Starting a tree from seed and nurturing it until it's mature enough to plant in the ground is a deeply rewarding experience for kids of all ages. Consult with your local gardening center to determine which native tree species would be most beneficial to plant in your area: native trees support local wildlife and require less maintenance once established. This is a great, hands-on way for students to learn how trees grow, and it doubles as a long-term science experiment that students can track over the following weeks or months.

Best for: all grade levels.

Time needed: 30 minutes to set up, ongoing.

Volunteer to plant trees, remove invasive plants, or clean up a local park this Earth Month. Contact your local environmental group for kid-friendly volunteer opportunities — many organizations run Earth Day events specifically designed for school groups. If you can't find anything nearby, grab a pair of gloves and head outside for a trash cleanup on your school playground or in a local green space. Even a single hour of hands-on environmental action can leave a lasting impression on young learners.

Best for: all grade levels.

Time needed: 1–2 hours.

Create an information campaign at your school to share ways anyone can make a difference. Based on their individual skills and talents, have students create posters, signs, videos, or fliers about recycling, saving electricity, reducing waste, reforestation, or any other environmental topic they're passionate about. Display the finished work in school hallways, share on the school website, or present at a school assembly. It's a powerful way to teach students how to contribute their unique talents to a cause they care about, and it builds real-world communication skills in the process.

Best for: grades 3 and up.

Time needed: 1–2 class periods.

If you aren't able to organize or attend a tree planting activity with your class, you can always start a classroom Forest Fundraiser. Every dollar raised helps plant real trees somewhere in the world, giving students a direct, tangible connection between their effort and environmental impact. Set a class goal, track progress together, and celebrate when you hit it. It's a wonderful way to teach kids that collective action — even in small amounts — adds up to something meaningful.

Best for: all grade levels.

Time needed: set up in 15 minutes, run throughout April.

Divide your class into small green teams and have each team choose an environmental action they'll be responsible for in the classroom throughout April. This could include managing the recycling bin, composting food scraps, turning off the lights when leaving a room, or monitoring water waste. At the end of the month, have each team report back on what they did and what they learned. This teaches students a valuable lesson about the importance of everyday environmental actions, and shows them that sustainability is a team effort.

Best for: grades K–8.

Time needed: 20 minutes to set up, ongoing throughout April.

Collect used materials that would otherwise be thrown away (bottle caps, cardboard tubes, scrap paper, fabric scraps, etc.) and transform them into beautiful new pieces of art. Something as simple as a mosaic made from bottle caps can spark a rich classroom conversation about the persistence of single-use plastics in our environment and the importance of reducing waste. Display the finished artwork in your classroom or school as a visual reminder of the Earth Month values they learned.

Best for: grades K–8.

Time needed: 1 class period.

Create a pledge wall in your classroom and invite every student to add one thing they will do for the environment this month. Emphasize that no commitment is too small. At the end of April, bring the class together to share what they actually did, what they learned, and what surprised them. This simple activity builds accountability, reinforces the idea that individual actions matter, and gives students a moment of genuine pride in their contribution.

Best for: all grade levels.

Time needed: 15 minutes to set up, 30-minute debrief at month's end.