Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Every Day with Your Kids
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Earth Day crafts and activities for kids are SO MUCH MORE than just a one day event! We celebrate nature every day in our house! From learning to correctly identify bugs, plants and mushrooms to herping and foraging, it’s been my mission to teach my kids as much about caring for our planet and sustainability as I can while they’re still young!
I want to tell you a secret – every year I have to look up when “Earth Day” is because for us it’s about more than just one day! While I appreciate that there is a day dedicated for conservation, loving nature and exploring our Earth is a part of who I am. A special thanks to our friends from DreamWorks Animation and Netflix for inspiring this post!
Earth Day doesn’t have to be a one time activity! The BEST thing you can do with your kids is to go outdoors with them – all year! Dig some dirt and plant a garden. Play in the rain. Go hiking, camping or on a nature scavenger hunt! Appreciating the Earth around you doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect or complicated!
Get inspiration from what your kids already love!
As my kids get older and technology is more prevalent in our house, I’ve learned to use my kid’s interests like my daughter’s favorite Netflix original series – Gabby’s Dollhouse – to inspire her creative activities and sensory play! My daughter loves Gabby (and her cat Floyd!) because she relates to her love of cats and pretend play!
Every room in Gabby’s Dollhouse launches new adventures! There’s a craft room, a space room, and so many more creative spaces! (Get free Gabby’s Dollhouse printables here!) ALL of these can be tied into Earth Day with a little creativity!
Look at what your kids already love and find a way to correlate it outdoors! Here are some ideas to get you started:
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Leaves / Shapes
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Colors / Nature Art
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Recycling / Composting
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Patterns
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Textures
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Hidden Objects
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Bugs / Animals
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Smells / Sensory
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Mud / Water / Messy Play
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Edible / Cooking with Nature & Plants
Visit Conservation Centers & Rescue Centers!
If you’ve been following us on Facebook you know that we recently took in a stray cat this month who just had a litter of kittens! Between that and our recent visit to a sea turtle conservation center in Florida, it has provided a fantastic learning experience for my daughter that partners perfectly with caring for our planet and the creatures we come across!
Not only do good conservation centers teach kids (and adults!) about how to protect the environment and habitats, but they usually provide some great hands on opportunities that encourage kids to engage in that area.
Plant a tree, flowers, or full garden!
Thanks to DreamWorks Animation and Netflix my daughter just planted her own little herb garden that she caN eat! I am obsessed with pollinator plants, edible medicinal plants, and growing vegetables. All of my kids help me with these, but my daughter especially loves to grow her own plants.
You don’t have to grow a big garden like I do either – just start with one plant or pot! Join some gardening groups on Facebook, take a class from your local greenhouse or state agricultural center, or take a field trip to your local botanical gardens to expand your learning!
Create art from recycled materials and nature!
There are some INCREDIBLE “recycled trash” artists out there but you can easily turn your trash into art at home with very few supplies! Create bird feeders or bird houses with leftover jugs and cartons, make your own wind chimes and mobiles, whimsical garden art from pots and pans, sculpture and murals from leftover bits and pieces – the ideas are endless!
From gardening stepping stones, rock paintings, painting with Earth pigments, preserving flowers and more – using nature to create art is a beautiful process that can weave such an intricate story!
Take a Virtual Field Trip or Watch Habitat Web Cams!
One of the great things that technology has offered us is the ability to “visit” places we can’t reach! You can watch animal cams around the globe, learn more about coral reef conservation near Hawaii, energy sources in the Mojave Desert, and sustainable fishing in Peru (with free lesson plans!) – all from your home!
This is a fantastic way to open up new experiences to your children at no cost with experts all over the world!
Live in ILLINOIS?
**Pick up a free Kitty Fairy Planter Kit and other fun GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE goodies at @tomsfarmmarket in Huntley, IL on Sunday, April 18, 2021 from 11AM-3PM (while supplies last).**
Click on each Earth Day activity below for its tutorial:
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