Eco-Friendly Ways To Celebrate Earth Day @ Home
- Jen Thompson
- Apr 21, 2020
- 5 min read
With Earth Day hitting the big 5-0, we can still celebrate the beauty of our planet from the safety of home with some backyard activities. How will you celebrate?
From tree hugging to making seed bombs, we'll have you embracing your inner hippie and going au natural (back to a natural state we mean of course) for nature's sake.
It's the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! On April 22, 1970, a US Senator from Wisconsin, created this national day to create awareness of the environment and how we treat nature. Every year on April 22, more than 1 billion people celebrate Mother Nature by picking up garbage at parks, recycling, planting trees, and creating eco-art. #EarthDay2020
Celebrating Earth Day reminds us to not take our planet for granted and if you haven't gone outside lately, do social distance, but go out, breathe in and out, slow down, and encourage your children to do the same. Go green, get muddy, smell some flowers, and explore your backyard.
"The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth."
-Chief Seattle
GO OUTSIDE + EXPLORE: AKA SCREEN-FREE OUTDOOR PLAY
*Explore the links by clicking on the green headers.
We are emotional beings who seek comfort...and hugs. Spending time in nature has numerous benefits for both the mind and body. Iceland recommends hugging trees and Japan has been practicing and studying "shinrin-yoku" (forest bathing) for years.
Check out the adorable nature + city scavenger hunts, from No Wooden Spoons, that you can do no matter where you live. For added fun, make it a photo scavenger hunt.
Clean Up Trash Adventure
Do you think that picking up garbage can't possibly be an adventure? Think again. In less than an hour, one family can make a difference in your neighborhood, forest, beach, or park by cleaning it up. Turn it into another scavenger hunt and kids won't even think of it as being a chore. Look at you! You're doing community service. Click on the link for a helpful supply list.
Make someone's day by decorating and sharing a kindness rock. I went to TEDxNaperville in 2018 and was inspired by Michelle Furlow #MichelleMagpie and her story of how she decorated kindness rocks as a thank you to her community for their kindness after her son was seriously injured. For my library's 2019 summer kickoff party, I wanted to bring that into New Lenox too, so we decorated a couple hundred rocks to spread joy to the community. #nlplrocks All you need is 1. Smooth rocks 2. Acrylic paint + thin brushes. 3. Paint pens or permanent marker (optional) 4. Clear outdoor sealant spray. (optional because you probably don't have it @ home) Check link for more details and design ideas.
How often do we really pay attention to the daily things we see around us? We have nothing but time with the kids while we stay #safeathome . Document what your life is like right now with photos. Take photos of the chalk drawings in your neighborhood, the happy art in windows, and the way your kid smiles when they see all of the wonder that is out there. Make a literal stop to smell the roses and take a photo of them.
Shadow drawing is as easy as can be! All you need is a little sun, chalk, and a shadow of a family member or dog. Okay, maybe keeping the dog still would be an interesting challenge. You can draw anything with a shadow. If you don't have chalk, grab a pencil + paper to draw shadows of your favorite toys outside.
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE CRAFTS
*Explore the links by clicking on the green headers.
Unless you are a superstar yard cleaner, you probably have some leaves still hovering in some corner of your backyard just waiting to be turned into a work of art. Here is all you need for leaf rubbings: leaves, crayons, and paper. Check out the link for some do's and don't that one mom learned after doing this.
What are you going to do with those leftover plastic eggs from Easter? Turn them into maracas of course. Make a kazoo, baby guitar, xylophone, rainmaker and other instruments to start your own family band. Mom and dad can even break out some pots and pans to jam along and join in a parade. Check out the link to Meaningful Mama's collection of how to's.
Birds in your backyard are so fun to watch, especially if you provide them with some birdseed. Discover 20 different bird feeders you can make over at Lasting Thumb Prints. If you're looking for a fantastic website to help you identify your local birds, check out All About Birds.
Flowers are starting to bloom and nature is slowly coming back to life now that May is just around the corner. Grab some tape and make a sticky bracelet while you are out exploring nature. These gorgeous bracelets are from the Simple As That blog.
Got junk? You probably have an over abundance of cardboard boxes, egg cartons, water bottles, coffee cans, cereal boxes, and more. Do you want a way to keep kids busy for an afternoon? Turn trash art sculpture into a contest between your kiddos and the winner can get to stay up an extra 15 minutes past bedtime or have an extra cookie after dinner. Win-win.
Muddy Green Thumb Fun
*Explore the links by clicking on the green headers.
Arbor Day is April 24 this year so we get two great nature focused holidays in a week. It's a holiday that celebrates the role of trees in our lives and encourages planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation is a great source for tree identification and you can get trees from there for little cost while helping continue their mission to make the world greener and healthier for generations to come. They'll even show you how to properly plant a tree.
Pollinators keep the world going. Did you know that pollinators are directly responsible for one-third of all food that humans consume, including everything from fruit and veggies to coffee and chocolate? Homestead and Chill provides a great resource to learn about some of the best plants for you to plant in your butterfly garden.
Mud pies are what childhood is all about. If you haven't made mud pies with your kids yet, what are you waiting for? All you need is dirt, water, sticks, pots + pans, some natural items for decorations, and a little imagination. Oh and a hose to hose those mud monsters down before they come back in the house. Check out the link to Rhythms of Play's mud pie ideas.
All you need to make seed bombs is scrap paper (or construction paper), water, a food processor, a variety of wildflower seeds, and your hands to ball them up (a muffin pan works too). Let them dry for 24 hours, and voila! Click on link to see more details. Check out this book for another version...
Run and order this book as fast as you can if you want to be the hippest mom on the block. Amanda Thomsen is my spirit animal. I went to an event at Morton Arboretum where she was talking about all of the fun things in her book that she does with her kids and we even got to make seed-o torpedos to take home. Follow her at Kiss My Aster on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
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