By: Ms. Jennifer
Earth Day is a moment to reflect on the impact that we have on our planet. The day is also an opportunity to explore how we can reverse adverse damage on planet earth – and choose a way of life that is sustainable and protective of our limited resources. With these fun activities, we can begin to share important lessons on sustainability and shape eco-friendly behaviors at an early age.
Plant a Garden
There are many fun lessons when building a garden with your child. This is a chance to get dirty and find bugs together. Gardening is also a useful way to practice using outdoor tools like shovels, watering cans, and rakes. For older children, gardening is a perfect way to introduce personal responsibility like watering and weeding. Through gardening, children will be able to see the benefit of hard work , attentiveness, responsibility, and proper care.
Start Composting
Composting is a beneficial for your garden, and it is also a fun experiment. Children can observe how organic matter – like banana peels and vegetable scraps – can decompose into nutrition for plants. It may be helpful to show images and videos of the impact of wastage.
Recycle Together
Introduce questions like: How do we sort items for recycling? What are some items that could be reused in our home? Why is it important to keep our environment clean?
Plan a Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of things found outside, like plants, animals, flowers, and specific rocks. Then, allow your child to find these items around your home, during a walk, or in a local park. Also, try adding items that would not be good for the local environment, like trash on the ground, and ask your child how they could improve the situation.
Changes we make today impact tomorrow. These fun activities are small steps – led in collaboration with our children – to ensure a cleaner future. Children have the potential to do incredible work, and with the right knowledge and skills, we can see necessary changes to improve how we respect and value our environment.
A Fun Craft: Make a Bird Feeder!
Supplies: Newspaper, String for hanging , Pinecone / Toilet Paper roll, Peanut Butter/Honey, Bird seed
Instructions :
Step 1: Lay out the newspaper (This project can get messy!)
Step 2: Take your pinecone or toilet paper roll and smear peanut butter or honey on it. Be sure to give sufficient time for it to harden. If you use honey, we suggest placing your coated pinecone/toilet paper roll in the fridge for about 30 minutes, so the honey is not too drippy.
Allergy Note: If there are allergy concerns about nuts, honey (or another natural and safe adhesive for wildlife) could be a good alternative.
Step 3: Roll your pinecone/toilet paper roll in the bird seeds and use string to hang your bird feeder in a tree or another good spot for hanging.
Step 4: Sit back and observe diverse birds in your own backyard.