With Earth Day landing on a Sunday this year, many of us will have more time to celebrate it with the family. We've rounded up five projects or activities you can do with little ones to help celebrate this weekend.
What's your pleasure? Perhaps sculpting or crafting from recycled materials? Or maybe a trip to the library for some good reads? Check out our 5 picks:
1. Make a Playdoh Planet Earth (Meet The Dubiens). My son did this one in school and it was a big hit!
2. Make a Paper Tree out of recycled materials. (I Heart Crafty Things via Pinterest)
3. Plant a tiny Fairy Garden. (Tinker Lab)
4. Make a Nature Journal. (A Mom With a Lesson Plan)
5. Or hit the library looking for books celebrating spring. Here is a past Apartment Therapy post, Books In The Mood Of Spring, that has 5 great books to add to your list.
(Images: as linked above)
Categories: Main, Family, DIY, Crafting, Gardening, Green Living, Reuse & Recycle
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Marisa and Peter's Playfully Eclectic Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
How about a trip to the dump or a feed lot so the kids get a real education about what Earth Day is?
I know, I'm a crabby lady and y'all just wanna have fun, but making play doh earths isn't exactly what they had in mind when Earth Day started. Grumbling back into my cave now...
Parnassus, your comment made me laugh, because I totally agree. While I think it might not be feasible to visit a dump or a feedlot, why not take them to a park and point out litter (and pick it up, too)? Or, if kids aren't old enough for that, what about getting them involved in gardening at home? Kids love dirt!
I agree with the comments, Earth Day is an opportunity for kids to learn how to make a difference and learn about the environment. Our local grade school is doing various earth day activities that are great with kids: zero-waste lunch day, walk/ride/roll to school day, and turning lights out during the day.
Oh, I so agree. The play-doh is cute. But Earth Day is about DOING.
Every year, in honor of earth day, and just because we care, we take our 5 kids out & clean up the entire road we live on, gathering bags & bags of recycling & trash.
Nothing has taught our kids better. Our youngest has been cursing "litter bugs" & picking up trash since he was able to walk & talk.
I always wonder how these blogs get found & featured. I have had my own humble blog for over 6 years, and have never been featured or read by more than about 6 people. But I strongly believe I can offer a better, more meaningful post. (No offense AT, I love you.)
Here is last year's:
http://ourfunwithfive.blogspot.com/2011/05/celebrating-easter-earth.html
@WildlySimple, I just clicked over to your blog and was very perplexed when I heard TAB coming out of my headphones sitting on my desk. I started looking through iTunes trying to find out how I had managed to turn it on without knowing. So now you have a 7th reader. :)
I appreciate all your comments. Well said. I just want to chime in on my thoughts behind this roundup. I see these projects/activities as ways in which we can understand and celebrate the earth; that by observing nature around us (point 4), or watching our own garden grow (point 3), or reading about the wonderment of spring (point 5), or even learning about what our planet is made of, we learn to love it and appreciate it ... and that's the basis for taking care of it. I believe. These projects needn't be done instead of transferring litter from your street to the landfill. But I think, especially for the younger ones, that developing a sense of wonder about our world adds to their overall education about Earth Day.
@SCGoble - thanks! Love them. :)
Any form of celebrating earth day (every day!) is good. And I'm all for inspiring the love of nature, from the bottom of my heart. Agreed - that starts with a sense of wonder & learning to love.
Crafts & projects are great. Didn't mean to get down on them.
But I still think it's a great day to get out & make a change though, make a difference, do something for the betterment of it all, and teach tending to the earth as stewards.
Happy earth day this weekend - we all share this planet, make it great!
Thanks for including our fairy garden project in this great line-up. I'm a huge Apartment Therapy fan!