I always loved Earth Month as a teacher. I knew that if our world was to survive for the long-term, it was vital to get the next generation educated and on board as good stewards of the earth. The earth has given us so many gifts but in our busy lives, it’s easy to take them for granted. As parents, it’s so important for us to get those conversations about caring for our planet going, not only during Earth Month, but all year long.
Netflix is a great resource to help with educating ourselves and our kids and giving us ideas on what we can do to help, one little change at a time. Here are some of my favourite titles:
The Blue Planet is a series I used with my students in Grade 7 and we all just loved it! In Grade 6, they studied outer space and we talked about how the depths of the sea, in many ways, can be just as mysterious as space – almost like a completely different world and yet it’s right here on earth. The kids were intrigued and became quite passionate about educating others and working to save our oceans.
In Addicted to Plastic, you get to see the life cycle of plastic and it really opened my eyes to the importance of reducing our reliance on plastic and making use of recycling wherever possible. This is a great one to spark a conversation on the blue boxes we have in our homes – why we have them and how we can use them more diligently.
What kids don’t love learning more about wildlife? I still do! There’s always something new and fascinating to learn and I gain such an appreciation for the other life-forms we share the earth with. These Wildlife Specials are a great place to start!
Even the littlest kids in the family can get in on the action with titles such as: Go Diego Go – featuring Diego in Rescue of Red-Eyed Tree Frogs, Sesame Street – featuring Elmo in The Camouflage Challenge, and Wild Animal Baby Explorers – Beaks and Bills.
Extend the learning AND the fun with these activities:
~Get into the Earth Month spirit by creating a diorama using recycled materials. Recreate a scene from one of these Earth Month titles to help reinforce the message you just learned as a family. Click here to learn how to create your own.
~ Serve something green this Earth Month, in more ways than one. Asparagus is a great, healthy option for your family, and it’s in season now so can be locally sourced. Click here to learn how to make your own parmesan encrusted asparagus fries.
Be sure to check out Netflix Canada for lots of other great shows perfectly suited for Earth Month!
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