12 Easy Earth Day Activities to Do With Your Kids
My preschooler loves Thursdays when the big green truck pulls through our neighborhood and whisks away our filled recycling bin. By the end of the week, we have a hard time closing the lid because of the milk jugs, plastic bottles and empty cereal boxes. To combat the overflow and reduce waste, we started a family challenge in which we ask ourselves, "can this be reused?" before putting anything in the recycling bin. All my daughters needed was a creative challenge to turn recyclables into new-found treasures. We created pencil holders from old milk jugs, storage for their tiny erasers from a strawberry container and even a doll playground with a swing out of boxes.
Eco-friendly behaviors empower children to make positive changes for our planet. Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is an annual global environmental protection and sustainability event. Around the world, communities organize trash pick-up days, plant trees and host city-wide festivals. Celebrate at home with the following books, videos and activities.
Read
Children's books are a great way to connect our little ones to conservation, reducing waste and celebrating nature. You might consider adding some of the following books to your bedtime or storytime lunch routine:
- "Clean-Up Time!" (Ages 3-5) adapted by Patty Michaels and illustrated by Jason Fruchter. This "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" book shows families how they can all play a part in making their community shine while recycling!
- "Jorge El Curioso: De Basura A Tesoro / Curious George: Trash Into Treasure" (Ages 6-9) by H.A. Ray. In this book, Curious George challenges teams to clean up the city park.
- "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, Oscar!" (Ages 4-8) by Mary Lindeen. Who knows more about trash than Oscar the Grouch? This book teaches us how to reuse items from his trash can. More books from the Go Green with Sesame Street collection include "It'sEarth Day, Cookie Monster" and "Trash That Trash, Elmo and Abby! "
Watch
Let your favorite PBS KIDS characters demonstrate eco-friendly habits. After watching, talk about the videos with your kids and find ways to incorporate the tips in them into your day!
- Watch as Jet from "Ready Jet Go!" learns about reducing, reusing and recycling.
- Sid and his classmates learn to repurpose everyday items instead of throwing them in the trash. Watch this clip from "Sid the Science Kid" and talk about what's reusable in your house.
- The CyberSquad tackles an overflowing trash problem in this clip from Cyberchase. Singing along to the song, try asking your kid if something belongs in the trash or recycling bin before throwing it out.
Create
Making these simple, low-mess crafts can help get kids to think about reusing household items and develop early math skills while supporting their social-emotional learning. Get some inspiration from these ideas, then create some as a family!
Cardboard Art Journal
Your kids might not be able to write about their emotions just yet, but they can draw them on a cardboard art journal! To create an art journal from a cereal box, cut out rectangles from the front and back of the box. These will be your journal's covers. Practice identifying shapes with your kids by pointing out the four sides and corners. Place some sheets of paper between your covers, punch holes along the spine and tie them with reused string. Once you make your journals, encourage children to "draw out their feelings" and have open-ended chats where kids talk about what they drew.
One Dozen Feelings Egg Carton
Repurposed egg cartons make great Lego storage containers, paint trays and treasure boxes. They can also help your kids identify emotions. To make a feelings egg carton, illustrate or list out one dozen feelings on small pieces of paper and tape each of them to a pipe cleaner, paper straw or thin piece of cardboard. Flip over an egg carton and poke small holes at the top of each cup. When your child feels a big emotion, ask them to identify it and place it in the carton. Count up their feelings, reassuring them that we can handle many different feelings throughout the day. You can also talk about ways to deal with those emotions.
Water Bottle Rainstick
The sound of rainsticks can be either calming or lively. To make one out of an empty plastic water bottle, fill it with aluminum foil, rice and an egg carton's cut-off tops. Secure the lid tightly and flip the bottle back and forth slowly. Encourage your kid to use it when they need to calm down or shake it as an instrument, noticing patterns in the beat of a song!
Milk Carton Planters
Whether made of plastic or cardboard, empty milk jugs and cartons make great eco-friendly planters. To start, cut your container of choice in half. Then, Add small holes at the bottom to allow water to flow out and aerate the soil. Before you plant anything, you can decorate your planter by painting it with patterns. After your paint dries, fill your planter with dirt and top with seeds and a little more dirt. Place your planter inside near a window or outside to grow! Track the progress of your plant's growth with a chart to promote early math. Get tips on which seeds are easy for kids to grow and more ways to track growth.
Just as we look to nurture the environment on Earth Day, we can also plant the seed for our kids to incorporate eco-friendly practices for the rest of their lives.
