10 Earth Day Activities For The Whole Family

Earth Day is a pretty exciting day and sharing a bit about the history of Earth Day with your children is really a great learning opportunity. Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. It is all about putting a little focus on helping to conserve the environment of planet Earth. A great way to share this love of nature with your kids is to plan some Earth Day activities kids will love. Here are 10 easy earth day activities kids and adults can get involved with to have a positive impact on the environment while having fun.

When And What Is Earth Day?

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. It is celebrated worldwide annually on April 22nd with events to demonstrate support for environmental protection. There are lots of ways to get involved for Earth Day. Earth Day is all about raising awareness of environmental issues and doing something to support our environment. From small activities such as Earth Day crafts and games to joining Earth Day events to signing petitions, each action counts. So get involved this Earth Day! I hope you enjoy this list of activities for Earth Day that will have a positive impact on the environment.

List Of Family Earth Day Activities

Earth Day is a fantastic opportunity to engage in activities that promote environmental awareness and conservation. Here are some Earth Day activities that you can consider:

1. Plant A Garden

Don’t worry it doesn’t have to take up a lot of room or be a lot of work. If you don’t have a yard, just plant a container garden. Even one pot with one tomato plant or herb is a great way to let kids see that we can grow our own foods and get a feel for organic gardening. Stonyfield® Organic Kids® plant-based cups make great seed starters! Another earth day activity is to go volunteer at a community garden. You can learn to have a green thumb!

2. Plant A Tree

Planting trees is an important way to increase oxygen and help to prevent global warming by reducing levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. It is also a great activity to get younger kids involved in a fun hands on way. If you have room in your yard, consider planting a fruit or nut bearing tree. That will be an extra fun element for kids as they get to harvest the fruits of their labor in the future. If you don’t have room for a tree in your own yard, there are lots of local organizations that plant trees for Earth Day and they usually need lots of volunteers to help. Just use a search engine to find local volunteer opportunities.

3. Earth Day Crafts

You can challenge older kids to create a craft using items that they would otherwise throw away or recycle. It will be fun to see how their crafty little minds thinks of unusual ways to upcycle. If you have younger children, you might provide them with an Earth Day craft ready to go such as homemade finger paints and a stack of papers that have already been used on one side that you no longer need. I reused our Stonyfield® Organic Kids® cups as containers to hold the finger paints. An earth day art project is such a fun way to get creative and celebrate a sustainable future.

Fun Fact:
Stonyfield® Organic Kids® yogurt multipack cups are made from plants! These plastic cups made from plants have a lower carbon footprint and are better for the environment than petroleum based cups. So, celebrate Earth Month with the only kids yogurt that comes in plant-based cups.

4. Conserve Water And Energy

Talk to your family members about how their everyday choices add up. Teach them how they can help conserve water by turning off the faucet while they brush their teeth. Teach them how they can help conserve energy by turning off lights that they are not using. Give them some fun Earth Day stickers every time they notice a light that needs turning off!

5. Keep Clothes Out Of Landfills

With Schoola.com, parents can donate gently used clothing and Schoola sells the items online with money going right back to the schools from where the items were collected.

6. Enjoy Nature

Enjoying nature and being outdoors is one of my favorite Earth Day Activities kids will love. The more often kids get outside and enjoy nature, the more likely it is that they will want to help conserve our environment. Take a trip to a local park and enjoy a hike, have a picnic, or play in a stream! Go for a nature walk and complete an Earth Day nature bingo card, go for an outdoor scavenger hunt, or try geocaching. There are so many fun ways to spend time in nature and while you are out make sure to pick up any trash you see and dispose of it properly.

7. Participate In A Local Earth Day Event

What are you doing on Earth Day? Register your Earth Day event or search for Earth Day events in your area at earthday.org. Almost 1,000 events have been registered from gardening events to upcycling events to trash cleanup events and more. Or organize a neighborhood clean-up to remove litter from parks, beaches, streets, or other public areas. This activity helps keep the environment clean and protects wildlife.

8. Enjoy Environmentally Friendly Products

Part of going green is to buy from responsible and sustainable brands. Look for organic products, Fair Trade products, and eco-conscious brands that give a portion of profits back to caring for the earth. Some eco-friendly clothing is even made from recycled plastic bottles. There are lots of great green choices.

Selecting environmentally friendly products is a great way of honoring Earth Day every day! One such brand is Stonyfield® Organic Kids®. It is the #1 organic kids yogurt brand because they are certified organic, non-GMO Project verified, and they have been a trusted brand for 35 years. Stonyfield® has been working for healthy people and a healthy planet since the day they were founded in 1983. My kids have been eating Stonyfield® since they were “knee high to a grasshopper” (as my grandmother used to say) and I feel good knowing each cup is always made without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics and GMOs.

9. Recycle and Upcycle

Hopefully, you already recycle. If not, make a chalkboard paint recycling bin together. Try upcycling too for fun creative ways to reuse what would otherwise become trash. Here are some fun plastic bottle crafts for kids can try. Set up or participate in a recycling drive for items like paper, plastic, glass, and electronics. Educate others about the importance of proper waste disposal.

10. Make It A Meat Free Day

You can also talk to kids about the importance of eating organic food and about how eating less meat is good for the environment. Eating meat, especially beef, takes a heavy carbon toll. Try preparing a meat free meal with your child for Earth Day!

Earth Day Quiz

Here are some multiple-choice questions about Earth Day and environmental conservation:

1. When is Earth Day celebrated annually? a) April 22 b) March 20 c) May 1 d) June 5
2. Who founded Earth Day? a) Gaylord Nelson b) John Muir c) Rachel Carson d) Theodore Roosevelt
3. What was the year of the first Earth Day celebration? a) 1965 b) 1970 c) 1980 d) 1955
4. Which symbol represents Earth Day? a) A green tree b) A blue and green globe c) A yellow sun d) A red heart
5. Which United Nations agency plays a significant role in promoting Earth Day and environmental protection? a) UNESCO b) WHO (World Health Organization) c) UNICEF d) UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)
6. Which president of the United States was instrumental in establishing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shortly after the first Earth Day? a) John F. Kennedy b) Richard Nixon c) Jimmy Carter d) Ronald Reagan

Answers: 1A, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5D, 6B

Conclusion

Remember, the goal of Earth Day activities is to raise awareness about environmental issues, promote sustainable practices, and encourage individuals to take action to protect our planet. We need to do our part to take care of Mother Earth and prevent climate change. Choose activities that resonate with you and your community, and have a positive impact on the environment. Go spend time in nature and have fun. These fun Earth Day activities kids will enjoy are just a few of the ways that you can get your kids thinking about their impact on the environment or make a difference at the community level.

1. Have a picnic outside in a beautiful location.
2. Take a hike.
3. Go canoeing.
4. Get a bird identification guide and go birdwatching.
5. Start a tree journal.
6. Take a nature scavenger hunt.
7. Read nature oriented books together. (Start with The Lorax or books with beautiful nature illustrations or nature fact books, depending on their child’s age.)
8. Create a recycling bin and start filling it.
9. Talk about ways to conserve water.
10. Talk about ways to conserve energy.
11. Start a garden or work it in.
12. Volunteer with your local park service.
13. Support a local farmer’s market or sign up for a CSA.
14. Volunteer with a local gardening club.
15. Help start a green school project .
16. Start or help with a fundraiser for an eco-friendly project you care about such as cleaning up a local river or lake.

Happy earth day! Which Earth Day activities for kids will your family pick? How are you celebrating Earth Day and having a positive impact for future generations?

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