Extend the Earth Day Learning With The Wump World

One of my favorite all time books combines a message about environmentalism with an engaging story about life on another planet. The Wump World by Bill Peet was first published in 1970, but the story is still poignant. It tells the story of the Wumps, who live in a beautiful , pristine world with green grass and abundant trees. The Pollutians from the planet Pollutus soon arrive bringing with them their machines and destructive tendencies. Within a short time, the Wump World is polluted with trash, smog, and buildings. It’s a great way to introduce environmental themes to elementary school children, and it ends with hope. The Pollutians leave, and the Wump World begins to come back to life. Students can discuss a variety of subjects raised in the book. They can compare the Pollutians way of life to that of the Wumps. They can talk about the variety of ways the Pollutians destroyed the Wump World. They can also discuss who they thought was right or wrong, and why. You may be surprised by what students come up with.

You could also have students emulate some of the incredible illustrations in the book. Students could draw a picture depicting their favorite scene. Students could experiment with using colored pencils to not only describe a scene, but convey a mood. Peet uses the pictures to evoke emotions in his readers. The land of the Pollutians is dark, dirty and unpleasant. The Wump World is bright and colorful.

The next thing you can do is have students make a list of the types of environmental issues they see in their own community. Students might suggest things like water pollution, air pollution, trash issues, overuse of plastic products, redundant packaging, etc . . . Underneath each of these headings, students should name the types of problems that are caused by each of these issues. For example, students might say that water pollution in the ocean can kill sea animals and cause beaches to be closed due to high bacteria levels.  They can then discuss the ways the pollution gets to the ocean. By discussing each of these issues in depth, students can start to understand the complexity of some of these issues. In our area, pollution in the ocean can be caused by people using fertilizer on their lawns. The fertilizer gets washed into the creeks and down to the ocean. Students can discuss whether they think it would be easy to solve this problem, and change people’s behavior.

As a final project, students could take one of the issues they discussed above and design an invention that could help solve an environmental problem. Here are the requirements for the project.

• Students should describe the problem they would like to solve, for example the overuse of plastic water bottles.
• Then students should design an invention that would solve this problem. You want students to use their imagination, but it doesn’t matter if someone has already made a product like it.
• Students then should write a two paragraph description of their invention, and a logical rationale for why their invention would be useful and practical.
• Finally, students can use recycled materials, construction paper, or other items to make a prototype of their invention to share with the class.

By creating an invention, and proving to themselves and others that it could help solve a problem, students can start thinking that they are part of the solution to environmental issues. In this way, you can help students to not just think about the environment on Earth Day, but every day. And “The Wump World” is a great way to do this.

“The Wump World” Lessons:

Habitat Mural

This lesson has students learn about plants using “The Wump World.” They create a mural depicting what they have learned. It is a great way to mix art and literature.

I Can’t Breathe

Using “The Wump World” students learn about the importance of air quality for plants and animals. They also conduct experiments and record their data.

Discovering How to Take Care of Our Natural Resources

In this lesson, students learn about natural resources. They read “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss and “The Wump World” by Bill Peet.

The Advantages of Renewable Energy

Students learn about renewable energy, including wind and solar power. The conduct experiments and learn about the scientific process.