Earth Day

Resource type: Event

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS5

Region(s): All of UK

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22nd to raise awareness of the environmental issues facing our planet and to encourage individuals, schools, businesses and governments around the world to take action to protect the world we live in. The focus for Earth Day 2025 is renewable energy under the theme of Our Power, Our Planet.

The Earth Day website has a range of resources on its website that can be used in schools, including:

Fact sheets and quizzes on a range of environmental themes.
An information pack on the impact of climate change on schools and learning.
A library of environmental educational resources to use on Earth Day and all through the year.
Resources to support an Earth Day Showcase challenge that encourages students to research and create solutions to one of four environmental topics: plastic waste, fast fashion, renewable energy and footprints.
A link to a free printable copy of the Earth Day 2025 poster.

Schools can also sign up as an Earth Day School to connect to a global network of educators and access further exclusive resources.

Cost: Free.

About EarthDay.Org: EarthDay.Org grew out of the first Earth Day in 1970. Its mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. It creates and runs programmes with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to tackle environmental challenges and drive positive action for the planet.

Further resources:

Tune in to the Earth Day Live Lesson from the BBC on 22nd April at 11.00 to learn all about the water cycle and its vital role in sustaining life on Earth. Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
Topical Talk provides free resources to stimulate discussion and engagement with current affairs. Download a selection of environment-related teaching resources to help learners aged 10+ develop key communication and critical-literacy skills. Schools can also sign up for a free, interactive Earth Day live lesson on 23rd April to explore this year’s theme with topic experts and schools from around the world.
Introduce pupils in EYFS to the Global Goals and support them to feel empowered to take action towards caring for our resources and planet with the NLT’s lesson plans based on picture book George Saves the World by Lunchtime. Available with free NLT membership.
The NLT’s Plastic vs Planet resources, produced for Earth Day 2024 are still available to download. They include a booklist and teaching resources with activities to promote writing and speaking and listening for pupils in KS1-KS3 (ages 4-14). Available with free NLT membership.
Register for Build the Change Tuesday, a free, weekly sustainability news worksheet from The Day and the LEGO Group that provides a news story and ready-to-go activities to prompt classroom debate and inspire young people aged 7-14 to create innovative solutions to the problems affecting our planet.
Ensure your pupils can keep up to date with climate change issues by taking out a school subscription to a junior newspaper or nature magazine. Find a selection here.
Discover Usborne’s Quicklinks to carefully selected websites that provide tips on how you and your pupils can help wildlife and planet Earth.
Primary book recommendation site Books for Topics have an Awesome Planet Earth booklist as well as recommendations to cover plastic pollution and environmental sustainability for primary pupils.
Find themed booklists featuring climate fiction and facts for pupils of all ages from Scottish Book Trust.
The Climate Fiction Writers League is a group of writers from around the world whose work aims to raise awareness of climate change. Their books include pictures books, middle grade and young adult fiction and the website also provides links to organisations that provide teaching resources about climate change.
Listen to recordings of authors Vashti Hardy, Gill Lewis and Hannah Gold talking about their environmentally-themed books in the ReadingZone Bookclub archive.
Catch up on an Earth Day 2024 online event hosted by Mr Dilly and learn about climate change and how to care for the environment with some inspiring children’s authors.
Find free resources to inspire primary-aged children with positive and empowering stories about the world, sustainability and innovation on the award-wining Earth Cubs website.
The World’s Largest Lesson is an educational platform that provides free lesson plans and resources to raise awareness of the Global Goals and inspire young people aged 2-14+ to make a difference and build the world they would like to grow up in.
Download free curriculum-linked resources designed to help primary and secondary pupils explore environmental issues in engaging ways from WWW-UK.
Explore the different resources available for primary and secondary pupils from the BBC’s The Regenerators initiative.