Green Is My Thing
About
“Green Is My Thing” was created as a digital resource in order to assist parents/guardians in teaching their Grade 1 student all about the environment and its seasons. Naturally, with COVID-19, students have been spending a lot more time indoors than they would have otherwise. While changes must be made to their lifestyle as they knew it, these activities emphasize on giving students the opportunity to go outside and examine various things in their environment through fun games and observations, while also learning so much about the way our world works!
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Throughout the various sections of “Green Is My Thing” you will find resources and activities that can assist you in teaching your young student all about the environment, the seasons, the concept of natural resources, and how their actions can have a more positive impact on the environment.
Additionally, you will have access to the various curriculum outcomes for the subjects that these activities meet. The most recent Nova Scotia Curriculum is the basis for all of these outcomes, and can be accessed for greater detail at https://curriculum.novascotia.ca/.
Curriculum Outcomes
Science
Learners will analyse daily and seasonal change in the environment.
Learners will analyse interconnectedness of living things and the environment.
Language Arts
Learners will interact using effective oral language skills considering audience, purpose, and situation.
Learners will convey meaning by creating print and digital texts collaboratively and independently using imagination, personal experiences, and feelings.
Social Studies
Learners will implement age-appropriate actions for responsible behaviour in caring for the environment.
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Learners will analyze the difference between needs and wants.
Activities
Outline
There are so many activities you can do with your student that can assist them in reaching the curriculum outcomes! This page focuses on a few examples that will hopefully give you some ideas as to go about this.
Guessing Game
The concept of natural resources can be tricky to comprehend for a Grade 1 student. This activity allows you to teach them all about what natural resources are, as well as how they are used to produce nearly everything that we have/use.
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To do this, after explaining the concept of natural resources (using examples such as water, air, oil, etc.) simply ask your student to name an item in your house. From there you will attempt to tell them about the natural resources used to create the item. Once your student has a grasp on the main idea, switch the roles! Have them try to think through what natural resources are used to make each item up.
Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts are a great way to get your Grade 1 student engaged in learning about the environment, as well as a fun way to get them out of the house and exploring. Simply find various items that can be found outdoors, such as pinecones, flowers, insects, etc. and create the list for your student to find them.
By doing this, the student has the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills by asking questions like "where would I be likely to find a pinecorn?"and simultaneously explore their local environment through a scientific lens.
Mind Maps
Mind maps are a way to visually represent brainstorming ideas and concepts. By having students use mind maps to organize their brainstorming, they are more likely to draw more connections between various aspects of lessons.
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An example of this would be having students organizing their thoughts as to how the natural resources in an area are used by wildlife in the area, as well as the connections between each resource/animal (such as how plants require water, and how animals require oxygen produced by the plants).
Diorama Representation
Once students have learned about the environment and its importance you can have your student build their own diorama using materials that can be found around the home and outdoors! These can range in size and focus, allowing for students to create their own special diorama that represents something that caught their interest while learning!
Resources
Online Blogs/Articles
Video Resources
There are tons of online resources that can be used to give you more ideas about how to teach your student about the environment!
To name a few specific examples, I have created a small list of resources I believe would be helpful.
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https://lovingparents.in/environmental/environment-friendly-activities-you-can-teach-to-your-kid/
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http://www.kidsource.com/what-can-i-teach-my-young-child-about-environment#sthash.aYJK4Zru.dpbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4jqempYWqM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OasbYWF4_S8
Additionally, the Planet Earth series is a fascinating documentary series that examines various environments and the animals/plants that live within it. I strongly recommend watching this series alongside your student.