Food and Climate Change: Thanksgiving Activities For 3-5

This guide collects free Thanksgiving activities for 3-5, including lesson plans, STEM projects, writing activities, and printables. Combine learning with fun food activities using a variety of lesson plans, games, videos, and more, all centered around the world of food and how it connects to our changing climate. Activities span Science, ELA, Math, Social Studies, and more! Grow your classroom of food experts with our hand-picked, ready-to-use resources that will facilitate kid-friendly discussions on food systems, food security, and food waste! We hope to help all students, no matter how young, understand the importance of climate action and climate change mitigation to protect our Earth and its biodiversity. 

Discover food-themed and Thanksgiving lesson plans that explore sustainability and the ecosystems we depend on. Curated for grades 3-5, these lesson plans include hands-on activities and topics that draw students in and encourage exploration of healthy diets, natural resources, and the impacts of climate change!

In this lesson, students learn how bees' role in food production is related to human activities and agricultural land use.

In this hands-on lesson, students will taste different grapes, plan a harvest celebration, and learn about the important role of farmworkers.

In this teacher-created lesson, students learn about Indigenous first foods and discuss food and climate change.

This lesson plan on food production and agriculture shows students the small fraction of Earth's land that can be used for farming.

Make learning fun and interactive with these unique projects, Thanksgiving food activities for kids, and challenges that allow students to explore food systems and food waste reduction options. Students can explore how their dietary choices can significantly impact the environment.

This online crossword activity features terms related to the environmental impacts of crop production and sustainable food choices. 

This resource is a collection of activities centered around building a vermicomposter.

This resource includes a design project challenging students to develop a way to transport strawberries without crushing.

In this teacher-created activity, students calculate the carbon footprint of meals and consider the impact of their habits.

Engage students with topics on food and global warming using visual storytelling resources for grades 3-5. Find engaging videos and books that can fit easily into your daily curriculum and spark curiosity about greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural production, and the best ways to address climate change.

This video is a 100-day time-lapse of a vermicomposting bin with leaves, cardboard, or paper. Highlight that breaking down organic material through composting is a great option for students to lower their carbon footprint.

Looking to add more food lessons to your curriculum and Thanksgiving activities for 3-5? Check out these amazing lesson plans from our partner, Center for Ecoliteracy!

Kate Strangfeld is a Harvard Graduate School of Education student and former DC science and chemistry teacher who designs hands-on, real-world lessons and explores strategies to make chemistry more relatable

Kelly Stroh is a 5th-grade teacher at Yujin Gakuen Public Japanese Immersion School.