Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to help kids understand and get involved with saving the earth. Making Earth Day a fun event to look forward too, with projects that they see through the year, will hopefully instill values of being environmentally caring – something they can bring into adulthood.
Here are some places you can start:
1. i Go Green at Every Age – The folks here at iVillage have great tips on how you can get kids to go green. For example, preschool kids can wash their hands using a thin “pencil” stream of water, while a grade schooler can unplug the tv or computer at night or using reusable containers for school packed lunches.
2. Make Some Crafts – Kids love crafts, so getting creative is a great way of teaching them about Earth Day while having fun. Kaboose has some super craft ideas which uses recycled products to make useful things like a pet food scoop made out of an old laundry detergent bottle or herb planters from empty cans.
3. Do Activities Online – For kids who enjoy learning online, there are many kid- friendly websites you can visit with them. A good one is Roofus’ Home, which shows how a golden retriever’s home can be energy efficient.
4. Host an Earthday Party! – Why not get your kids together with some friends for an Earth Day party? Its a fun way to learn about Earth Day by playing games, eating sustainable foods, and doing a project like recycling or planting a tree. You can can then revisit what you’ve done at next year’s Earth Day and the children will be thrilled to see the results.