Earth Day STEM Challenge, Task Cards, Worksheets, Observation & Data Recording

The Go Green Earth STEM Challenge is inspired by key STEAM principles and the 6E Learning byDeSIGN™ model (Burke, 2014), creating a meaningful and student-centered learning experience. This lesson is designed to remove traditional boundaries among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, allowing students to explore concepts in an integrated, natural way (Vasquez, Comer, & Sneider, 2013). It encourages creativity, critical thinking, inquisitive thinking, and teamwork, helping students become active problem-solvers rather than passive learners (Roberts, 2012).

Earth Day STEM Challenge,Task Cards, Worksheets, Observation & Data Recording

EARTH DAY, NATURAL PHENOMENA, ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, AND STEM SKILLS

Through real-world, hands-on activities, students investigate environmental issues and understand the importance of caring for the Earth. The challenge provides opportunities for learners to connect their knowledge of science and mathematics to create technologies and solutions for real-world problems using an engineering design approach (Jolly, 2017). This helps students develop a deeper understanding and long-term meaningful learning of concepts (Purzer, Moore, Baker, & Berland, 2014).

The lesson follows the 6E Learning byDeSIGN™ model, which extends the traditional 5E instructional model by adding the Engineer phase (Burke, Reed, & Wells, 2014). In the Engage phase, students’ interest is sparked, and prior knowledge is assessed. During Explore, students construct their own understanding through hands-on experiences. In explaining, they share and refine their learning. The Engineer phase allows students to design, build, and model solutions like real engineers. In Enrich, they extend their thinking to more complex problems, and in Evaluate, both students and teachers assess understanding and learning outcomes (Bybee, 1997; Burke, 2014).

This challenge also incorporates the engineering design process, where engineers define problems, develop solutions, and apply mathematics, science, and engineering knowledge to meet real-world needs (ABET, 2015). Students follow an iterative process of imagining, planning, creating, testing, and improving their designs, which strengthens problem-solving skills and innovation.

Overall, the Go Green Earth STEM Challenge aims to inspire students to think creatively, solve problems collaboratively, and develop responsibility toward environmental sustainability. By integrating STEAM education with real-world applications, this lesson builds innovation, critical thinking, and future-ready skills (Liston, 2018; Jolly, 2017).6E Learning Model Integration.

Earth Day STEM Challenge, Task Cards, Worksheets, Observation & Data Recording

Engage

Students are introduced to Earth Day and environmental problems such as pollution, deforestation, and the lack of green spaces. They are asked to think:

Why do plants need our help to grow?

Explore

Students investigate how seeds grow by using simple materials like soil, cotton, seeds (chia, fenugreek, or grass seeds), water, and plastic covers. They observe what helps or slows plant growth.

Explain

Students discuss and explain their observations about plant growth, sunlight, water, and air. They learn key scientific concepts such as germination, photosynthesis, and environmental care.

Engineer

Students design and build their Grow Green Earth system, which may include a mini greenhouse using cups, bottles, plastic bags, or containers. They apply the engineering design process by planning, building, and testing their ideas.

Improve (Iterate)

Students test their designs, identify problems (e.g., no growth, too much water, lack of sunlight), and improve their models by making changes.

Evaluate

Students reflect on their final design and learning process. They share what worked, what failed, and how they improved their “green earth” system.

Earth Day STEM Challenge, Task Cards, Worksheets, Observation & Data Recording

Science Learning Goals

Students will be able to:

Explain what plants need to grow.
Describe the process of seed germination
Understand the importance of plants in maintaining a healthy environment
Identify real-world environmental problems and solutions
Explain how human actions affect nature and ecosystems

Technology & Engineering Goals

Students will:

Design and build a simple plant-growing system (mini greenhouse or seed habitat)
Use recycled and natural materials (cups, bottles, cotton, soil, plastic bags)
Test and improve their designs based on plant growth results
Understand how design choices affect plant growth (light, moisture, space)
Apply the engineering design process: imagine, plan, create, test, improve

Mathematics Goals

Students will:

Measure plant growth (height, number of leaves, growth rate)
Record daily observations in tables or charts
Compare growth results between different conditions
Count and organize data systematically
Identify patterns in plant growth over time

Vocabulary

Earth Day, environment, seed, germination, plant growth, sunlight, water, air, soil, ecosystem, recycle, sustainability, engineer, design, test, improve, observation, data, measurement, natural resources

Learning Methods

Verbal explanation, discussion, inquiry-based learning, hands-on experimentation, collaborative group work, observation, data recording, and design-based learning.

