April 1, 2023 — By Wendy Sachs
Earth Day is April 22nd and we could not be more excited to celebrate mother earth with a bunch of ideas that you can use to drive home the message that we must protect our planet.
Earth Day started in 1970 and has continued to grow ever since. Originally aimed at getting college students involved in conservation efforts, now all generations have become involved.
Earth Day is celebrated globally so a fun idea that is easy to do is to have the kids look up cities around the globe and notice their climate and topography. Cities often celebrate the day in unique ways like a traveling talking drum in Gabon and a tree planting in Albania. Check out these events and learn a little more about our global neighbors.
Another easy way to celebrate is to make the switch to cloth bags for shopping. Get a few cloth tote bags and some markers so that you can all decorate them. Have a ceremony and get recycle your plastic bags and commit to bringing long cloth totes.
Homemade bird feeders can be crafted in literally hundreds of ways from common items around your home. Bringing birds into your neighborhood helps plants grow and increases the bio diversity. Consider planting some wildflowers in the garden to attract more birds, butterflies and bees!
Planting is a fantastic way to celebrate our environment. No matter where you live and what kind of green space you have, planting a seed will help you to focus on our reliance on plants. It’s a great lesson for us all on growth. Plant a seed in a plastic cup, in your yard, in a community garden. Be sure to watch as it sprouts and grows.
Spend an hour not using home power. Turn off your lights, electronics, and all things electrical for an hour and enjoy a board game or book. Think about all the power being used around the world and how just spending a little less time plugged in can reduce the need and conserve our resources.
Clean up at a park. It’s an easy thing to don some garden gloves and grab a trash bag to beautify your local neighborhood garden, park or playground. You can even invite a few friends and then enjoy some time together when you are done!
Kids love to create art so why not host a found objects art show. Have the kids use items they find around the house, in the recycle bin or natural materials from the yard to create an art piece that celebrates the earth. Display at a local park for the afternoon and help people from the community to learn about earth day.
Lastly, spend the day shopping, shopping for sustainable food or clothing. Make a promise to each other that you will not only remember the earth in April, but all year long by making smart choices with how you spend your dollars.