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Session 16: Earth Care 🌍

Overview

Grades: 1-2 | Duration: 30 minutes | Session: 16 of 17

Students explore environmental stewardship, designing solutions to help take care of God's creation.

Session 16: Earth Care

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

  • Understand our responsibility to care for creation

  • Identify ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle

  • Design an eco-friendly solution

  • Connect environmental care to Catholic teaching

Session 16: Earth Care

Materials Needed

  • 📦 Recycled materials for building

  • 📸 Pictures of environmental challenges and solutions

  • 🌍 Globe or Earth picture

  • 📓 Design Detective journals

  • 🌱 Seed or plant materials (optional)

Catholic Integration

Saint Connection

St. Francis of Assisi — Patron saint of ecology! He called the earth our "Sister" and cared for all creation.

Scripture

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." — Genesis 2:15

Opening Prayer

Dear God, you created our beautiful Earth and asked us to take care of it. Help us be good stewards of your creation. Show us how to protect our planet. Amen.

Lesson Procedure

Opening Circle (5 minutes)

  1. Our Home — Show globe: "This is our home—the only Earth we have!"
  2. God's Gift — "God made Earth for us AND asked us to take care of it"
  3. Three R's:
  4. Reduce — Use less stuff
  5. Reuse — Use things again
  6. Recycle — Turn old things into new things
  7. St. Francis — Loved all of creation!

Main Activity: Eco-Engineering (19 minutes)

Part 1: Earth Challenges (4 minutes)

  • Discussion: What problems does Earth face?
  • Too much trash
  • Plastic in oceans
  • Wasted water

  • Pollution

  • "What can we do to help?"

Part 2: Eco-Design Project (13 minutes)

Option A: Reuse Creation

  • Build something NEW from recycled materials

  • Examples: bird feeder, pencil holder, planter

  • "This used to be trash, now it's useful!"

Option B: Eco-Poster

  • Create poster about taking care of Earth

  • Include tips: Turn off lights, recycle, use less plastic

  • Add drawings and messages

Option C: "Save Water/Save Energy" Signs

  • Design signs for classroom/home

  • "Turn off the water!"

  • "Turn off the lights!"

  • Place around school

Option D: Garden Planning

  • Plan a pollinator garden

  • What plants help bees and butterflies?

  • Design the layout

Part 3: Commitment (2 minutes)

  • "What ONE thing will you do to help Earth?"

  • Share commitments

Design Detective Journal (4 minutes)

  1. Draw your eco-project
  2. Write: "I can help Earth by..."
  3. Draw one thing you'll do differently

Closing Circle (2 minutes)

  1. Earth Promise — "What's your promise to creation?"
  2. Pope Francis — "He wrote about caring for 'our common home'!"
  3. Closing Prayer — "God, help us take care of your beautiful creation. May we be good stewards of the Earth. Amen."

Assessment

Observation Checklist:

  • Identified environmental challenges

  • Created eco-friendly project

  • Made personal commitment

  • Connected care to faith

Differentiation

For Students Who Need Support

  • Focus on one R (Reuse project)

  • Partner work

  • Simplified poster template

For Advanced Students

  • Research and present environmental fact

  • Create multiple projects

  • Design implementation plan

Wonder at Home 🏠

Family Activity: Do an eco-audit at home! How can your family reduce, reuse, and recycle more? Start a compost bin, use reusable bags, turn off lights. Make a family Earth Care promise!

Teacher Notes

  • Connect to Laudato Si' (Pope Francis's encyclical on care for creation)

  • Consider school-wide eco initiatives

  • Display projects and posters

  • Coordinate with Earth Day activities

Previous: Session 15 — Simple Machines
Next: Session 17 — Year Celebration