FUN & SIMPLE WAYS TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY APRIL 22ND
Celebrated annually on April 22nd, Earth Day reminds us to take better care of our home planet. This day of celebration is a chance to reassess your carbon footprint and commit to making eco-friendly lifestyle changes. You can also turn it into a teachable moment for kids, helping them better understand the importance of caring for the planet for future generations.
There are so many ways, both big and small, to make an impact. From everyday eco-friendly acts to virtual field trips and games, we’ve rounded up some fun and easy Earth Day activities for you and your family to show your appreciation for Mother Nature.
Camp In Your Backyard
Grab s’mores ingredients and head to your backyard for a night in nature. Take in the night sky and stargaze with your little ones before they head to bed. After all, immersing yourself in the outdoors is one of the best ways to appreciate all it offers.
Play Nature-Themed Bingo
Take the fun outside and see who can exclaim bingo first! Make cards with nature images like different trees, plants, flowers, bugs, birds, and furry creatures.
Attend A Yoga Class
Take a yoga class to connect with yourself and the world around you. Chances are you’ll find yourself in a tree, mountain, and waterfall pose, which can take on a whole new meaning on Earth Day. While you’re at it, look for classes designed for kids so they can get their om on, too.
Make Art Out of Recyclables
Turn trash into treasures using recycling bin materials to create Earth Day masterpieces. Try making a tree out of egg cartons by cutting and painting the individual egg cups green and gluing them onto a canvas. Another idea is to take those old magazines piling up and cut out pictures or words that inspire you to create a mood or vision board.
Take A Virtual Field Trip
Spend the day traveling the globe without even needing to pack a suitcase. Transport your kids virtually to spots like the Great Barrier Reef or Amazon rainforest to get a crash course in the effects of climate change and deforestation. Or visit a few national parks to learn about their ecosystems. No matter your destination, there are so many places to visit for free!
Paint Flowers & Plant Seeds
Want to get your kid’s creative juices flowing? Paint one of their hands blue and stamp it on a plain flower pot. Take a paintbrush and add some green markings on the handprint until it resembles the Earth. Or skip the blue paint altogether and use their fingerprints to form flower petals or ladybugs. Once it’s dry, fill it with soil and seeds to turn this craft project into a science experiment.
Have A Nature Scavenger Hunt
Search for natural wonders in your backyard (think a flower, squirrel, moss, and so on). Give each scavenger a clipboard to keep track of their findings and a magnifying glass to investigate their surroundings.
Ground Yourself
Kick off your shoes and give grounding a try. The practice has become a viral sensation on TikTok with the hashtag #grounding and has amassed almost 300 million views. The centuries-old practice suggests that direct skin contact with the Earth’s natural electric charge offers many health benefits. So kick off your shoes and take a walk!
Host A Yard Sale
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Host a yard sale — either solo or with neighbors — to give items you no longer use to a new home. If you want to go the extra mile, donate some of the profits to a local or national environmental cause that’s meaningful to you.
Show Off Your Green Thumb
There are endless ways to create an eco-friendly space that will extend long past Earth Day itself. Plant a tree, assemble an indoor herb container, or designate a part of your yard as a pollinator or butterfly garden.
Adopt An Endangered Animal
Beloved animals like gorillas, rhinos, and elephants face extinction due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, pollution, lack of food sources, overhunting, and more. Look for organizations to sponsor or adopt endangered animals. If you want to make a difference without dipping into your wallet, sign an online petition to help protect these species for future generations.
Make A Homemade Bird Feeder
Nurture your natural environment by creating a bird feeder for your winged neighbors. Fill empty milk cartons or plastic water bottles with birdseed. Watching feathered friends flock to the yard is bound to make your little ones smile with excitement (you, too!).
Start Composting
Start saving those scraps! Incorporate the eco-friendly practice of composting into your regular household routine. Not only does it lighten the load at the landfill, but it’ll make nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. Find a method that works best for you and your family, whether you start small with a pail for banana peels or go all-out with an electric composter.
Go Paperless
Help preserve trees by reducing your dependency on paper. Spend time on Earth Day switching settings so financial and bank statements are sent to you online rather than through the mail. Then, think about how you can make this an everyday practice in the future, whether paying bills electronically, opting for emailed receipts rather than printed ones, or even using a digital planner.
ABOUT KINDNESS MATTERS 365
Kindness Matters 365 (KM365) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Boca Raton, FL that has positively impacted our youth and communities since 2008. KM365 fosters the well-being and development of children and teens through education, development, and community engagement. Through after-school programs, virtual programs, assemblies, and hands-on community problem-solving initiatives, kids explore KM365’s framework of topics to develop resilience, empathy, and essential life skills to discover how to best care for themselves, each other, and our world. KM365 is a vetted vendor of programming and training for the Florida Department of Education’s Safe and Healthy School Enrichment for Learning division and is a designated service provider to schools in Florida. Since its inception, KM365 has grown to encompass 142 programs and has served over 25,000 children and teens. Visit kindnessmatters365.org for more information and follow KM365 on social media via Facebook @kindnessmatters365org and Instagram @kindnessmatters365.
