Earth Day is the perfect occasion for adults and children to honor the planet and appreciate its beauty and bounty.
The 22nd of April of each year is when the world celebrates Earth Day. It’s the time for us to express our gratitude for our beloved planet, which gives us our special place in the universe. Earth Day also serves as a reminder for us to protect and preserve what we call home.
If you and your kids are looking for something memorable to mark the occasion, here are 7 awesome ideas to celebrate Earth Day with kids:
#1- Say hello to Mother Nature and her precious gifts.
On Earth Day, take your son or daughter to the local park to breathe in the fresh air that’s part of Mother Nature’s blessings. If there’s a botanical garden or zoo nearby, get your child acquainted with flora and fauna that make up a good part of the world’s living treasures.
If your home is close to a hiking trail, biking trail, or campsite, let the whole family experience an outdoor adventure that involves soaking up the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural environment. While outdoors, open your child’s eyes to the concepts of wilderness survival and a no-frills lifestyle. Where possible, pick up any litter you run into and dispose of it properly.
#2- Build a fairy-tale container garden.
If you and your child can’t have an outdoor adventure on Earth Day, bring the gems of Mother Nature into your home by creating a storybook container garden. The enchanting scenery will help your precious youngster commit to tending the blooms and foliage regularly.
The basic materials are a plant dish, potting soil, moss, and easy-to-grow plants. To adorn this masterpiece, find a clay castle, wishing well, fairy, elf, or another mini-sculpture your son or daughter fancies.
#3- Start a vertical herb or vegetable garden.
Like #2 above, bring out the green thumb in kids even with limited space at home. This is by creating a vertical herb or vegetable garden. Doing so not only allows kids to appreciate blooms and foliage; it also makes them see the value of homegrown ingredients for their and the whole family’s nourishment.
The list of materials needed can be a bit long, but there are local stores that sell starter kits and seed packets for your convenience. To make your child invested in this project, let him or her pick out the watering can that will be used for daily tending.
#4- Create a birdseed ornament.
Have your kids unlock their superpower to attract the winged wonders of Mother Nature. Let them make a birdseed ornament on Earth Day.
This simple yet worthwhile project can use a peanut butter-coated toilet paper cardboard core, which your child will encrust with birdseed. Or it can be made with birdseed that’s set in unflavored gelatin. Either way, the finished product must not contain corn syrup, which experts say isn’t healthy for our feathered friends.
Hang the ornaments by the window, so your family can watch the birds come and happily feed on the homemade treat. Listen to their melodious chirping, too!
#5- Learn the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Philosophy.
Planet Earth and Mother Nature may be rich in resources, but the wealth isn’t infinite. If people just keep wasting these, the resources will be depleted and, in time, gone forever.
On Earth Day, teach your kids the “3 Rs” of saving resources and managing waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Tell them how reducing, reusing, and recycling objects can lessen a person’s environmentally unfriendly carbon footprint.
Items that anyone can reduce the consumption and waste of, include single-use plastic beverage bottles and disposable grocery bags. Substitute these with their washable, reusable, eco-smart counterparts.
As for recycling, have the entire family segregate waste that can be turned over to authorized recycling facilities: metal cans, coffee pods, newspapers and magazines, ink cartridges, among others. Check what your local recycling centers handle. For items such as electronics, see how you can dispose of these properly.
#6- Declutter, repurpose, and upcycle.
Similar to #5 above, show your kids how to declutter their room and personal space. Help them gather old things that can be repurposed or upcycled. Together, carry out fun DIY projects like transforming torn bath towels into braided rugs or mats, worn denim jeans or jackets into caddies, mismatched socks into furniture-dusting gloves, and so forth.
If you and your child think that other people can still benefit from items you no longer need, donate or sell these. Your trash can be another person’s treasure and, all too often, the things you would consider garbage could be turned into gold.
#7- Enjoy quality time at home, off the grid.
Make Earth Day truly special by conserving resources. To mark the occasion right in the comforts of your house, gather the entire family for merriment that comes with a sense of responsibility.
Play games and do chores that don’t involve the use of electricity, particularly the kind that comes from non-renewable sources. Games should require nothing more than human energy and the imagination: charade, patty-cake, and “Simon Says…” being only a few examples.
Meanwhile, chores include dusting the furniture with only a rag in hand and sweeping the floor with just a traditional broom—no appliances whatsoever.
Should you run out of games to play and chores to do, share feel-good stories and exchange funny jokes. Create puns with environment-friendly themes, and get the ball rolling with, “Why did the Sun insist on going to school?” (So it would become brighter.), “Why is the ocean friendly?” (It waves.), and “What do trees wear to swimming parties?” (Trunks!).
A Big Reminder: Make a Pledge, Stay True to It!
Before another Earth Day closes, let your whole family make an Earth Day pledge. List down everyday things that each one can do to protect and preserve the beauty and bounty of the planet. In front of one another, vow to follow your list until next year’s 22nd of April celebration.
Happy Earth Day!
