Many of my favorite childhood memories include playing or exploring outside with my siblings in our acre of a yard. We would make believe that we’d need to survive off of pinecone soup and sleep on beds made from grass clippings (EW!). The imagination, wonder, and love for the outdoors was ingrained in me and actually quite magical. It makes me a little sad and a little scared that that way of growing up isn’t so normal anymore. With all of the screens in our life now, I wonder if that appreciation for our natural surroundings will be sustained. Now, I love my technology as much as the next person, but I am making it a point for my family to be sure it doesn’t come to replace true exploration, play, and appreciation of our earth .
So with that, today is Earth Day! Hooray! Earth Day is a global holiday where our country and countries around the world celebrate and demonstrate support for environmental protection. I encourage you to make it a tradition to celebrate Earth Day with your kids. It doesn’t have to be huge, but creating memories like these can be more impactful than we think! Growing a love for our earth within our children and families first will help them understand the importance of caring for it now and down the road. Here are 5 ideas to celebrate Earth Day with your families!
5 Earth Day Activities for your Family:
1. Have Fun!
Bake these adorable earth cookies with your kids! This can be super easy and nearly fail-proof. Separate sugar cookie dough (buy this pre-made if you’d like!) into 2 bowls, coloring one blue and one green. Pull pieces from each bowl and roll them together into a blue/green ball. Then bake as the box or your sugar cookie recipe says. What fun little snacks you have that look like our globe! And however your kids smash the dough together will be perfect 😉
2. Recycle.
In what ways could your family make a more conscious effort to recycle? We could certainly do better. Take cans to be recycled or create a special spot to save up cardboard for recycling. Re-purpose something common in your home into something new and useful! Take toilet paper rolls (or bottles/paper towel rolls/etc), cover in peanut butter and roll in bird seed. A fun craft for kids, a snack for your local birds, and a great discussion starter to talk about re-use and recycling.
3. Read about it!
Take a trip to the library and go on a hunt for some books about nature, recycling, or the earth. After searching our corridor’s book catalogs, there are literally dozens of books on Earth Day alone. Marion Public Library also has an Earth Day craft time at 3:30 on the 21st as well!
4. Explore.
Get out of the house and visit a local park or state park, or just go on a walk and talk about what you see. If Mother Nature cooperates, a picnic while we’re out and about is in the works for us.
5. Celebrate with our community!
On April 23rd, Eastern Iowa’s Premier Earth Day event is going on in the Newbo District! Ecofest 2016 is an awesome, FREE, family friendly celebration in downtown Cedar Rapids. There is live music at Newbo Market all day, hands-on activities for all ages to learn about keeping our earth healthy, a photo booth, Mt. Trashmore bus tours…seriously, it is going to be awesome.
How do you celebrate Earth Day?
Connect with Cedar Rapids Moms Blog::
There are several ways you can keep up with all things Cedar Rapids Moms Blog!!
- Subscribe! Be sure to subscribe to receive our daily posts in your email inbox. This is the best way to ensure you never miss a terrific parenting or community-related blog post!!
- Get social!! Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
- Become a VIP! VIPs are the first to know about upcoming Cedar Rapids Moms Blog events, giveaways, and more! Sign up here.
We can’t wait to meet you!