groups before or after Exploring Earth: Investigating Clouds activity. Digital versions of all the modules, available in multiple languages, can be downloaded for free at the GLOBE website. Elementary GLOBE Modules:

 

Online Workshops 

  • NASA Museum Alliance - Earth Day 50th
    Prepare for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, 2020.  Come hear from NASA experts, learn what resources are available, and ask your questions about NASA Earth Science.  Also, hear details about how you and your audiences can participate in the special NASA Earth Day 2020 activities.
    Details: https://informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/Conversations/nasa-earth-science-101-and-earth-day-50th-anniversary (recorded but must log in to Museum Alliance to access resources)
    Date: Thursday, February 6, 2020, 12:00pm Pacific, 3:00pm Eastern

NISE Net Sustainability and Earth-themed Online Workshops (Recorded)

History of Earth Day

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