Earth Day Projects

At the end of the year families in our community often send their old wall calendars to the school for us to reuse/repurpose.  I like to think that we celebrate Earth Day whenever we --

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle or Repurpose something.

Throughout the year, we then have a nice selection of pictures to use in social studies, art classes etc.  This year I did two variations of the same project with two different art classes.

Calendar Projects 

Two Picture Project

Palm Trees

With my grades 3 - 5 group, I had each student pick 2 pictures, preferably two with contrasting colours.  I then provided each with long sheet of paper (at least as long as both pictures when they are side-by-side).  I actually use continuous feed heart monitor paper that was given to me by an uncle who had to spend a lot of  time at Brandon General Hospital getting dialysis treatments.

Sunflower Field

I use a paper cutter to cut off vertical 1" strips from one end of the picture.  Students must make sure pictures are aligned properly so that the strips are always cut on the same end!  I get them to think patterns and name their pictures A and B and glue them to the white paper accordingly - a strip from picture A, then a strip from picture B...

Sunflowers in the Tropics

 Once all the strips are glued, they trim off the access paper and accordian fold the entire project.  It's interesting to walk past the bulletin board where they are displayed.  From one angle you see picture A and from the opposite angle you see picture B.  When you look at the project head on, you see both pictures.  You sort of see "the best of both worlds".

Three Picture Project

 This is similar to the two  picture project; however here you use three pictures and them A, B and C.  You glue them to your background paper using A, B and C as your pattern.  Rather than making accordian folds, you fold so that strap A will  lie flat, strip B comes up and strip C folds back down.  The folding pattern is across, up, down.  Once the entire project has been folded, all  strips B and C are folded back to back.
In this project, you get three views: one from each angle and one from the front.
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City Scape (left Angle)

Calendar Weaving

Snow in Summer

 For this project, we selected 2 calendars.  I feel it looks best when you choose pictures with contracting colours, for examlple, a sunset and a floral picture.  When you cut the vertical strips, you don't cut them apart totally, leave about 2 centimeters attached at one end.  For the horizontal strips cut only 3 or 4 at a time, weave them into the horizontal strips, then cut more.

The Earth

 I found this project on Pinterest at Proud to be Primary.  

The blogger does a good job with her description, so I won't reinvent the wheel. My pictures don't do the project justice.  I like hanging them in the window because the light and/or sun shining through them has a beautiful effect.

To complete the project, each students write a brief description on how he/she reduces, reuses and recycles.

Let's celebrate Earth Day, every day!