Q: I'm looking for an Earth Day project for our after-school club (kids ages 9 through 11). This year's theme is "Climate Change." Depressing! Kids can't really do much about that. Should we just plant trees for Arbor Day?

A: Celebrating Arbor Day (April 26) is a terrific option, especially if kids learn to care for trees and understand their vital role in cooling homes, communities and our planet. Find excellent age-appropriate activities at arborday.org.

But don't avoid this year's theme for Earth Day (April 22). "We can give kids a sense of power about their environment and help them see that our everyday actions impact our environment," says educator Cathryn Berger Kaye, author of "A Kids' Guide to Climate Change and Global Warming" (Free Spirit, 2009). "Some climate change is natural. Earth's climate has cycles and patterns. Temperatures rise and fall. However, most scientists agree that human actions have made these changes bigger and faster. Kids can learn that our actions can also help slow down these changes."

Explain that greenhouse gases build up in the air and make our planet warmer. Carbon dioxide is a common greenhouse gas. "When we burn oil and coal to run cars, factories, electrical plants and farms, we produce a lot of carbon dioxide. Some of it stays in the air and some of it goes into the water," says Kaye. "We can all do our part to reduce greenhouse gases. This is especially urgent because our oceans absorb up to half of the carbon dioxide that we produce. That's too much for our waters."

Build kids' awareness that everyday decisions can have a big impact. Organize your project around activities that promote the idea that every day is Earth Day, suggests Kaye. She offers the following suggestions:

-- Promote walking and bike-riding. Great exercise and no carbon dioxide!

-- Turn off and unplug. Do energy audits at home and school. Where can lights be reduced to save energy and dollars? Teach others to unplug electronics when not in use.

-- Recycle, reduce and reuse. Help others learn how to sort trash. Do a classroom or home inventory to find ways you can use less. Look for ways to reuse items before throwing them away. "For example, want to make clever Earth Day T-shirts? Take used ones, turn them inside out and add your message," suggests Kaye.

-- Compost. Composting reduces waste and greenhouse gases in landfills. A school composting project educates the whole community!

-- Fight litter! It gets into storm drains and into our oceans. "Convince others to tackle litter by staging a play based on the hilarious book 'The Wartville Wizard,'" says Kaye.

-- Spread the word! Kids' words can create a strong ripple effect. In her book "Make a Splash! A Kid's Guide to Protecting Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands (Free Spirit, 2012), Kaye encourages young people to turn their words into persuasive letters and videos to influence others.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son's fourth-grade teacher posted an assignment saying April is National Poetry Month and the class will study each family's favorite poems. We don't have a "favorite." Why is something this frivolous studied when our school is following the Common Core?

A: "Frivolous"? How about engaging? Fun? Thought-provoking? Meaningful?

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will fail if lessons don't motivate kids, and the fact is, students like poetry. (Name me a kid who doesn't enjoy lyrics set to music!)

When well-taught, poetry can help students develop an ear for the sounds and rhythms of words, promote wordplay, develop vocabulary and often get reluctant writers writing.

The crafters of CCSS were smart to include poetry in the literature strands through the grades.

"Poetry has been around long before TV, computers, cellphones, the Internet and the iPad. As a means of communication, it dates from the dawn of humankind and yet still captivates and motivates young learners," says Lee Bennett Hopkins, a poet and editor of many children's poetry anthologies.

Poetry is a perfect fit and should play an important role in the CCSS, says Ben Curran, member of the Center for Teaching Quality's Teacher Leaders Network and an instructional coach in Detroit.

"Poetry is one of the best tools we have for teaching critical thinking, depth of understanding and analysis," he says.

Here's an example of how poetry is studied in a fourth-grade CCSS Literature Standard: "Explain major differences between poems, drama and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text."

There are hundreds of wonderful poetry books and anthologies from which to find a family favorite. I'll bet your son will find a poem to take to school from the work of perennial favorites Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky or Lee Bennett Hopkins. Check the list of anthologies at leebennetthopkinsbooks.com. Find poems to tickle the funny bone at gigglepoetry.com.

To give your son a head start for class, read and discuss the poem you've chosen together. Curran says that a teacher might ask: What message does the poem convey? Does the author make any comparisons? How are the sentences and stanzas connected? How does it make you feel? Discuss any parts or words in the poems that are confusing or surprising. Identify which words are most important.

Make poetry a family affair. Include poetry in your family reading time. Post a weekly poem on the family Facebook page. Email or tweet poems to friends and family on special occasions. Start a family anthology of favorite poems. Put a poem in your son's lunchbox on a not-so-good day. Bruce Lansky's anthologies, such as "My Teacher's In Detention" or "If Kids Ruled the School," are packed with funny ones.

Australian early literacy expert Mem Fox has long advised parents to introduce kids to poetry early. She says, "Rhymers will be readers; it's that simple."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: We had a shocking assault at our middle school recently, and our principal is forming a "school climate" committee. I'm in the PTO, so she's asked me to chair it. But the PTO traditionally raises money, not spirits! Do you have any suggestions?

A: According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2009-10 school year, 85 percent of public schools recorded one or more incidents of violence, theft or other crimes.

But these data alone don't explain why maintaining a good "school climate" is part of a principal's job. Research shows that in a caring school climate, students have higher grades, attendance and aspirations; they also have higher self-esteem and fewer suspensions. They have less anxiety, depression, loneliness and substance abuse.

What defines a positive school climate? Researchers at University-Community Partnerships at Michigan State University (ucp.msu.edu) describe a "physical environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning; a social environment that promotes communication and interaction; an affective environment that promotes a sense of belonging and self-esteem; an academic environment that promotes learning and self-fulfillment."

The National School Climate Center defines a positive school environment as one that "includes norms, values and expectations that support people feeling socially, emotionally and physically safe. People are engaged and respected. Students, families and educators work together to develop, live and contribute to a shared school vision. Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning. Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment" (schoolclimate.org).

One key phrase is "each member of the school community," says counselor Marissa Gehley, founder of KNOW Consulting: Kids Need Our Wisdom and an architect of California's School Outreach Center model.

"While principals have 'maintaining positive school climate' in their job descriptions, it's a shared responsibility. Bring teacher, administrator and student representatives to your committee. But don't stop there. Invite representatives from the custodial staff, police department, local social service and youth organizations, clergy and city hall, such as (the) mayor or (a) city council member. A range of voices will be more successful because you'll have the ideas and buy-in of the entire community."

Once your committee is in place, Gehley advises:

-- Review climate research (see resources above). Discuss what can be done immediately and what happens over time.

"For example, a 'welcoming physical environment' could mean fresh coats of paint in rooms and hallways; a good civic project over a weekend," she says.

-- Don't reinvent the wheel. Find good research-based programs, such as those from the Search Institute (search-institute.org) and tailor them to your school's needs.

-- Discuss how your plan fits with the district's plan.

"A school's culture shares the beliefs, attitudes and policies that characterize a school district's," says Gehley. "School climate defines kids' feeling of safety and engagement in the building and classrooms. Your committee can develop a school climate plan independent of your district, but the district's culture and policies can either support or undermine the climate at your building."

-- Be specific and consistent in executing your policies.

"If you want to 'promote a sense of belonging' for students, discuss what behaviors might deny a student that sense," advises Gehley. "For example, gay and lesbian students often are harassed. Will your anti-bullying program suggest the creation of gay-straight alliances and clubs? Training for educators in supporting LGTB students?"

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)