Earthday Activities for Kids that Grownups Will Also Enjoy

Who says that you have to spend much just to come up with Earthday Activities for Kids? We never really celebrated this particular event before, but today, I decided that the kids should have an awareness for this particular event specially since they're going to be among the many billions of people who will inherit this planet.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 
I somewhat feel that this theme needs an upgrade, but that's for another discussion. Here are some of the things that my kids are doing right now and some ideas which we might be able to do in the future. After all, Earth day should be celebrated everyday and not just on one particular day.

1. Earthday Artwork Making.

Mother Nature herself is a continuous process of art and creation. We humans are just too lazy sometimes to notice it. The key here is to open the eyes of children who are most specially keen about what they observe in nature and then stimulate their imagination.

Different kids have different skill levels so a little imagination could be required. You don't have to buy anything to create art and in fact you could use any material that you can find in your house.  



I took this picture of an interesting art piece that we have in the house. Its frame is made of twigs and other things which would otherwise be classified as refuse.

It doesn't have to be that artistic and of course it should be fun.

For my kids, I just asked them to draw their ideas on how they could apply "reduce, reuse and recycle" in their everyday lives.

My 5 year old's work

My 9 year old's work

My 7 year old's work

2. Creation
Though art and creation are closely intertwined, art doesn't necessarily need to have a utility. From the top of my head, I could think of a few activities that not only demonstrate the principles of Earth Day to children but also make them see that they have the power to create new things from old stuff that they've already used.

When I was discussing this activity with my kids, one of them suddenly blurted out,

"Daddy I know, I know, I turned a plastic bottle into a pencil holder." 

3. RolePlaying
Another activity you could do at home, is to make a skit with your children. Roleplaying and acting stimulates not just their thinking, but also inculcates a greater awareness for children in terms that they could appreciate more.

Moreover, if you have the time (and the energy) you could also make use of recyclable materials as props.

We've actually made a short skit which is unrelated to Earth day with the kids last week for their homeschooling exercises. The props that we used were old cardboards which my wife miraculously turned into a coconut tree. :)

4. The Walk Together
As hard as it sounds, kids these days need to take a lot of time away from the computer. I know, I was a kid once who spent a lot of time playing video games and I'm now seeing the same thing with my kids.

Turn off the computer, ask your kid to put some comfy walking sneakers on, bring along your camera and

"Just Walk"

This may be simplistic, but think about it, not only have they taken some time off from the computer and reduced your electric consumption, you've also spent some time with them outside with some fresh air. No, the mall doesn't count. 

Find a garden, and take images of flowers with them. 

Better yet >>>>

5. Bring an Earth Friendly Bag 

...and some gloves too. There are some places in the world where you will actually find litter strewn all over streets. It doesn't matter if you're at the beach or in an urban setting. What matters is that you inculcate the value that cleanliness doesn't come without hard work. This particular activity is best suited for bigger kids though and would be better if you'd be able to form a group with the neighborhood. 

Your imagination is the only limit to what Earthday activities for kids you could hold. Remember, it's the simple things we take for granted that counts. 

Happy Earthday!