Earth Day Ideas for Kids

Earth Day is celebrating its 40th anniversary on April 22! What started as a grassroots demonstration to draw attention to environmental problems has grown to a nation wide event to highlight a myriad of issues. I think Earth Day is a great way to continue (or start) the discussion with kids about the world around them, the challenges it faces and what things we can do to help. And it can all be fun! Here are some of my ideas of how to share this day with little ones. What are yours?

1. Organize a beach or park clean up. Have kids help pick up trash and keep a tally of what sorts of garbage you find. Make it a contest to see who can pick up the most! (Don’t forget to wear gloves) After you pick up the trash, talk about how they think the garbage got there and what they can do to help prevent it. How much of the trash is recyclable? What happens to garbage if it ends up in our waterways? What might happen if animals mistake garbage for food?

2. Plant a tree or garden. Get kids interested again in the outdoors and playing with dirt. Plant their favorite flowers or veggies and watch them grow.

3. Make a meat-free, local meal. Cook together and talk about where our food comes from. Did you know that animal farming is responsible for more global greenhouse gas emissions than all our transportation combined? By replacing one meal of meat with more veggies and grains, you’ll help the planet and help foster a love of healthy eating for your kids. By choosing locally grown, in season veggies you’ll further cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions to get your meal to the table.

4. Make a craft from trash. Build robots with some empty metal cans or make caterpillars from egg cartons. Let kids use their imaginations to create a whole menagerie of animals from things in the recycling bin.