Earth Day is just around the corner, does your little one know the importance of caring for our planet? April 22 is the national day when the spotlight is on the environment and treating our planet kindly. Doing Earth Day activities with your kids can help create an understanding of what it means to be environmentally-friendly. Here are 10 meaningful Earth Day activities for kids that you can do together as a family!
Get Outside!
Celebrate all the natural beauty that national parks provide and find America’s greatest living treasures. Think about visiting a feature or place that you don’t often think of doing, like waterfalls, wetlands, butterfly or bird sanctuaries or a botanical garden. As part of National Park Week (April 20 to 28), there are all kinds of special programs and events happening all across the U.S. And to kick if off, all entrance fees are waived on Saturday, April 20.
Fresh Air Demonstration
Talk to your little ones about how air is all around us and that we need to have good, clean air in order to breathe. If the air is clean and fresh, then chances are we won’t get sick. Give your kids a chance to see air in action by demonstrating with a straw and paper or a cotton ball. Show your kids what happens to the paper or cotton ball when you blow air through the straw. Even though it isn’t something we can see, it’s always working for us.
Nature Collage
Make plans with your kids about taking a walk to observe the nature all around us. Try and instill in them that, rather than play, you want them to observe the leaves crunching, the feel of the rocks under your feet or birds chirping. And then have your kiddos collect a couple of nature treasures during their walk that you can put into a paper collage at home. It will remind them of the walk when they see their treasure proudly displayed.
Walk More, Drive Less
If it’s possible, teach your children the values of driving less and walking more. Cars produce an abundance of carbon-dioxide emissions, which is a primary cause of global warming. Plus, walking on foot or riding a toddler bike to the park or grocery store helps get the wiggles out by providing great physical activity for your children.
Talk Trash
Show your little one items that are recyclable and give him the job of sorting what goes in the blue or green recycle bin, and what’s considered trash. You can also get him involved with recycling cans and bottles. He can help you sort and deposit the cans and bottles into the machines. Reward him for his efforts by sharing some of the money you get back for him to buy something or put in his piggy bank at home.
Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
One of the best Earth Day activities for kids is a scavenger hunt. Make a list of items you’ll collect together, like pinecones, leaves, rocks, sticks, acorns, etc. And then add items that don’t belong in nature like paper cups or plastic bottles. After you’ve collected everything, now you have a great reason to teach your kids about the uses for each item. Sticks help birds make nests and flowers have nectar for bees. But plastic bottles are considered litter that can be harmful for the environment.
Decorate a Reusable Tote Bag
Pick up a few reusable tote bags and then let your kiddo pick out some craft supplies – acrylic paints, fabric markers, rhinestones, stickers, beads, earth-themed rubber stamps and stencils, etc. – that you’ll use to decorate it. As you’re decorating tell her about the benefits of carrying a reusable bag vs. a plastic one. She’ll be proud to carry it to transport toys or her baby dolls.
Plant a Fruit or Vegetable Garden
Gardening is an Earth Day activity for kids that teaches about the importance of caring for our planet. Whether you do a fruit or vegetable garden in your backyard or in a nearby plot, it’s fun for kids to see something they planted grow. Pick up packets of seeds, have your little one help dig the dirt and then teach the importance of watering and tending to the garden. Your little one will learn about the environment AND the responsibility that comes with caring for something.
Trash Pickup
Toddlers are famous for picking things up, so why not combine that with another Earth Day activity for kids. Set a day to pick up trash around your neighborhood. Then gather gloves and trash bags and head for your favorite park or playground. Give your little one the task of picking up items that aren’t dangerous to him. As you’re cleaning up the area, teach him why it’s important to keep areas free of litter, and how pieces of trash can make animals or people sick, which is why the earth should always be clean.
Reuse Materials for Craft Projects
A lot of the items we take to recycle: milk jugs, magazines, fabric, cardboard boxes, shoeboxes, etc. are perfect for reusing as craft projects. For example, an old milk jug makes a perfect bird feeder or flowerpot. Take your arts and crafts a step further and consider setting up a stand in the front yard to sell the recycled crafts. Your little one can learn the virtue of his hard work at recycling by keeping the money, or can put it back into the environment by deciding to donate to an environmental charity.
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