Earth Day Ideas?

[Jackie]

Any ideas for observing Earth Day next week?

 

I can't find anything going on in my town for it - no organized park clean ups or anything. It's still too cold to plant much of anything here.

[Kerileanne99]

We live in a place where there is not a whole lot organized either-especially for the younger set😒

 

We do always go in the middle of the day to the Disney Earth Day movie. This year it is Monkeys!

 

Last year we turned off the electricity to everything except the essentials such as the fridge and freezer. We made a game of using as little water as possible, etc., and it was so cool we will do that again...if the birth of new baby holds off! Scheduled csection for the next day, lol.

 

I have a slew of books we have been reading, and we have been working on letter writing to government officials. Daddy is taking her out to the local landfill and recycling plant so she can see for herself. Seems simple enough, but ai think many miss this and detach themselves. It can be really overwhelming to see the massive trash mountains:(

 

It is a bit warmer here so we ordered her and new brother trees from the nursery to plant, and she has been busy helping us research local plants to replace our current water-guzzling foliage. This has been eye-opening for the whole family, and was inspired by learning more about the drought in California.

 

She is also getting the Snap Circuits Green set to explore alternative energy ideas as a gift from new baby brother:) this feels like so much irony, to buy her plastic probably from China to celebrate Earth Day, but it is what it is...

 

That is about it this year. We try to make Earth Day sort of like New Year's for resolutions: what change, however minor, can we make as individuals and as a family that we can carry through the next year?

[SporkUK]

Sadly, there aren't many community events here either. I've found a riverside walk for the week after which is as close as I could get.

 

As a family, we do a lot for Earth Day and make it into a whole Earth Festival that lasts until May Day. We pick themes for each day and make lists of potential ideas and activities and then pick from those. As my kids are all still pretty young, we usually go with an elemental theme like we are this year: Earth, Metal, Water, Air, Wood/Plants, Fire, Space, Environment, and Community (Community leads nicely into May Day history and discussion for us). So for Earth, they came up with soil, lava, tectonics, solids, how metal and plants come out of the earth, ceramics, and activities like playing with clay, potting some plants, making a compost box, terrariums, ceramic and pottery making, and soil cleaning. We will do a couple this year (clay crafts, digging in the soil and maybe making a compost box if we can finish sorting out the rest of the garden first) and I'll save this list for when we brainstorm together next year. We also like doing a few trips (riverside walks, forest trips, do our own park clear up, even a garden center can be good if you hve one close). 

 

We also have a pile of Earth Day and environmental books that are brought out. Our top ones are Earth Day: An Alphabet Book, Thank You, World by McGinty, Earth Matters (Made with Care), Earth Mother by Jackson, Earth: 50 ideas you really should know, The Declaration of Interdependence: A Pledge to Planet Earth, and Maya Christina Gonazalez's books My Colors, My World and I know the river loves me, and Call Me Tree which are  bilingual English-Spanish books with lovely artwork and writing. Also there are plant and animal masks and 'elemental' playsilks for fun. We have a list of nature movies like Disney Nature and other documentaries as well as Wall-E, Ferngully, the old Lorax film, and so on for them to pick from. 

 

 We also have a playlist including the Earth Anthem by Abhay Kumar, Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, and as many kids' Earth Day songs I could find on youtube  :lol: That and videos of local animals and plants to help connect. 

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I found this thread searching for Earth Day ideas. :)

 

In the past we have gone on a litter walk and counted the pieces of litter we picked up.

 

Today we may find a container suitable for vermicomposting and start that process. We have to order the worms, but we can get things set up for them. :)

[MrsBasil]

There's a community event on Sat with nature art and planting.

 

Today we are meeting up with another family for a nature walk, picnic, and playing at a pond area.

 

Build Your Library has a free mini unit, including a short book list, a scavenger hunt, and a few suggested activities.

[momto2Cs]

Go for a walk out in nature

 

Collect some wildflowers for pressing

 

Make a nesting mobile

 

Plant something

 

Read a good [picture] book -- some of our old favorites include:

 

The Lorax

The Great Kapok Tree

The Giving Tree

The Curious Garden

The Tree Lady

On Meadowview Street

Miss Rumphius

 

And, not a picture book, but a handy one all the same: The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth

 

Make some pine cone bird feeders

 

Write a letter to your representatives about an environmental issue that concerns you

 

Have a picnic at the park, or by candlelight at home

 

Ride a bike instead of driving

[SporkUK]

Great list of ideas Momto2Cs - though we always double check which wildflowers are okay to pick as there are many endangered ones around here - some are just very rare or are greatly needed by endangered wildlife that we also avoid but there are a few that are so badly endangered that they illegal to pick here.