Earth day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22nd. Teach your kid the importance of Earth day with some activities ranging from recycling to planting plants.
Earth day is celebrated to demonstrate the support towards the protection of the environment. The event was first started in 1970. Earth day is celebrated every year in more than 193 countries. Make your child celebrate earth day along with you and let them to be a part of a community of millions of people celebrating this event every year.
This article discusses the importance of Earth day. It presents the interesting Earth day games and activities for kids.
History of Earth Day:
Peace activist John McConnell proposed an idea to honor the Earth and the concept of peace at UNESCO conference in San Francisco in 1969. McConnell thought that the day is to be celebrated on the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, i.e., on March 21st. . The first Earth day celebrations took place on March 21, 1970. This day reminds the people their shared responsibility towards the protection of the environment.
It was signed and officially declared by the U. N. Secretary General, U Thant as the international Earth day on February 26, 1971.
A month later United States senator Gaylord Nelson founded separate Earth day by conducting a environmental teach-in. Nelson was successful in spreading the event to thousands of schools, colleges, universities, schools, and communities across the united states. Nelson later received Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton in 1995 for his great role in the Earth Day.
This April 22nd Earth day was initially limited to United States. Denis Hayes, took it international in 1990 and organized events in over 141 nations.
Earth Day Activities For Kids:
This 2020 is so special as the Earth day turns 50 years. Make the day much more special by engaging your kids in some interesting Earth day activities.
Here are a few awesome Earth day activities for kids:
Activity 1# Plant seeds:
This is one of the best activity to educate your child the role that plants play in the protection of the environment. This activity will help the kids to know about the seasons. It offers them a chance to get better understanding of the subjects in chemistry, and weather.
Your kids will come to see some small creatures like worms, bees, and lady bugs. This makes their biology lessons simple and interesting.
Prefer to plant some native species as they do not rely much on the water. This is the best activity to reduce carbon footprints. Make your kids think of the environment everyday by introducing the activity of watering plants in their daily chores.
Activity 2 # Trash Sorting activity
Plan an outdoor cam with your kids and arrange the separate garbage bins for plastic, paper, and glass. Allow your kids to collect the garbage from the surrounding area and throw them in their respective bins. This is the best activity that every parent should promote in their children.
This activity allows your kids to learn about the recycling.
Activity 3 # Ride your Bike:
Keep your cars away and ride the bike with your kids on this Earth Day. It will help to reduce the carbon foot prints on the environment and benefits your body by enhancing the metabolic rate. Cycling keeps you away from the high blood pressure and heart diseases.
If you don’t have a bike. Take a carpool or utilize public transportation. Use bike if your kid’s school is near by your home. It helps to keep you and your kids cholesterol free.
Activity 4 # Buy Eco Friendly Products:
Visit the green store with your kids, buy eco friendly and reusable products like:
- Organic play dough
- Reusable snack bag
- Earth friendly toys which are made from wood, or natural rubbers.
Refillable water bottles.
Activity 5 # Switch off the TV and Connect with the nature:
Switch off your TV and another digital platforms like mobiles, laptops etc and plan for the activities that help to connect with the nature. Go for a walk or plan a picnic with your kids.
Activity 6 # Attend an event with your kids:
Many cleanup activities and events will be organized on the Earth day. There are some events which are celebrated throughout the week. Find the events a week before the earth day and join the event along with your kids and make them to understand the importance of protecting the earth.
Activity 7 # Collect shells and stones:
Go for a beach trip with your kids and allow them to collect some shells, stones and color them. It will make the kids to learn about the name of the shell and the organism that grows in it.
If you are new to the habit of collecting shells, it is highly recommended to visit the local museum for the awareness regarding the shells which are permitted for the collection. Certain areas have serious restrictions and penalties for collecting the live shells.
Activity 8 # Encourage your kids to do art projects:
Art projects are the great way to gauge learning abilities of your kids. These are the fun and interesting way to teach your kid the importance of safeguarding earth. This activity helps your kids to stay connected with the environment. It is the best way to improve their imagination skills and understand the world around them.
Activity 9 # Earth Day Poems and Songs:
Sing some Earth day poems and songs with your kids and celebrate the beauty of nature. Make your child to use the poems at home or at the school/day care centers.
Allow your kid to compose short poems and songs describing the beauty of the earth. This activity will help to improve the vocabulary of your kids.
Activity 10 # Encourage your kids to make signs for school or at home:
It is the best idea to involve your little ones in saving our reserves with little remainders. Allow your kid to make remainders like turn off electronic devices when not in use, save water etc.
Activity 11 # Earth day Role plays:
Encourage your kids to participate in Earth day role plays at school. Dress them in a theme related to saving the earth. Make your kids to speak few lines about the ways to save the earth.
Activity 12 # Earth day word search and puzzles:
Get some printable Earth day puzzles and make your kids to find the words and solve the puzzles. This is the great way to introduce the environment related vocabulary to your kids.
Activity 13 # Earth day Quiz:
It is one of the best Earth day preschool activities. This activity allows your child to get some knowledge about the earth. Make your kids aware of the planets. Make the quiz simple and age specific.
Activity 14 # Box with Nature:
Encourage your kids to prepare a box with the unique things in the nature.
To do this activity children need the lid of a shoe box. Ask your child to pour the glue in the shoe box. Allow then to collect some unique leaves, sticks, pine needles, acrons, flowers, rocks, and few other nature items to add to the glue box.
Activity 15 # Earth day Scavenger Hunt:
This is one of the best earth day activities for the preschoolers. This is the best fun activity to engage the kids in exploring the new things. Make the kids to pair up and search for the things on the list around the playground or around the park. You can plan this activity in your backyard or at the local park. Provide a cam to each of the team to take pictures.
Activity 16 # Paper Mache:
This is one of the best Earth day games and activities for kids. This is the fun way of recycling paper into the craft. The things that you need for this activity are flour, water, strips of magazine paper or a new paper.
Mix the strips of paper with the dough and water and allow your kids to prepare masks covering the balloons.
Activity 17 # Earth Day Sensory Experiences:
Kids love to learn the things practically. Teach them the things around the earth with some sensory experiences. This is a playful way of teaching your child about the earth. Make the sensory activities age specific so that your kids will learn the things easily.
Activity 18 # Donations:
Donate the charities that support the environment on the earth day. Take a part in voluntary activities and help to make the world a greener place. Visit the nursing homes and donate the residents staying some recyclable things like bags, refillable water bottles etc.
In conclusion, promote the awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment in the younger children by planning Earth day activities for your kids.
