All this week there are plenty of activities around Earth Day -which officially celebrates on April 22nd- and it’s a great opportunity to share with the younger ones of the family. Choose among these activities for kids, to reinforce the concept of green living and celebrate Earth Day in a fun way!
- Go essential: Turn off the general power and try to live like your ancestors, using candles when gets dark and cook over an open fire of wood fueled grill. Talk with your kids about energy saving and let them enjoy a day in nature, away from electronics.
- Play detectives: Make a list of items to find outdoors like a specific flower, a bug, a stone, an animal etc. and let the kids outside to document all the clues with a camera. Talk about the importance of each one of the pieces for the bio diversity.
- Make recycled paper: This is a project that might take more than one day, so you can start some days before. Follow the instructions on this post. Talk with your kids about the importance of choosing goods made from recycled material.
- Play a waste sorting game: Cut out images from magazines and try sorting them in boxes that represent “Recycle”, “Compost”, “Hazardous” and “Trash”. Talk about waste reduction and disposal.
- Spring clean toys and playroom: Put together some natural cleaners and do a complete spring clean and disinfection of toys and rooms. Talk about green cleaning products and teach them to choose substances that are non-toxic for people and the environment.
- Assemble a biodegradable bird feeder: An all-time classic, you can make some orange peel bird feeders and fill them with different types of seeds to see what kind of birds they attract. Use orange peel and natural fiber twine to hang them. Talk with the kids about the biodegradability of the stuff left in the outdoors.
- Start a vegetable garden: Spring is the ideal season to plant most of the seeds, and it’s a beautiful display of the evolution of nature. If you don’t own a yard, some planters under a window and some spice herbs will suffice. Talk about the importance of low scale farming and the quality of produce from farmers markets.
- Go camping: There is no better way to truly understand nature than spend a night in the open. Not the more adventurous type? No problem, just put a tent in your backyard and enjoy all the peace and sounds. Talk about the climate factors of your area, the shift in temperature and humidity at night.
- Plan a green meal: Look for festive recipes and arrange a full meal using farmers market products and healthy organic foods. If you are not ready to go meatless, at least choose the free range, humanely bred animal products and sustainable food options. Talk about ethical food choices and the value of eating less processed meals.
- Make a green tournament: Choose some games and quizzes from environmental websites like Environmental Protection Agency or Energy Upgrade California and make a tournament for all the family with eco-friendly prizes (you can use here some of the stuff made from recycled paper ;) the days before). Talk about the issues you come across playing and take a time to research if some point rises controversy.
With these 10 activities you will surely have great times while learning about the environment. Have you planned any other fun thing to do with your kids on Earth Day? Tell us in the comments below!
Posted April 18, 2016
by Gabriel Posternak.
