Every year on April 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day worldwide. It’s a special day dedicated to learning how to protect our beautiful planet. It’s the perfect opportunity to appreciate the natural world around us, learn how important it is to take care of the environment, and teach kids to do the same!
Here are some fun Earth Day activities facts, crafts, art and book recommendations to help kids learn and get involved.
Earth Day Activities for Kids
Kids are always ready to jump into new things to do or places to go! So, we’ll start with some activities mother nature will love.
- Outdoor Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of things for kids to find outside, like different-coloured leaves, flowers, rocks, pinecones, etc. See who can gather the most items! This helps them develop a curiosity about all the diverse, beautiful things in nature.
- Nature Walk: Take a family walk through a park, trail, or even your neighbourhood. Point out the different plants, animals, and ecosystems you observe! You don’t even have to leave our beautiful Calgary. You could explore a lot in the northwest (near Clever Daycare University District) or Heritage Park!
- Recycling Runs: Go around, look for recyclable items, and sort them into bins for plastic, paper, aluminum, etc. You could even make it a competition if the kids feel like it.
- Litter Clean-Up: Grab some gloves and trash bags and clean up litter around your neighbourhood, park, daycare, or school. Teach kids why littering is harmful, and take a moment to appreciate how green and clean is much prettier!
- Gardening: Ah, gardening is an activity you can enjoy for a long time. Get pots or plots, seeds, or seedlings. Let the kids plant, and show them how to care for their budding new friends.
Earth Day Facts for Kids
Fancy an Earth Day talk? Here are some facts your kids will enjoy. Be sure to use age-appropriate language!
- Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 after thousands of colleges and universities rallied for increased protection of the environment.
- Over 1 billion people in nearly 200 countries participate in Earth Day events each year, making it the largest secular observance in the world.
- Some key issues Earth Day focuses on are pollution, deforestation, clean energy, and conservation of plants and animals.
- Only about 3% of the world’s water is freshwater that humans and other species can use. The rest is ocean or saltwater.
- Experts estimate nearly 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction due to climate change, deforestation, and other environmental threats.
Earth Day Crafts for Kids
We are adults, but we still love making things with our hands. Your kids will love it, too. Here are some crafts you can make in the spirit of Earth Day.
- Recycled Robots: You can make cool robot (or trash people) sculptures using bottles, egg cartons, cans, etc. We know it’s not recycling, but the memory of reusing material we sometimes easily discard will stick with your kids for life.
- Newspaper Seedling Pots: Remember gardening above? You can roll up old newspapers (or fold them into cubes if you’re crafty) and make biodegradable pots for seeds and seedlings.
- Nature Suncatchers: Glue dead flowers, leaves, or other natural items between two pieces of contact paper to hang in a window.
- Earth Day Crowns: Color or paint paper grocery bags, cut them into strips, and staple them into a wearable crown shape. With a bit of origami, you may even be able to fold them into crowns and use less material!
- Earth Sponge Painting: Cut sponges into earth, cloud, and tree shapes to create environmentally themed paintings. It’s a lot of fun colouring sponges and putting them together!
Earth Day Books for Kids
Love story time? We do, too! Now, these books are not like grownup articles about doomsday. (Let’s keep those for ourselves.) Here are five books that illustrate environmental issues as well as life skills like problem-solving and teamwork:
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: It’s a classic about the dangers of environmental destruction. It even has a movie!
- The Wump World by Bill Peet: This one is full of illustrations about wumps (cute, whimsical creatures who look like capybaras) and how their living environment is put into danger.
- Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel: Michael Recycle is a superhero whose superpower is to teach people about recycling! It’s great to read out loud.
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney: Not interested in books that directly talk about the environment? Don’t miss this one. It’s a profoundly inspiring story about making the world more beautiful.
- The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry: “All living things depend on one another.” This one is a moving tale that celebrates the wonders of the rainforest.
Conclusion: Have Fun!
This Earth Day, get the kids engaged with fun activities, arts, and crafts that inspire them to respect and protect our incredible planet.
Read books that instill a love of nature, and of course, recycle, reuse, and go green! By the way, our centres are already paper-free. Interested? Book a tour!
