Celebrate Nature With These Fun Earth Day Activities
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While springtime is filled with holidays like Easter and plenty of fun in the sun, it’s also a time to reflect on how to help the planet. Every April 22 gives us the chance to carry out some Earth Day activities that will not only help the environment, but will also be a blast. And you can do tons of them with your kids at your side. Plant a backyard garden together that will attract pollinators, create some cute decorations with items that would otherwise land in the trash, or use the day as a teaching moment by focusing on recycling or endangered animals.
You can also celebrate the day with your best pals. Throw an eco-friendly party, sign up for a community garden, or give out seed bombs to people in your life who love flowers just as much as you do. While you can always appreciate nature with friends or family, by going for a nature hike or making a terrarium, there are lots of solo activities you can do, too. Set up your kitchen for composting, get your hands in the dirt, or place a rain barrel alongside your house. There are so many things you can do to help the planet on Earth Day!
Feed the Birds
Help the littlest creatures of your backyard and make sure the birds have some tasty meals to eat. Whether you cover a pinecone in peanut butter and birdseed or upcycle some old glassware into a feeder, your feathered friends will certainly appreciate it.
Make Special Earth Day Treats
Helping the Earth is pretty sweet, right? Along with all your green activities, make sure to take some time to eat treats! The planet looks pretty cute when it’s displayed on cookies, cupcakes, or a cup full of blue and green popcorn.
Get the tutorial at Simple As That.
Plant a Pollinator Garden
Pollinators are increasingly becoming endangered. You can feed them and keep them living their best lives by planting a pollinator garden. Research local plants that pollinators, like butterflies and bees, are attracted to. Generally, they enjoy milkweed, coneflowers, and goldenrod.
Make Some Decorations
Celebrate Earth Day by decorating the house top to bottom with your kiddos! Make recycled decorations, like this adorable, and environmental, wind sock.
Get the tutorial at Non-Toy Gifts.
Hang Up a Bee House
Bees and other insects need shelter at night or when it’s chilly outside, and a cute bee house is just the thing for them. With tiny holes and places to hide, they may even raise their babies in the little house.
Join a Local Clean-Up
Plenty of communities hold clean-up days on or around Earth Day, so be sure to add one to your calendar. Whether it’s a beach, park, or highway, you’ll definitely be doing your part.
Plant a Tree
For a totally classic Earth Day activity, plant a tree! Ask your kids to get in on it, too. Pick out a tree from a local nursery and plant it in your backyard. Or you could participate in a tree-planting day at a nearby park.
Create a Nature-Inspired Crown
Go out into the backyard and gather up pretty fixings to make an Earth Day crown. The flowers and greenery will look gorgeous, and you and the kids can wear them all day to celebrate.
Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.
Switch to Natural Products
Swapping in organic laundry detergent, soap, makeup, and more can do a lot to help the planet. Made without toxic chemicals, these products are eco-friendly, and tend to be healthier for you and your family, too.
Make a Terrarium
Celebrate the Earth’s beauty by bringing it indoors! Use a glass jar, moss, and tiny touches like mini dinosaurs or even toy cars and create a natural scene to display on a table or in your little one’s bedroom.
Teach Your Kids About Recycling
If you haven’t clued in your kids to the importance of recycling yet, Earth Day is the perfect opportunity! Show them the bins and what goes where, and talk about how much recycling can help the environment.
Wear an Earth Day Costume
Challenge your kiddos to make their own Earth Day costumes using items heading for the trash. Cardboard is always a great option when creating a recycled costume, like this cheerful sun.
Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.
Put Out a Rain Barrel
Instead of using all that water from your hose, save it and turn to rainwater instead. A rain barrel placed next to your house will catch all that rain from your roof, resulting in H2O for your plants. Sometimes, communities will even give rain barrels away for free, so be sure to check that out before purchasing.
Create Upcycled Decor
Something old can be new again with the help of upcycling! For instance, you can take a worn-out straw hat and transform it into a piece of chic wall decor.
Get the tutorial at Lily Ardor.
Do Some Birdwatching
Learn about local birds in your area and take your kids to do some birdwatching. Be sure to bring along binoculars, and be extra-quiet, and respectful of the birds, as you view them in trees and nests.
Start Composting
Composting is a great way to put food scraps meant for the trash to good use, and the plants in your garden will love it.
Craft Upcycled Organizers
There are so many things you usually throw away or recycle that make great organizers! Paper bags are ideal, and you can make them into toy organizers with this tutorial. You can also turn milk jugs, egg cartons, and plastic cups into handy organizers, too.
Get the tutorial at Hello, Wonderful.
Make a Cardboard Vase
Who knew that cardboard could be so cute?! Follow these steps to reuse cardboard lying around the house and turn it into a kaleidoscopic rainbow perfect for holding art supplies.
Get the tutorial at The House That Lars Built.
Go for a Nature Hike
While Earth Day is all about eco-friendly efforts to help the planet, it’s also about appreciating nature, too. Take your family on a hike to view wildlife, trees, and plants and be thankful for the environment around you.
Brainstorm Ways to Save Energy
Have a family meeting for Earth Day and come up with ingenious ways to save energy around the house. For example, you could switch to LED lightbulbs, install dimmer switches, and turn lights off whenever you leave the room.
Make Cool Planters
Celebrating Earth Day can be as simple as potting some houseplants, but you can take it the extra mile by upcycling some old maps and turning them into pot covers.
Get the tutorial at Pillar Box Blue.
Put Together Seed Bombs
For Earth Day, give away seed bombs to friends and family! They can toss these seeds into their yards and they’ll get to enjoy beautiful wildflower gardens.
Get the tutorial at Sheri Silver.
Color Pictures
Use these Earth Day-themed printables for some instant coloring pages! This way, the smallest members of your family can also get in on the Earth Day fun.
Get the tutorial at Skip To My Lou.
Celebrate with Your Pets
Don’t leave your pets out of your Earth Day plans! Make your kitty their own bed using leftover fabric, use glass jars as treat containers, and plant some cat grass.
Get the tutorial at Swoodson Says.
Join a Community Garden
If you want to make saving the Earth a joint effort, look no further than a community garden. Many cities have them nowadays, and it’s a great way to do some gardening and get to know fellow green thumbs in your area.
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