April is probably very different this year in your home than years past. Usually a time to get outside and enjoy spring, we are relegated to spending most of our time inside. This Earth Day is interesting for another reason as well: Shelter-in-Place orders have provided immediate feedback on the impact we are having on the earth. While the measures are not expected to provide any lasting impact, emissions are temporarily down, illustrating just how much our everyday activities have an impact on the planet we love.
Climate change is top-of-mind for Gen-Z, and they are increasingly anxious about the lack of substantial change to slow it. The good news is, they’re motivated to work with preceding generations to act. We’ve rounded up activities to help them foster the problem-solving skills needed to make a positive impact on our earth.
The following earth-centric activities can be completed at home with an Ozobot and just a few materials and use Color Codes or OzoBlockly. Whether you’re a parent looking to engage your child with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) or a teacher looking for activities to pass along to your students, the following activities will help teach your kids about the environment and inspire them to be part of conserving it.
New This Year! River Erosion
Grades 5-8 | Color Codes | Evo or Bit
We were so excited to see science, engineering, social studies, coding, and appreciation for the earth wrapped into this new activity from Ozobot Certified Educator and K-5 STEM Teacher, Kristen Albright. Your child will act as a scientist, tracing the path of one river from two different time periods. They will observe where the river has changed its course. They are then prompted to reflect on different factors that may have caused the changes.
Note: This activity was written for two students, but can easily be adapted for home learning by having one child complete the activity.
For Teachers: PDF Only>
Ozobot Water Cycle
Grades 2-8 | Color Codes | Evo or Bit
Cycle is meant very literally here! Kirsten High used OzoLoops to challenge students to use Ozobot to show the different forms of water throughout the water cycle. Recreate this at home with just your Ozobot, markers, colored pencils, paper, and tape!
Ozobot CE Nikki Jones saw this Twitter post and came up with some great variations for hours of learning about the Earth. She said, “Love this—and it could be used to illustrate any cycle – life cycles, moon phases, seasons; so many possibilities!” We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Pollen Love with Bees
Grades PreK-5 | Color Codes or OzoBlockly | Evo or Bit
Bees. If you’ve ever been stung by a bee, it might be hard to appreciate them, but it is important to recognize their importance. In this activity, kids dress their Ozobot up as a bee and create a path with Color Codes to show a day in the life of these important pollinators.
Take it a step further: discuss ways with your child to help protect bees. Some things can be done without even leaving home!
For Teachers: (opens in a new tab)”>Full lesson plan>
For Parents: RecycleBot
Grades K-5 | Color Codes | Evo or Bit
A classic Ozobot Earth Day activity from Certified Educator, Carrie Willis.
Next up is an Earth Day favorite with the OzoSquad each year since it was created by Ozobot Certified Educator Carrie Willis! kids use a printed activity map and Color Codes to identify recyclable materials, program Ozobot to pick them up, and then deliver them to the recycling bin.
We love how Murat Konac, a District STEM Coordinator, took this a step further by turning Ozobot into an actual Recycle Bot (in other words, even more quiet time for you as your kids dress up their bot!)
For Teachers: (opens in a new tab)”>Full lesson plan> Grades K-12 | OzoBlockly | Evo or Bit Robots are already helping our environment in many ways. Turn Ozobot into a beach-cleaning bot in this engineering and coding challenge to create a trash collector for their bot, then clean up the beach without harming any wildlife! Don’t forget to share your Earth Day creations with us @Ozobot and use #OzoSquad for the chance to be featured on our social channels! We can’t wait to beam with pride as we all do our part in appreciating this planet together.
For Parents:
Bot Beach Cleanup
