Fun Earth Day Activities
Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970, and has now become a worldwide occasion with events held globally to show support and raise awareness about environmental protection. Marking this day with your children can help to teach them to love and respect the world around them. Whether you attend a community event, a library program, or plan some backyard activities at home, Earth Day is a great opportunity to focus on nature and the environment.
Most school age children will be participating in Earth Day activities through their local schools and are already experts on the environment and on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. They probably have some great suggestions about what you can do at home! Let them teach you a thing or two!
There are many easy and fun activities to do with toddlers and preschoolers too. Here are a few ideas for the whole family:
Plant a Tree or Some Seeds
My favourite class in high school was Environmental Studies. Not only did we get to learn about the Earth and the negative effects of our lifestyles, we got to give back to the community and improve our local environment by planting trees and shrubs in Sherwood Park. It’s amazing to take my daughter on walks there now and point out tree covered areas that were once bare and crumbling, and say "look – mommy helped plant those trees." To a five-year old that’s pretty impressive! If you have the space, planting a tree is something your child will take great pride in for the years to come. If trees are a little too ambitious for you, try planting seeds in some small pots indoors, or out in the garden if it’s warm enough. Paint the flower pots with non-toxic paint or paint markers. When the flower grows this makes the perfect gift for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day!
Go on a Nature Hike 
Take a walk in one of our city’s many beautiful parks, or even just in your neighbourhood. Point out different types of trees, flowers, birds and insects and just enjoy the nature around you. Bring a picnic with you and enjoy lunch in the outdoors! With older children you can also do a nature Scavenger Hunt by creating a list of items you might find outside in Toronto and checking the items off as you see them.
Collect Items from Nature
Collect rocks, leaves, sticks and other items that catch your child's eye on your walk, or in your backyard. You can use the items for crafts, a nature book or even the ingredients for a bug stew! (A pretend stew for bugs, not made of bugs – this also keeps the messy ingredients out of the house.) Washing and decorating the rocks can also be loads of fun! Perhaps inspired by In the Night Garden’s Makka Pakka, this was one of my daughter’s favourite activities as a toddler. Use a bucket and the hose to clean the rocks, a small amount of water should do. Afterwards you can paint the rocks with non-toxic paint, or colour them with sidewalk chalk and put them in your garden as decorations.
Crafts & Projects
There are some pretty amazing crafts you can make using items found in nature, or using materials destined for the garbage. Check out some of the books below:
Food
It's tough to eat local and organic in April, but you can'try to find Ontario grown produce for your meal. It's also a great day to try and go meatless for lunch or dinner or both! Focus on fresh fruits & veggies! Have your kids help with the food preparations.
Attend an Earth Day Themed Library Program!
Pop into one of the Earth Day programs being held at library branches around the city, check out the list here.
Attend or Participate in a Community Event
Take a look at the websites below for information on Earth Day Community Events in Toronto:
One thought on “Fun Earth Day Activities”
conservation of environment is necessary, in school we used to plant trees to protect our environment