Take this kiss upon the brow
The Academy of American Poets, the nonprofit organization behind the recognition of April as National Poetry Month, offers 30 ways to celebrate poems. Ideas range from reciting a poem to family and friends, to placing a poem in your lunch box or organizing a poetry reading.
Visit www.poets.org to check out the list. You may also download or order a free copy of this year's poster. A free, downloadable guide is also available via Teachers Pay Teachers. The 21-page document, geared for pre-K through third grade educators, is a compilation of various thematic poems.
Visit www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Month-by-Month-Poetry-FREEBIE-198052.
Care for the earth
From Earth's Birthday Project, a 501(c)3 educational organization, comes a downloadable list of 100 simple ways students can care for the earth. The acts, organized in different categories, are each assigned a point value. Have fun earning as many points as possible while learning about conservation, recycling and enjoying the great outdoors. Earth's Birthday Project also offers several free "simple science" resources for educators, including activity sheets on butterflies, insects and much more.
Visit http://earthsbirthday.org/images/uploads/gifts/100-ACTS-2013.pdf.
Something for everyone
The American Chemical Society offers several free education resources for chemistry educators at every level from elementary through graduate school — from lesson plans and classroom activities to resources for green chemistry and teaching chemistry to student with disabilities.
Get your posters here
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's natural resources conservation service offers more than a dozen free posters. Topics include healthy schoolyards, the water cycle and much more. To order a poster, visit https://nrcspad.sc.egov.usda.gov/DistributionCenter/search.aspx?Keywords=poster.
The "Freebies" column offers free opportunities for you and your students. We do not screen for subtle or not-so-subtle plugs.