Earth Day Ideas
Celebrate our Planet on Earth Day!
Earth Day was first celebrated in April, 1970 as a way to raise awareness about what we can do to help keep our planet clean and green. Today, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 in more than 190 countries worldwide.
Learning care and respect for the environment starts early. What can your family do to celebrate Earth Day? Here are a few ideas:
- Clean air and water begins with the way we all manage trash. With your child, join a clean- up effort in your community or do your own at home: Pick up ten pieces of litter in your neighborhood or yard and put it in its rightful place.
- Learn where you can recycle bottles and cans in your neighborhood and save the money for special treat or occasions, like holiday trips or for that visit to the theme park!
- Try “upcycling” to turn trash into treasures. Create musical instruments: With your child, find something you might ordinarily throw away and make an instrument out of it. Decorate an oatmeal box to make it become a drum, fill a plastic jar with rice to create a maraca, and use bottle tops attached to cardboard to make “castanets”! Ask your child to make up a song about protecting the planet and perform it.
- Grow something. Try planting fast-growing plants such as sunflowers, lettuces, or radishes. Check every day for plants to spring up!
- Discuss the benefits of conserving energy and water. Try having a low or no-power day with your family. Avoid using the car and try not to use any electricity during daylight hours. Brainstorm water-saving ideas with your family.
Connect with neighbors, family and friends to share food, fun, and ideas on making your part of our planet cleaner, more beautiful, and greener!
Here are some links to help kids learn more about the environment:
Earth Day crafts: http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/earth/index.html
NASA climate for kids: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/
More on recycling: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/recycling.html
Natural Institute of Health: https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/reduce/
