Family Earth Day Activities and Ideas

Celebrate April 22 with Earth and Kid-Friendly Events

Apr 8, 2009 April Bowles

The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970 and continues to be a way that families can spotlight environmental issues and celebrate together.

On April 22, make an effort to highlight environmental concerns by celebrating the day with family members. This is a day that parents and schools can utilize to teach children and teens about nature and the need to understand environmental issues.

Earth Day and Food

If a family wants to celebrate Earth Day on a small scale, they can start with the food that they eat for the day. They can take their children to the farmer’s market to pick out local grown, organic ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and teach their children what is special about eating these types of foods. A family can support a local restaurant that uses local, organic foods in their dishes by eating a meal there on Earth Day.

Make a home cooked, environmentally friendly meal even more special by inviting close friends or neighbors to the meal. Make menus that include the ingredients used and state ways that eating locally grown food helps the environment. This is a great way to include others in the festivities and show children that it’s important.

Family Activities for Earth Day

There are many things that parents can do with their children to celebrate Earth Day. A family can pick new things to do each year or make family traditions to continue on a yearly basis. Here are four ideas that any family could implement as family traditions:

• Go for a walk together and pick up trash along the way. Teach the family about how trash can affect the environment and animals that live in the environment. Families can decide to make this a weekly ritual.
• Work together on planting a tree or tending to a garden. Teach children what trees provide and why they’re needed in the world.
• Begin to recycle. If the family does not recycle, this is a great day to start. Buy three large containers at the dollar store or local craft store and craft paint and ask the children to help decorate the containers by writing paper, plastic, and glass on each container. Teach the family how to sort the recycling.
• Use free educational projects to celebrate and teach children about Earth Day. Read, Earth Day Activities for Kids, for more information and links to these types of free resources.

Family Reading

There are many books that are age appropriate for children that are good resources for parents when teaching their children about this special day. Check out the following books:

• 50 Simple Things Kids can do to Save the Earth by The EarthWorks Group [Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1990] for ages four to eight.
• It’s Earth Day by Mercer Mayer [HarperFestival, 2008] for children ages four to eight.
• The Three R’s: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle by Nuria Roca [Barron’s Educational Series, 2007] for ages nine to twelve.

A family can make Earth Day a special event by using locally grown, organic food in that day’s meals, plan environmentally-friendly activities, and read educational books together.

Related Reading

For more information about ways a family can spend Earth today together, read Blended Family Earth Day Activity and 6 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day.

The copyright of the article Family Earth Day Activities and Ideas in Kids Activities is owned by April Bowles. Permission to republish Family Earth Day Activities and Ideas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Earth Day 2008