Earth Day 2021 is Thursday April 22, and all of us at The Local Moms Network love celebrating with our kids—but try to keep it genuinely fun. Depending on the age of your little ones, celebrating Earth Day may be as simple as going for a walk outside in the stroller or as in depth as talking to teens about global warming. We’ve rounded up 21 great ways to note the occasion. Hope it gives you some inspiration for celebrating Mother Earth all year long!
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts have been one of our favorite pandemic activities, because they’re so versatile – you can download ones to do outdoors or indoors, for every type of holiday, and for every age.
This super simple one is perfect for younger kids, since it features both pictures and words.
This one is perfect for older kids who can read and understand a bit more about the meaning of Earth Day (bees spreading pollen, the recycling sign, etc.).
Want to fill some more time? Have your kids make their own scavenger hunt with pictures and words, and then complete it!
Pick Up Your Favorite Playground
Choosing an area to clean up—a playground, beach, or even your street—is a wonderful activity the whole family can do together. Give everyone their own gloves, garbage bag, and see who can pick up the most trash! You can even turn this into an Earth Day play date activity.
Make A Homemade Birdfeeder
Give a gift to your backyard birds and make a birdfeeder craft. You don’t even need birdseed—cereal like cheerios and peanut butter work just fine. We love these ideas from The Spruce Crafts.
Make a Card with Recycled Materials
Turn that junk mail, old school art or magazine pages into homemade Earth Day cards. Grandparents or teachers will love getting a special gift and you’ll be able to talk about where paper comes from—and why we shouldn’t waste it.
Get into the Garden
Gardening with kids is a perfect learning opportunity—they can practice fine motor skills, follow instructions and help in planning. For some ideas for gardening with kids, read our recent article on the topic.
Craft Using Recycled Materials
From Corn Husk Dolls to Tin Can Drums, upcycled crafts are a perfect way to explain the power of recycling. Bonus: You won’t have to buy new materials.
Read a Book
We love adding a book or two about holidays to our collection, and Earth Day is no exception. (Note: If you’re trying to save paper, download them onto your Kindle or check them out from the library.) A few of our faves:
Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration
Skip the Car
Can you walk to school or bike to a playdate? Take the extra time on Earth Day, and explain why you’re changing your routine. Not only is it great for the planet, it’s healthy for you and your kids, and may just help you start getting a bit more exercise into your daily routine.
Play Earth Day Bingo
We love this adorable Bingo game from Little Bins for Little Hands. Easy enough for a toddler to play, but fun enough to engage older kids, too!
Play it Forward with LEGO
The LEGO brand has started a Replay program where you can ship old pieces back to the company and they rebuild them, give them new life and pass them on to kids in need. They’ve already collected and redistributed 300,000 pounds of LEGO bricks.
Related articles from The Local Moms Network: