Unless…

One of my favorite things to do with my students on Earth Day is to read them The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.  This children’s book deals with loving, respecting and taking care of the world that we live in.  It is a simple yet powerful expression about how we need to take care of The Earth.

When I told my students that we would read it, most of them told me that they had already seen the movie.  I let them know that the book was made long before the movie and that it was a little different than the movie verison. I had an audio version narrated by Kelsey Grammer so they could listen along. They sat and just listened.   The affect was mesmerizing!  When it was over, we talked about how we could take care of the Earth.  The book includes the quote, “Speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues”.  They found the image of that funny, yet all knew that it meant that they have a responsibility for their environment and need to take care of it.

Their ideas of how to keep The Earth clean and safe are simple, and a great reminder for people of all ages.  Here are a few of them:

• ·      Don’t litter
• ·      Recycle your trash
• ·      Plant a tree if you cut one down
• ·      Don’t smoke
• ·      Walk or ride a bike instead of driving

We should all take their advice – these simple ideas and keep our Earth clean because as Dr. Seuss tells us, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot; nothing’s going to get better its not”.

Tagged: Dr. Seuss, Earth Day, Kelsey Grammer, kindergarten, pollution, recycle, speak for the trees, The Lorax