Hands-on Earth Day activities include planting greenery, building birdhouses or feeders, and picking up litter. Small children can be encouraged to take interest by playing simple games or including them in activities that illustrate the importance of caring for our environment. As concerns about climate change become more important, Earth Day activities for kids make an excellent way to learn about eco-friendly concepts such as recycling or protecting endangered animals.
Make a bird feeder
Enchanted Learning Software offers complete instructions for turning large pine cones into hanging bird feeders. In addition to the excitement of watching birds gathering to eat, small children will learn how to use natural materials and reduce waste. Explain to the children how bird feeders are important for birds that have lost much of their natural habitat to the expansion of people.
Earth Day memory games
DLTK Learning Center suggests making a memory game using index cards. Use more or less cards according to the age of the children, dividing the cards into pairs and place identical pictures on each pair. For example, two cards might have the image of a tree, and two others a picture of the sun. Place the cards with the picture side down, and allow the players to turn over one card and then try to guess where the matching card is. As each pair is matched, ask the child to explain why that picture is important to our planet’s health.
Drawing and coloring
Earth Day is about taking care of the planet, including the many different animals that share it with us. Small children will enjoy drawing their favorite animals, or adding color to the outline of a butterfly. A themed project might include coloring endangered animals and having a group discussion about each one to help the children understand why that animal is important. Similar activities include using sidewalk chalk to create a temporary Earth Day mural, or connect-the-dot pages that depict key aspects of conservation such as recycling.
Fly a kite
The winds themselves are part of an Earth Day celebration, and flying a kite helps children understand the way winds blow. Explain the importance of winds to distribute seeds and talk about other wind-related things such as cloud patterns and flying birds. Instead of a kite, small children can have fun making a simple pinwheel that spins and turns into the wind.
Planting things
Planting trees is a traditional way to celebrate Earth Day, but the importance of growing plants may be more apparent to children when they grow edible things. Plant watermelon seeds or tomato seedlings, and help the child care for them as they grow. This helps children understand the life cycle of plants and underscores the benefits of growing healthy foods. This is a long term Earth Day project, but the end result is a lesson that kids of all ages can taste the goodness of.
Enchanted Learning: Pine Cone Bird Feeder
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/
crafts/birdfeeders/pineconefeeder.shtml
DLTK’s Earth Day Crafts for Kids: Printable Custom Memory Cards
http://www.dltk-cards.com/memory/
index.htm
Reference:
- Kids for Saving Earth kidsforsavingearth.org/index.html
