Earth Day is Monday and I promised to share some ideas for Earth Day activities! You can read some of our Earth Day activities from last year. We’ve chosen to do some similar activities this year but will be doing more as well!

This year we started our gardening a little earlier after learning the hard way last year that the Texas sun can be a little harsh on the plants! After doing research to better prepare for our planting this year I discovered it is good to start at the end of March/beginning of April. So, we got started a couple of weeks ago! This year we have a tomato plant, a few herbs, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, and strawberries. We’re trying to use rain water as much as possible since the tap water here is a bit harsh. We’re hoping this will help them out this year!

Earth Day Activities!

But maybe it isn’t planting season where you are. In fact, I know some people are still getting SNOW. That’s OK! Here are some other ideas for Earth Day Activities!

• Explore! This, too, may be a little more difficult if it’s cold or even snowy outside, but be creative! Spend some time outside enjoying the Earth and all the things in it! You don’t have to have any formal plans or lessons – just take some time to explore and talk about things as you go! You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have! Make sure to talk not only about plants, trees, etc. but all the creatures as well – down to the smallest bug! They all serve a purpose that helps our Earth!
• Do an Earth study. We recently finished The Earth lapbook from A Journey Through Learning (read my review). You can also do something small and simple like the Free Earth Day Printables! Or – make your own! Maybe your kids are older or maybe you just want something more simple. You can simply make your own lesson by finding some great Earth facts to share!
• Tree/bark rubbings. Go around and do bark rubbings of different trees and create a book! With older children you can even challenge them to find specific tree species! Ask questions like “how old do you think this tree is?”; “how big do you think it can get?”; “what creatures might live in or on this tree?; etc.
• Why stop at the bark? You can do leaf rubbings, too, and really make a full, creative tree book! Challenge your kids to match the bark rubbings with the leaves!
• Find events in your local area. Many places hold local Earth Day events! If you can’t find anything – make up your own! Decide on a community project that is good for the Earth and invite your friends! You can put together a crew to pick up trash, water plants, or whatever would be helpful for your area!
• Take a trip! Plan a trip to a local recycling center to learn more hands on about recycling. Or visit a local farm, farmer’s market, bee farm, green house, etc.
• Make a project by recycling materials around your house! Use commonly discarded items like: toilet paper rolls, used paper, envelopes, magazines, newspapers, etc. You can make some great art projects with recycled materials! Do you have old clothes that are no longer good for regular use? Cut them in pieces and use the nicer pieces to put together a quilt! It doesn’t have to be fancy! Or if you have bigger objects that can no longer be used for their intended purpose like a drop-side crib re-use the parts to make things like a desk!

Whatever you decide to do – make it fun and have a great time!