classroom · word search · free printable
Free Printable Earth Day Word Search
An Earth Day word search shaped like the planet, ready to print in under a minute, answer key included.
24 hidden words · answer key included · US Letter & A4
Earth Day lessons tend to arrive with a lot of vocabulary and not much paper to put it on. This is a word search in the shape of the planet, holding the words the lesson is going to use anyway: recycle, compost, habitat, pollen, the seedling and the sapling.
The circle is a real mask on the grid, so the letters stop at the edge and the words hide inside the planet rather than in a square with a circle printed on it. Twenty four words, none of them dropped.
It works as a starter while the class comes in, and it works as the back-up when the planting session gets rained off. Print it as it is and you are ready in a minute, puzzle on page one, answer key on page two.
The leftover squares are not random. Read them left to right, top to bottom, and they spell an instruction, which is where the lesson goes next.
The hidden words
Every word in the puzzle, or edit the list in the generator
- Recycle
- Compost
- Planet
- Ocean
- Forest
- Rivers
- Habitat
- Wildlife
- Meadow
- Garden
- Seedling
- Sapling
- Beeswax
- Pollen
- Solar
- Windmill
- Rainfall
- Litter
- Reuse
- Repair
- Clean
- Earth
- Turtle
- Bloom
Ways to use it
The lesson starter
Something on every desk while the class comes in, holding the vocabulary you are about to use.
Vocabulary check
Ask each child to pick three words from the grid and say what they mean. The puzzle becomes the warm-up.
Outdoor day back-up
For when the planting session is rained off and the afternoon still has to go somewhere.
Timed round
Ten minutes, most words wins. Words run across, down, and diagonally inside the circle.
Questions
Is there a hidden message?+
Yes. Every square that is not part of a word is part of a secret message, read left to right and top to bottom, so the leftover letters spell an instruction for whoever finishes first. It is revealed on the answer key.
Is this Earth Day word search free?+
Yes, completely free, with no account, no print limit, and no watermark.
Why is the grid a circle?+
It is the planet, and it makes a better display than a square. The circle holds twenty four words with none dropped.
What age is it for?+
It suits roughly ages seven to eleven. The longest word is eight letters and the list is the vocabulary most Earth Day lessons already use.
Does it come with an answer key?+
Yes, on page two of the download, with every word highlighted inside the circle.
What paper sizes work?+
US Letter and A4, from the same download.