- Spring is the ideal time to teach about our earth and environment.
- Scholastic Book Clubs gives you access to lots of books that bridge the gap between literature and the world around us.
- The best lessons to teach about our environment are those that take kids outside the four walls of the classroom and into nature.
Key Takeaways
As spring approaches, teachers are busily developing enriching lessons about our earth and the environment and looking for great books to support their teaching. Most importantly, teachers know that the best lessons are those that allow kids to feel and experience the world around them.
Here are some of our favorite books about springtime.
1. Honey
Why We Love It: The newest book from Caldecott-winning artist David Ezra Stein, is the perfect way to welcome spring. Young readers will relate to Bear as he slowly awakens from his sleep and explores the sights and sounds of the changing season and learns a very important lesson about the rewards of patience.
How to Use in the Classroom: Perfect for a whole-class read-aloud! In addition to teaching about hibernation, use this book when you need to reset some behavioral goals, like the importance of being patient and developing self-control.
2. The Earth Book / El libro de la tierra
Why We Love It: This bilingual story by Todd Parr shares easy and everyday actions your students can take to help care for the environment–a must-have for every classroom library!
How to Use in the Classroom: Perfect for Earth Day, have your students generate a list of things they can do around their home (recycling, turning off lights, using less water, etc.) to help the earth. Create a “commitment journal” and have students proudly share their progress each week.
Why We Love It: A beautiful “get ready for spring” book, this book is full of photographs and fun facts about the life cycles of plants and animals as well as what to observe as the weather changes.
How to Use in the Classroom: The back of the book shares lots of fun and creative springtime craft ideas, like seed jars and mud painting. Pair each section of the book with a matching activity (reading about April showers and making rain sticks!) for a real hands-on learning experience.
4. The Very Impatient Caterpillar
Why We Love It: A hysterical story about a very eager caterpillar who’s raring to go, but this whole turning-into-a-butterfly thing is just…taking…forever! This super-silly story will have your students giggling while learning about the stages of metamorphosis.
How to Use in The Classroom: An absolute go-to book for teaching about the life cycle of the butterfly.
5. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Why We Love It: An important story about a young person’s determination to bring electricity and running water to his small, drought-stricken village in Malawi.
How to Use in the Classroom: After reading, help students identify an environmental concern in their own community. Encourage your class to brainstorm solutions they could develop to help solve the problem.
Want more great book ideas and activities? Check out Scholastic Book Clubs or create an account and place your first order to start receiving free books and resources for your classroom!