Green Child Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 22

10 Easy, Kid-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Earth Day |by Allison Mundy Join someone else’s celebration. Check out the Earth Day events your local park districts and gardening centers are offering, and join in the fun! Get outside! Take a walk, explore someplace new, or lay down a blanket and take a nap. Celebrating Earth Day means loving and enjoying the Earth. 1. 6. 2. 7. 3. 8. 4. 9. Make repurposed art. Dumpster dive in your recycling bin and raid your junk drawers to find materials and create something together. Think robots, mobiles, picture frames, wind chimes, and model airplanes. The options are endless! Shower derby. Set a timer to see who can take the quickest shower, conserving the most water. Pick up trash in your neighborhood or favorite park. Children who have never voluntarily picked up their bedrooms will love picking up someone else’s trash. It’s an Earth Day miracle! Go on an endangered species scavenger hunt. Hide pictures of endangered species around your home or yard. Research something new about each species together. 5. 22 Visit a farmers’ market. More fun for the family than the typical grocery run. Plus, you will be supporting local farmers and conserving fuel. Everyone wins! Decorate a recycling bin (even a cardboard box) to keep in your home. Children will be more likely to use something they made. Document a sunrise (or sunset, if mornings make you ill). Bring the family outside, armed with paper, crayons, markers, pastels, or chalk. Share the moment by everyone drawing the beautiful colors they see. 10. Read a favorite book about Earth Day. Here are some of ours: “The Lorax” by Dr. Suess, “Sheila Says We’re Weird” by Ruth Ann Smalley, “50 Ways to Save the Earth” by Anne Jankeliowitch, and “The Earth Book” by Todd Parr.