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Sad and happy Earth split down the middle, with smoke and trash on one side and trees and sunshine on the other. A free PDF to spark big talks.
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Free for personal and educational use
Download PDFPrintA planet with one half crying and one half smiling, factories, a tree stump, a coughing boy, a woman in a mask, a pipe spilling waste, a smiling sun, fruit trees and kids planting.
Use dull, muddy colors on the sad half and bright, cheerful ones on the happy half.
Make a T-chart titled things that make Earth sad and things that make Earth happy.
The Apollo 8 astronauts took the famous Earthrise photo in 1968, and it helped inspire the modern environmental movement.
Sad and happy Earth is a simple idea with a big message: the same planet can look very different depending on how people treat it. On one side, smokestacks puff, trees are cut down and pipes spill waste; on the other, the sun smiles, fruit trees grow and kids plant new seedlings.
Of course the planet does not really cry, but giving Earth a face helps young kids see cause and effect. Dirty air makes people cough and reach for masks. Cutting forests leaves animals without homes. Trash and waste in the water make life hard for fish.
Earth Day started in the United States on April 22, 1970, when millions of Americans joined rallies and teach-ins calling for cleaner air and water. Today it is celebrated around the world, and schools and families mark it by planting trees, cleaning up parks and trying greener habits.
Ask kids which half of the picture they would rather live in, which of their own daily habits help Earth smile and one change they could try this week. Their answers often show how much they already notice about the world around them.
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