Earth Day began in 1970 as an effort to bring attention to protecting the environment. It’s celebrated worldwide every year on April 22nd. Teaching children about protecting the environment is very important. If we do not take care of our planet, our children won’t have its beauty to enjoy for the rest of their lives. Even though care the environment seems like a job for adults, there is no reason at all why children can’t help keep the planet beautiful with a little bit of training from mom and dad.

Get Three Free Children’s Books for Earth Day:

Trees and Paper
Learn all about different kinds of paper, how paper is sustainably made from trees, and how to properly recycle paper to help save the earth! Children will gain a new appreciation and love for paper and trees.

Earth’s Water
In this guided reading book, children will learn all about the different types of water on earth. They’ll also learn how water moves around during the water cycle and the different forms of water (liquid, solid, gas).

Taking Care of Earth
Does your child love spending time in nature? They’ll learn more about how they can help take care of earth by not wasting water, saving electricity and picking up trash in their neighbourhood! How will you be spending Earth Day with your child?

Recycle!

Make sure that you have recycling bins at your house and explain to the kids how to use them. Put all of your recyclables into one large container and making sorting into a game. The glass can go in one box, metals in another, and paper and cardboard in a third. (Use caution and if possible, use gloves.) After its all sorted, take a trip to your local recycling center and let your child see where it goes. Some cities will even have recycling services that will come pick up your recyclables from your home. If that is something that your family uses, be sure to mark the calendar and watch for the big truck when it comes.

Plant a Tree!

What better way to clean up our air than to plant a tree (or any other plant)!? Whether it’s a tree purchased from your local home and garden center or one your received free from the Arbor Day Foundation or another organization, planting trees and other plants is very important. Trees remove carbon dioxide and other toxins from the air and put oxygen into the air, which is pretty cool because as humans, we do exactly the opposite. I don’t know about you, but I would rather not run out of good clean air to breathe. When spring rolls around each year, there is nothing my children love more than a trip to our local nursery to buy trees and flowers. When they begin learning these skills at a young age, their appreciation for the environment can only grow from there.

Pick up Trash and Don’t Litter!

Go for a walk through your local park, take a trash bag with you, and pick up trash. Make sure to use gloves or a garbage picker to keep you and the kiddos safe. While you are walking along, talk with your children about why leaving trash behind is not good for the environment. Explain that animals could mistake the trash for food and that it could make the animals very sick. Share that trash can get into our streams and cause water pollution, which could make it unsafe for drinking. Children have an internal desire to do good. Help them to shine by teaching them ways to improve the world around them.

The web has loads of great resources relating to Earth Day so be sure to check out other ideas about how to celebrate Earth Day with the children in your life.

by Gabrielle Fisher

How do you celebrate Earth Day with your kids?