Every Earth Day, our family tries to celebrate by doing something — whether it’s picking up trash outside or finding materials in our home to repurpose. We should be celebrating our earth daily, but having a special day to celebrate is the perfect excuse to get out there and make a difference.
I’m looking at Earth Day {well, earth week} as the perfect opportunity to teach our kiddos why we love our planet why we need to treat her right.
Here are some ideas to get you started this week!
50 Ways To Celebrate Earth Day At Home
- Watch this short PBS Kids YouTube video to learn why we celebrate Earth Day.
- Make Earth Day art to hang in your windows and encourage your neighbors to do the same.
- Discuss the importance of turning off lights when you leave the room.
- Older kids: Research climate change on the NASA website.
- Teach kids about all the items in your home that can be recycled.
- Make a DIY bird feeder with a pinecone, peanut butter and bird seed.
- Visit Art for Kids Hub and draw an earth-friendly picture {there are some super cute ones!}.
- Use a recycled cereal box to make a journal to record your nature findings.
- Have a family movie night and watch The Lorax.
- Clean-up litter in your neighborhood.
- Use tin cans to make homemade wind chimes.
- Go on a bike ride and discuss the errands you can run on your bike versus driving in the car.
- Do an Earth Day virtual race/walk benefiting an earth cause {there are tons!}.
- Encourage shorter showers to save on water.
- Take a walk and observe nature.
- Hand over your phone so kids can take nature photos of things they enjoy.
- Head to a state park for a hike.
- Have kids research Greta Thunberg and share 5 facts about what she wants to do for our planet. {NatGeo has some great info!}
- Earn an Earth Day patch from Huron-Clinton Metroparks.
- Plant a tree {or research trees to plant soon}.
- If you have Apple TV+, check out Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth.
- Discuss the importance of using reusable water bottles.
- Research a new plant you found using iNaturalist.
- Have children that can write voice their concerns about the planet with a letter to the editor for a local newspaper.
- Make a natural homemade cleaner using vinegar.
- Practice sewing and mend your clothes versus buying new ones.
- Listen to a kids’ Earth Day podcasts from Brains On!
- Go bird watching and record what types you find.
- Purchase reusable straws and come up with a plan for remembering to use them.
- Writing: Take the phrase “Keep the Earth Clean,” and figure out how many new words can you come up with from those letter.
- For adults: Make sure all your bills are paperless, and make sure to share that it’s an option with the kids!
- Opinion writing: Have kids research the national parks pick a favorite. Provide reasons why you should visit.
- Discuss making the switch to LED lighting or CFL lightbulbs for all household lights.
- Have the kids gather items to donate and explain why it’s better than throwing them out.
- Encourage neighbors or friends to gather books they are no longer reading and plan a book exchange party.
- Attempt to create zero food waste for one day.
- Read information on how to protect our Great Lakes from the kid-friendly website, Earth Rangers.
- Create a nature collage with items found outside.
- As a family, brainstorm ways you can cut down on plastic consumption in your home.
- Use a reading app like Hoopla {connected to your library card} and check out kids’ books, audiobooks and movies dedicated to the planet.
- Challenge your family to eat less meat {i.e. have a weekly ‘meatless Monday’}.
- Have a dance party for the Earth. Put some feel good music on and dance!
- Older kids: Research the state of our earth, and specifically where the U.S. stands on issues such as global emissions at this data-driven website.
- Create a DIY womery to study worms.
- Make a gratitude list for the Earth to say thank you for everything it gives us {i.e. food and water}.
- Design an ecosystem out of LEGO. Check out this post for questions to ponder.
- Have the kids graph how many hours they spend on electronics for the week and challenge them to do less the following week.
- Watch a kid-friendly video on the importance of bees.
- Conduct an earth science experiment from World Book Kids.
- Sign a family green pact. Discuss things your family would like to do in the year ahead, and have everyone sign it!
What are you planning this year? Whatever it is, have fun!
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