Earth Day presents a great opportunity for the whole family to brainstorm ideas to celebrate our beautiful planet and to think of ways to promote environmental awareness. We have come up with several activities for kids to engage their interest in nature and take care of the environment.
Make a PSA video about protecting the environment
Depending on your comfort level with social media, you can round up the kids and make a public service announcement (PSA) video to post on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or whichever platform you prefer. If your children are old enough, they can create the script about saving Earth and stopping climate change. Here are some possible topics:
- Turning off the lights before you leave a room
- Turning off the water while brushing your teeth
- Recycling
- Not littering
You can also help them to research any other topic related to environmental awareness or climate change, and they can present their message to the masses. Bonus activity: Save the bloopers to watch later.
Take a virtual tour of a national park
Who says you have to leave the house when deciding what to do with kids on Earth Day? If you have internet access, the whole family can enjoy a virtual tour of one of the many national parks. Travel restrictions, lack of time, or weather conditions won’t stand in the way of the beauty and wonder of nature.
All you have to do is visit Google Arts & Culture and check out the virtual tours of these five parks:
- Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
- Dry Tortugas, Florida
- Kenai Fjords, Alaska
- Hawaii Volcanoes, Hawaii
- Bryce Canyon, Utah
Aside from learning more about these habitats, you’re also saving on gas and the ozone layer by not having to drive a long distance to them.
Start a compost pile
Learning about reducing waste in general and working on the yard are ideal Earth Day activities for kids. And that includes starting a compost pile in the backyard. This project would involve multiple steps that can be started that same day.
You and the kids can select a receptacle to start storing the food waste — such as an empty milk carton or a resealable plastic bag that can be temporarily stored in the fridge. From there, you can choose a spot in the backyard that’s close to the garden but out of the way of foot traffic.
Start a veggie garden
Additionally, your children might enjoy starting their own garden. One way to get the little ones involved requires the collection of stems and roots of vegetables and placing them in shallow containers of water. Or, they can take beans and place them in a wet paper towel inside of a small cup with shallow water. Eventually, the sprouts can be transplanted outdoors.
Likewise, you can plant seeds outdoors depending on the weather conditions for this time of year. Another tip to remember is to use potting soil to fill in the furrows and eventually use the contents from the compost pile to fertilize.
Start your own recycling center
If you don’t already have a home-recycling system in place, Earth Day is the best time to start one. All you need are some receptacles, and your children can make colorful signs to label each one for glass, plastic, aluminum, paper, and so forth.
Make a bird feeder
If you’re still planning what to do with your kids on Earth Day, go online to learn how to make a bird feeder. There is a variety of designs that vary in difficulty. An extra perk to this activity is that bird feeders can be crafted from just about any recycled item in the house including:
- Milk or juice cartons
- Plastic bottles turned upside down onto a base
- Citrus rinds attached to branches with twine
- Legos
- Tin cans
For the easiest bird feeder that works out well with older toddlers, make a pine-cone feeder — spread peanut butter onto a pine cone and roll it in birdseed before hanging it on a tree branch with kite string or twine.
Go on a backyard campout
Wrapping up a busy Earth Day can go well into the evening with a backyard campout. Not only is this activity fun for all ages, it presents a prime opportunity to teach your children the practice of leaving no trace behind.
Also, instead of a cleanup hiking trip at a camp site, you and the kids can walk around the block and pick up any litter. Don’t forget the gloves.
This Earth Day, you can celebrate with your kids at home by incorporating any of these fun and educational activities. Your family will build some awesome memories and good habits while doing your part in learning how to care for the environment.
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