Earth Day, celebrated each year on August 22nd, is an annual event aimed at raising awareness and support for Earth’s environmental protection and there are a whole range of fantastic and educational ways you can get your family involved too. From planting trees to simply feeding the birds, below are the different ways you can help celebrate Earth Day with your kids.
What is Earth Day?
Climate banners made by children during a Children’s Art Centre activity trial related to the Raquel Ormella project.
Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement of 1970. After decades of ecological carelessness – deforestation, oil spills, pollution, toxic dumps, pesticides and more – the loss of wildlife and valuable landscapes and the effect this was having on our planet could no longer be ignored. A movement started, and on August 22nd, 1970, nearly 20 million people across America took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to protest against the impact.
In the years since then, Earth Day and the drive to do more to support environmental protection has grown in force. Today, Earth Day is widely recognised as the largest secular observance in the world, and more than a billion people mark every year as a day of action to change human behaviour and create global, national, and local policy changes.
How can your family help on Earth Day?
Change starts with action.
It is a simple statement, but four words have never rung more true when it comes to saving our planet and looking after the environment and wildlife that live here. We should teach our kids that no one should feel like they have to change the whole world in one day, but that if we all make small changes in our day-to-day lives, the difference it makes over time can be substantial.
This Earth Day, simply raising awareness about the annual event, actively working on ways to change your own daily habits to be more environmentally friendly, and looking for activities to help support this is a great way to start. Below are a range of different ways you can help educate and celebrate Earth Day with your kids.
Creative ways to celebrate Earth Day
Make your own paper
Learn how to save the planet, one tree at a time, by teaching the kids how to make their own recycled paper.
Sew your own recyclable bag
If your kids love to sew, or even if you love to use a hot glue gun, get some scraps of material and help them make their own cloth bag to use at the shops and for school.
Create a terrarium
There are plenty of websites that show you how you can make your own living indoor plant world with the kids. We love this simple one by Nasa Climate Kids.
Create your own paper mache planet Earth
A great way to get creative, have fun and learn more about our planet, the continents and where they all are in relation to one another is to make your own paper mache Earth!
Gardening way to celebrate Earth Day
Start a small herb or flower garden
As simple as it sounds, starting a small herb or flower garden with the kids is a great way to teach the kids about proper plant care whilst also educating them about plant biology and growth.
Create a butterfly garden
Butterflies are a beautiful addition to any growing garden and our article on how to create your own butterfly garden is a great way to encourage them to come. Teach your children about how to protect butterflies and ways to make your backyard a safe haven for them.
Create a bird feeder
Using a paper roll, some string and some bird seed, you can create your own backyard bird feeder with your kids. Of course, you can always put some out for the local birds on a plate, but making your own one that can hang in a tree is so much more fun. Research which seeds are best for the birds in your area and away you go!
Create a frog hotel
Frog hotels are not only easy to make, but they are also a great way to encourage local frogs to visit your garden. It is a wonderful animal for your children to study and learn from their own home!
Fun Experiments and Activities to educate kids on Earth Day
Play a game of nature bingo
This is a simple activity that the kids will love. Make up some bingo cards for the kids with different nature elements and animals on them. Take them on a walk and see who can cross off all of their board first!
Oil Spill Experiment
Understanding just how much impact an oil spill has on our waters and the animals within it is an important lesson the kids can learn from this simple oil spill experiment.
Active ways to celebrate Earth Day
Go on a nature walk
Heading out for a day immersed in nature is a fantastic way to get the kids thinking about our environment and how beautiful and precious it is. We have a list of the best family-friendly walks in Brisbane you may want to explore.
Visit a wildlife sanctuary
There are plenty of wildlife sanctuaries in and around Brisbane that offer kids a chance to interact with animals up close while learning about their conservation. One of our personal favourites is the Daisy Hill Koala Centre.
Embark on a wildlife experience
Many places in and around Brisbane offer kids a hands-on animal experience, where they can get close to our wildlife and learn about them too. Places like Berrinba Wetlands offer walkways, bird hides, and even an interpretative centre overflowing with wildlife and information.
Clean up your neighbourhood
Picking up some rubbish and putting it in the bin helps our environment. Organise a group of family members or friends and head out to your local area. Make a fun game of it and see who can pick up the most. You can even make a scavenger hunt list and see who can find the most items on it as they go!
Small ways you can support Earth Day
Make a lights on graph
Get the kids to note how many lights are on during the day and at night without anyone needing them. See how many are on and for how long, and then, with the data, they can create a graph.
Limit your shower time
Limiting your shower to only 2 minutes each night can go a long way towards saving water. Buying a 2-minute egg-timer for the ballroom wall is a fun way to keep track of this while you are getting clean.
Check your water usage
Not just in the shower, there are many other ways we use water that can be minimised to save water. For example, you can turn the water off while you are brushing your teeth and only turn it on to rinse, put a timer on your water sprinkler, add special attachments to hoses and taps so that the water pressure is lower, etc. These are all great things you can do each day that will make a difference overall.
Go screen-free for a day
Unplug those iPads and phones and spend the day screen-free. Save on power and do your part to help save energy.
Use more recyclable items
Make a note of the products you buy, and try to stick to ones with recyclable packaging. Most importantly, make sure you put them in the correct bin (with nothing else) so that it can be recycled come collection day.
Make some cash and help the environment
Cash for cans (and other listed products) is an excellent way for kids to help the environment through recycling and also earn some pocket money on the side. Save your cans and plastic bottles and then when you have a bag full take them to your local Containers for Change point and cash in!
Make your next meal plant-based
There is no need to go vegetarian or vegan if you usually enjoy a meat-filled diet. However, maybe on Earth Day this year, you can try to make your meals all plant-based. Maybe even try out a new recipe with the kids and bake something vegan. If they love it, you can add this as a new item to their lunchbox regularly!
Big ways you can support Earth Day
If you and your kids are looking to play a bigger role in supporting the Earth Day movement, jump on their website. You will find a page dedicated to ways you can take action and help out. From planting a forest to joining a clean-up, donating, and volunteering, there are plenty of ways that your kids can help celebrate Earth Day in a big way, too.
Remember, big or small, every step you take to protect our planet is important. Even just educating our kids about the need to do this and why is a great way to celebrate and support Earth Day with your kids.
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