To celebrate Earth Day today, while staying home, and social distancing we’ve pulled together a few activities, reading resources, and printables that illustrate how beautiful planet Earth is, as well as educates with environmentally friendly messaging. It is important for us to teach our little ones that small actions and choices can make a big impact.
Activities to do
REDUCE: Turn off the lights when leaving a room, and try switching to energy saving light bulbs. We use Wemo Smart Plugs, and schedule our lighting to turn on and off automatically. You can also use voice control with Alexa, the Google Assistant and Apple Home Kit.
REUSE: Reuse glass jars to store leftovers in your fridge or to organize small supplies. Since being on lockdown due to the pandemic I for one am missing my home goods runs. As I am purging and organizing I am literally shopping my house to reuse items from one room in another. Reusing and saving sounds like a win.
RECYCLE: ♻️ Conveniently place small recycling bins within reach. Since the pandemic we placed recycling bins right outside our back door and have all deliveries placed on our back deck. This makes it so much easier as we open all boxes outside and place them in their respective bins. Also
Feed the birds. Make friends with your neighborhood birds who wake your littles up just in time for their first Zoom class, by stringing Cheerios on yarn and hanging the goodie loops from trees. This is also a great fine motor tuning activity for your little ones.
Plan lunch and dinner menus that use locally produced, healthy and organic foods. We have just joined Hemlock Hills Farm in Westchester and are so excited to pick up our monthly CSA share. There Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.
Bring your own bags. Now more than ever we are eager to bring reusable bags to the grocery store. There are so many different variations of how long the virus lasts on different items.
Watch an Earth Day friendly movie. Here We Are, about a yellow-moustached orange creature fighting to save his environment, is a great pick for younger kids. If you are looking for something more tween and teen specific they can watch An Inconvenient Truth.
Paint Rocks. My little one is obsessed with painting so instead of painting paper, we gathered some rocks from our yard and created earth friendly painted rocks. We then used the Cricut Design app to create and cut labels with our Cricut Joy and labeled them. We now have them displayed on our stoop (New York thing), front steps.
Printables. Click the image below to download and print!
Click the image below to download and print!
Join The American Museum of Natural History for EarthFest!
This year’s EarthFest festivities are taking place online with a family-friendly, all-day festival tomorrow, April 22, that you can take part in from home. In the morning, ask a botanist about plants and take a home-gardening workshop. At noon, tune in to a live watch party with Museum scientists for a flight around the Earth. And in the evening, play a round of virtual trivia. Find out about these and additional online programs on the Museum’s website.
Read Alongs.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss’s beloved story, printed on recycled paper, teaches kids to speak up and stand up for those who can’t. With a recycling-friendly “Go Green” message, The Lorax allows young readers to experience the beauty of the Truffula Trees and the danger of taking our earth for granted, all in a story that is timely, playful, and hopeful. Also, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax movie is available to stream through amazon!
My, Oh My–A Butterfly! This story shares how with a little help from the Cat in the Hat, Sally and Dick observe a small miracle in their own backyard-the metamorphosis of an egg into a caterpillar into a chrysalis into a bright new butterfly! Readers will also follow the amazing migration of millions of monarchs.
I Can Name 50 Trees Today! While stopping to admire some of the world’s most amazing trees, the Cat and Co. teach beginning readers how to identify different species from the shape of their crowns, leaves, lobes, seeds, bark, and fruit. Kids will learn about many trees common to North America.
If I Ran the Rain Forest. The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick for an “umbrella-vator” ride through the understory, canopy, and emergent layers of a tropical rain forest, encountering a host of plants, animals, and native peoples along the way.
Seussville. Seussville, the website for all things Seuss, houses Dr. Seuss themed activities for parents and educators. These activities range from making colorful Truffula Tree Cakes to The Lorax Planter that teaches kids the importance of taking care of the environment.
Earth An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in Earth. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story, narrated by James Earl Jones, of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.
PBS Kids Nature Games. Play educational and nature-focused games with your PBS KIDS favorite characters. Games include “Nature Sketchpad” where you can draw what you see in nature and “Nature Changer” where you help animals find what they need to survive.
National Geographic Kids. This special Earth Day issue of National Geographic Kids celebrates five animal success stories. Take a cool quiz to discover which of the comeback critters you’re most like, then get tips for protecting them. Next, meet 20 at-risk animals and find out what you can do to help.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Planet Arcade Games This arcade is a portal to games and interactive activities focused on ocean and air themes. It highlights the science and the activities of the (NOAA) and other agencies and organizations promoting environmental stewardship.
We are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Julianna Swaney. We are the Gardeners is a children’s book that chronicles how the famous Gaines family began their garden. The stars of the show Fix Upper narrate how it began with a fern Chip gave Jo, their adventures along the way and what they have learned. Young readers will love the warm story of their discovery for the love of gardening, and want to create their own successful gardens.
Comment below and let us know what Earth Day Activity you plan to do with your family!
Looking for additional activities to do with the kids?
Leave a Reply