Get ready for Health, Wellness, and Green Space Climate Action Day!

Lessons & Activities

Climate Action Days > Lessons & Activities

Choose Your Own Adventure Roadmaps

The Climate Education Leadership Team developed lesson and activity ideas for your school to choose from. These are suggestions - you can follow them exactly, or take inspiration to modify them or make your own!

How to Use Roadmaps

How to use the roadmaps:

Choose a schoolwide action. This is a simple action that your whole school can participate in. To implement it, it's as simple as making morning announcements and emailing your colleagues to let them know!
Select a roadmap with lessons and activities to support your schoolwide action:
- Choose based on the time-commitment required: Mild (1-2 hours), Medium (3-5 hours), or Spicy (5+ hours)
- Then choose a type of activity: learning, project-based actions, or advocacy
- Your roadmap gives you a breakdown of steps you can take to plan and implement climate action in your school. Remember, these lessons and activities all lead up to your schoolwide action on Climate Action Day!

Waste

Energy

Health, Wellness, and Green Space

Water

Roadmaps with Spanish Resources

Health, Wellness, and Green Space Collective Action: Get Outside!

Is your school ready to connect with nature this Earth Day? Host your class outdoors, clean up litter around your school, practice yoga or meditation in your schoolyard, or find any other way to get your students outside. Explore our roadmap for this collective action.

Students smile and crowd around a street tree in front of a banner reading P.S. 316

Schoolwide Action Ideas for Health, Wellness, and Green space

“Plant-Powered” Day – encourage everyone to eat at least two plant-based meals
Wellness Pledge – create a pledge for staff, students, and families to commit to a healthy practice
2-Minute Meditation – set aside time for a schoolwide meditation using Mindful Breathing activities
“Sit with Nature” Day – encourage classes to spend time outdoors for a lesson or activity
Student Engagement Session – join a virtual lesson/activity hosted by our office

In addition, you are encouraged to plan lessons and activities to supplement your schoolwide action and demonstrate how addressing climate change can improve the health and wellness of our students and our communities.

Students practice yoga outside, smiling with their hands over their heads

Get Ready for Next Year – Apply for open Streets in 2026-27

The New York City's Open Streets program allows the transformation of streets into public spaces open to all, including for schools to support outdoor learning and play. Open Streets are especially useful for: 

Schools with limited gym space and/or who need more outdoor physical activity and wellness space (in accordance with Empowering Strong and Healthy Students: School Wellness Policy recommendations); 
Schools with construction impacting designated play areas; 
Enhancing safety during arrival and dismissal; and 
Creating more outdoor learning opportunities for students.

To apply for use of the program during the 2026–27 school year, your Principal can complete the 2026 Open Streets Application which is approved on a rolling bases. Note that there is an up to 45-day community engagement window before approval. 

For tips and guidance on applying for the Open Streets program, watch this webinar. For support with completing an application, email openstreets@dot.nyc.gov.

Go Further: Street Tree Stewardship

Protect and preserve the trees around your school by removing weeds and litter, watering trees, adding mulch and soil or more. Request support from NYCPS Office of Energy & Sustainability, NYC Parks, Big Reuse, Trees NY, Sanitation Foundation, or the LES Ecology Center by completing this form.

Three students spread mulch around the base of a street tree.

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND GREEN SPACE CLIMATE ACTION DAY: STREET TREE STEWARDSHIP

For Health, Wellness, and Green Space, we are encouraging schools to participate in some Street Tree Stewardship!

Roadmap - Street Tree Stewardship

WATER CLIMATE ACTION DAY: CATCH BASIN CLEAN UP

For Water, we are encouraging schools to participate in a Catch Basin Cleanout! This aims to reduce litter making it's way into our sewer system, and prevent flooding on the street during rain storms.

Water Roadmap - Catch Basin