Sustainability Teaching Resources
Make teaching sustainability easy this school year with printable worksheets, activities for kids, lesson plans and more — all created by teachers for your primary classroom.
This teaching resource collection is aligned with the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority to help your students build a more sustainable future!
Each resource was designed to help your students understand how they can implement sustainable practices in the classroom and at home.
Our teacher team has carefully reviewed and curated each resource to ensure your students will be armed with information on everything from composting to conservation, as well as how to reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, and repair.
Tackling this topic for the first time in your classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Sustainability? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum and for a good reason. Primary school is an important time to begin talking to students about sustainability as we can instill these practices early and make them into lifelong habits. But explaining this concept to kids can be tricky.
Here's a kid-friendly sustainability definition we like to use to explain its meaning to our students:
Sustainability is the ability to meet someone's current needs without hurting the ability of people in the future to meet their own needs.
On a more technical level, sustainability represents a holistic approach to addressing environmental, social and economic challenges in a way that supports long-term well-being and resilience.
This often includes practices such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving natural resources, and promoting social equity.
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Deforestation – Infographic Poster and Worksheet
Read and learn about deforestation with an engaging infographic and comprehension worksheet.
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Natural Resources Vocabulary Worksheets
Practise and review vocabulary terms associated with natural resources with this worksheet pack.
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How We Use Natural Resources Worksheet
Explore the characteristics of natural resources and what makes them useful in products and materials with this worksheet.
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Oil Spill Science Experiment for Water Pollution
Investigate a man-made natural disaster and discover the effects of oil spills on wildlife with an oil spill science experiment.
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The Recycling Process Poster
Show your students the process materials go through when they are recycled with printable recycling posters.
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Student Lunch Box Audit - Reducing Waste Project
An investigation that will have students calculating the waste produced from their lunch boxes, creating a plan of action to reduce their waste and reflecting on their results.
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Building Sentences Earth Day Worksheet (F-1)
Build and write sentences about Earth Day with a printable Earth Day Worksheet for Foundation Year.
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Classroom Practices to Promote A Green Future - A Teacher's Guide
An 18 page teacher's guide on how to drive a sustainably friendly classroom!
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My Ecological Footprint - Reference Sheet
Teach your students about the things we do that affect the Earth with an ecological footprint reference sheet.
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My Ecological Footprint Worksheet
A worksheet which will have the students evaluate their ecological footprint and compare it with the class.
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Water Overuse – Infographic Poster and Worksheet
Explore the overuse of water and its effects on the world’s population with this eye-opening infographic poster and accompanying comprehension worksheet.
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Recycling Soft Plastics Made Simple Poster
A poster that shows an effective way to identify soft plastics when recycling waste.
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Australian Conservationists: John Walmsley – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Dr John Walmsley and his conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Australian Conservationists: Ian Kiernan – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Ian Kiernan and his conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Ecological Footprint Draw and Write
Help your students be more eco-conscious by having them complete a carbon footprint worksheet.
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Renewable or Nonrenewable? - Self-Checking Interactive
Investigate the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources with a self-checking interactive science game.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Flipbooks
Display different ways to conserve resources with a set of handy recycling–based foldable interactive notebook templates.
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Helping the Earth Flipbook
Use this printable recycling flipbook with your students to teach them about ways to help Earth.
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Earth Day Mini Book
Help your young students learn and write about Earth Day with a printable Earth Day book for kids.
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What is Pollution? Guided Note-Taking Worksheets
Provide your learners with an organised note-taking method with a pack of Pollution note-taking templates.
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Save Planet Earth - Science Word Wall Vocabulary
Print and display Earth Day-related terms in your classroom to improve vocabulary and discussion about Earth Day.
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A World Without Water - Natural Resource Worksheet
Imagine and depict what a world without water would look like with a drawing prompt worksheet.
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How Do We Use Natural Resources? Concept Map Worksheet
Help your students uncover the ways that humans use natural resources with a concept map.
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I Promise To... Earth Day Flip Book Craft
Make a promise to protect the planet with a printable Earth Day flip book.
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Recycling Writing Prompts
Show off your procedural writing skills with a pack of recycling writing prompts.
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National Tree Day – Why Plant a Tree? Infographic Analysis Activity
Teach about the importance of trees on National Tree Day with an infographic poster and cloze note-taking worksheet.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources – Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce science vocabulary with a renewable and nonrenewable resources crossword puzzle.
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Water Conservation Foldable
Display different ways to save water with this water conservation foldable.
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Energy Saving Reminders
Inspire your students to conserve electricity with these energy-saving reminders that can be placed around the classroom.
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Natural Resources Task Cards
Answer questions about natural resources and their uses with this set of 16 task cards.
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Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Flipbook
Use this printable science flipbook with your students to research and write about a chosen natural resource.
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Recycling Posters -Signs for Recycle Bins
Teach your students how to recycle in the classroom with signs for recycle bins.