LESSON PLAN

GROW A GREENER EARTH STEM ACTIVITY

OBJECTIVE

Students will design and build a living Earth model to understand plant growth, environmental care, and seed germination through hands-on STEM learning.

DURATION

Day 1: Introduction + Building (40–60 minutes)
Day 2–12: Observation (5–10 minutes daily)

MATERIALS

Chia seeds or fast-growing seeds
Recycled tray/lid/base
Organic cotton
Earth printout
Water spray bottle
Hot glue gun (teacher use only)
Markers/brushes
Blue & white paint, or Blue shopping bag (used as “water/ocean layer” on Earth model) (HOW TO USE IT IN ACTIVITY
Cut the blue shopping bag into pieces or shapes
Stick it on the Earth base to represent water areas (oceans, rivers, lakes)
Students can also crumple it lightly to show the texture and movement of water)

STEM FOCUS

Science: Plant growth, germination
Technology: Using simple tools (spray bottle)
Engineering: Designing an Earth model
Math: Measuring and recording growth
LESSON PROCEDURE
1. INTRODUCTION (Engage – 10 min)

Show Earth image
Ask:

Why are plants important?
What is happening to green areas?
2. DISCUSSION (Explore – 10 min)

Explain:

What plants need (water, air, sunlight)
Seed germination

3. DESIGN (Explain/Plan – 10 min)

Students draw their Earth model
Choose materials
Assign group roles

4. BUILD (Elaborate – 20–30 min)

Prepare base
Paint Earth
Add cotton ( we used a hot glue gun first to outline the map, then stick cotton,Tip: Make a wide and proper outline with the glue gun, it helps to keep the cotton from getting wet or hydrated.
Plant seeds
Spray water

5. OBSERVE (Evaluate – Daily 5–10 min)

Students:

Observe growth
Water plants
Record data in a table

📊 ASSESSMENT

STEM Rubric ( we suggest giving marks to the procedure, not plant growth, as plant growth depends on multiple factors, some kids may have older seeds, or any other issues, but the work and effort they put in should be considered.)
Observation table completion
Participation and teamwork
Final model outcome

REFLECTION

Ask students:

What helped plants grow?
What did you learn about Earth?
How can we help the environment?

DIFFERENTIATION

Support: Provide guided steps and help
Challenge: Add soil comparison or sunlight experiment

REAL-WORLD CONNECTION

Students understand how planting and caring for plants helps improve Earth’s environment.

CLOSING

“Every small plant makes a big difference for our Earth.”

Bring science to life with this Earth Day STEM Activity: Grow a Greener Earth Science Project designed for hands-on, inquiry-based learning. In this engaging engineering design challenge, students will explore how plants grow while building a creative Earth model using recycled materials.

This activity integrates the STEM Engineering Design Process, allowing students to ask questions, imagine solutions, plan, create, and improve their designs. It is perfect for Earth Day projects, plant growth experiments, and hands-on science centers.

Students will work like real scientists and engineers as they observe seed germination, plant growth, and environmental changes, while recording data through structured observation worksheets, charts, and measurement activities.

This resource is also ideal for Google Classroom and Google Workspace for Education, making it easy to assign digital worksheets, reflection pages, and data recording sheets for blended or remote learning environments.

Perfect for Grades that love interactive STEM activities, inquiry-based learning, and real-world science connections.

This Earth Day STEM Bundle: Grow a Greener Earth Engineering Design Challenge helps students connect science to real-world environmental issues in a meaningful and memorable way.

Through this hands-on plant growth experiment, students not only build and test their Earth models but also develop important skills in data collection, observation, teamwork, and critical thinking.

By the end of the activity, students will understand how small actions can make a big difference in protecting our planet. This resource works beautifully in classrooms, STEM labs, and Google Classroom environments using Google Workspace tools for seamless teaching and learning.

Encourage your learners to think like engineers, act like scientists, and grow like environmental leaders, because every seed they plant is a step toward a greener Earth.

WHAT’S INCLUDED