Earth Day 2018 comes on Sunday, April 22! The holiday is celebrated worldwide in an effort to increase support of environmental protection. I love this saying from an African Proverb: “You must treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It is loaned to you by your children.”
And since becoming a mom, I have grown considerably concerned about the environment I am leaving behind for me kids and grandkids to grow up in.
The changes we have made in our home are not enough. We need to stress the importance of our Mother Earth to our children, too, and teach them ways to respect her. It can be seen in simple, daily tasks like encouraging them not to litter, to turn off lights when we’re not using them, or play time outside. Here are some bigger ways you can celebrate this Sunday, outside of the traditional “plant a tree.”
1. Checkout books from your library (and actually read them). Your local library might even be hosting an event, so check their schedule, too!
2. Start a worm farm, or just go digging for them. Here’s a farm made from supplies you already have in your home!
3. Paint a picture. They’re toddlers, so a tree and a sun would do, or maybe even the Earth.
4. Learn about recycling at your local plant. Or you could simply teach them how to sort plastics and cardboard.
5. Make Jello snacks. A way to a kids heart is food, right?
6. Make your yard an animal oasis! Get a bird bath, plants flowers for bees and butterflies, build your own birdhouse, or make these cute little bird feed hearts!
7. Enjoy Nature…whether a bike ride, swim, hike, playing at the park, or a walk. Make it into a scavenger hunt; they can find bird nests and collect pine cones or rocks.
8. Pickup trash. Try your neighborhood park, the daycare parking lot or your favorite beach.
Do you have an Earth Day Tradition? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Amber Launstein 