Earth Week 2024
We’ll be promoting activities all week, feel free to use these themes or make up your own. Show what you’re doing on these days of the week on Twitter @AustinISDGreen, #AISDGreen and Instagram #aisdgreen #austinisdgreen.
Food & Nature Activities
Travis Audubon
Spring bird migration will be underway soon and organizations across Texas will turn their lights out at night as we welcome hundreds of millions of birds migrating through our state on their way north from their southern wintering grounds.
You can support this important effort to protect migrating birds by turning off all non-essential lights during the critical peak spring migration period from April 19 – May 7. Each night and each light turned out helps save migrating birds by reducing collisions with brightly lit buildings.
The Lights Out Texas effort is led by a coalition of partners that includes conservation non-profits, universities, governmental organizations, and Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds.
Please contact info@texanbynature.org if you have questions or would like to learn more about how to get involved.
i-Tree
Once you’ve identified a tree in your yard, school, or nearby park using the activities above, you can learn the environmental benefits it provides by using iTree.
Partners for Education, Agriculture, & Sustainability
Stay actively engaged in outdoor and edible education with great resources from Partners for Education, Agriculture, & Sustainability (PEAS). You’ll find activities and videos to explore nature in your neighborhood or yard, to garden, and to cook fun recipes with kids. Materials available in English and Spanish.
Watershed Protection
Perform a bug pollution test, conduct a scavenger hunt of a nearby park, take a virtual cave tour, and more with The City of Austin Watershed Protection’s Youth Education activities. Some lessons are available in Spanish.
Host a Virtual Food Drive
Help keep the Central Texas Food Bank shelves stocked and ensure our neighbors can feed themselves and their families during these uncertain times. Central Texas is currently facing an increased need for food in our communities. We encourage you to help pack boxes of food at the Food Bank’s Central location or volunteer to help distribute meals at one of their Mobile Food Drive events.
Preserving Harvest by Planting More Food Plants
Consider planting more food plants in your garden and preserving your harvest, which will be extremely helpful in the coming weeks and season. Invite neighbors who may be in need to harvest from your garden while observing physical distancing and current city orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Coloring Activity Book
Explore nature as an artist with these print-ready coloring activity books in English and Spanish. Take an outdoor adventure and learn about seeds, leaves, and the creatures that rely on them. Brought to you by the City of Austin’s Community Tree Preservation Division.
Families in Nature
Families in Nature activities are aimed at teaching children and their parents about ecology and conservation through hands-on experiences in nature, while they spend quality family time together. Use these guides in Spanish and English to explore the fossils, rocks, and water all around you!
Green Schoolyards America and the International School Grounds Alliance
Green Schoolyards America and the International School Grounds Alliance publish free downloadable books that include 250 hands-on activities and curriculum ideas. Activities were designed to help schools make the most of their school grounds—and the majority of the ideas can be modified for use in backyards and neighborhoods
Texas Forest Service Nature Challenge
Take the Texas Forest Service Nature Challenge, an interactive platform that connects communities with opportunities to learn, explore, and engage with the natural world. Pick a challenge from the Anywhere, Virtual Challenges, or Home & School tabs, download the necessary resources, and get to learning! Earn badges or post your challenge progress to social media with #TexasNatureChallenge.
Forest Benefits Wheel
Working forests demonstrate a continuous cycle that provides public benefits. Download the Forest Benefits Wheel, cut it out, and put it together to explore the benefits of our Texas forests.
Dichotomous Key
Make a dichotomous key to identify trees! Take it to the next level by creating dichotomous keys for the trees you spot in your community.
TreeFolks
Get the whole family active with these tree-centric activities from TreeFolks, an Austin-based nonprofit that empowers Central Texans to build stronger communities through planting and caring for trees.Learn to make a paper tree! Follow along with TreeFolks and Creative Action to repurpose cardboard and paper to make your own work of art. The TreeFolks YouTube Channel features many other videos to help you get involved with the trees in your neighborhood.
