Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd each year. It’s a day to discover the beauty of our blue and green planet and take steps towards caring for our universal home. Earth Day is a great opportunity to help children reflect, reset and reconnect with nature, whether that’s as a family, classroom or community (or all three!) and this article will give you some ideas of how to go about that.
There are plenty of articles with HUGE lists of Earth Day activities for kids, but this article is different. All the activities in the article have a single focus: to help children connect with nature. Why is that important? The more connected kids are to the Earth (nature, outdoors), the more they want to care for it (more about that below). What’s important remember is that forming this connection isn’t about learning facts about plants and animals or learning about climate crises. It’s about spending time outside in nearby nature.
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What is Earth Day?
The very first Earth Day took place in the spring of 1970, more than fifty years ago! At that time there were no laws stopping people from polluting the air, water and earth in the US, so a man named Senator Gaylord Nelson started Earth Day and twenty million people across the USA join in. By December 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was started.
Why connect kids with nature?
There are many reasons and benefits to connect children with nature. Not only does time outdoors and in nature provide children a host of benefits, improving their health and wellbeing, even helping them do better in school, but when kids connect with nature it also helps the Earth! Kids that feel connected to nature see nature as their “friend” and they want to care for it, to love it.
How to connect kids with nature?
For kids to feel connected to nature they need to “know” nature, but not in the way most adults think. Most adults think kids get to know nature by “learning the about nature” – the names of animals, the water cycle, the layers of the atmosphere – but this isn’t the type of knowing that kids need. Kids need to “know” nature the way they would make a new friend – spending time together! Kids don’t need to know all the specific details about a new friend to begin a relationship, they just need time together, and lots of it. The same goes with connecting kids with nature. To help children connect with nature they need to spend lots of time with in nature – touching, smelling, observing, creating and playing in it!
Earth Day Activities that Connect Kids with Nature
Celebrating Earth Day is best done – outside! Below I’ve listed some of my favourite activities for celebrating the Earth Day with kids while also connecting children with nature.
Do an Earth Day nature scavenger hunt
Go explore nature with this Earth Day Nature Scavenger Hunt that I created just for you.
Make land art
Earth without art is… “eh”, so time to get artistic outside! Land art occurs in and with nature. It can be simple nature mandala or a complex rock design. Not sure what to create? Get inspired by looking at what other land artist make, like the well known land artist James Brunt.
Toss seed bombs
Make some seed bombs (balls) out of clay and wildflowers seeds (native plants to your area) and share them with friend, plant them in nearby nature or toss them into a pot.
Get grounded
Free the feet! Go on a sensory walk outside without shoes. Splash in a puddle, skip over grass, squish mud – get crazy! Just do a quick look for any dangerous items (glass, thorns, sharps) that could injure feet before setting out.
Go plogging outdoors
Plogging is a combination of jogging and picking up trash! The term was invented in 2016 by an outdoorsy Swede named Erik Ahlström that wanted to encourage people to pick it up litter while taking their daily run. Plogging might be a great activity for older kids (PE class) or for families to do together. If jogging isn’t in the books, then what about skipping, hopping, or strolling.
Plant a tree together
Planting a tree has become a quintessential Earth Day activity. Tree are amazing plants. They convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. They trap water into the soil. They keep the earth cool. They provide food and shelter. They help us stay healthy and happy! So many good things. If your family has space to plant a tree and the funds to do so, then plant a tree! If you don’t, see if you community has an Earth Day tree planting event (many do!). Kids can get hands on experiences planting trees at these types of events. Another option is to plant a small tree (miniature or dwarf) in your home like a Norfolk Island Pine. Check your local plant nursery for a small indoor tree to plant with your child.
Go on a bike ride
Earth Day is a great time to tune up those bikes! Biking is great Earth-friendly way to get from one place to another, even for kids. Try biking to school with your children or going for a family bike ride together.
Make bird seed ornaments
Do a little something for the birds on Earth Day by making and hanging bird seed ornaments outside. These are many bird seed ornament recipes out there. Check out mine below.
Grow a garden
No matter where you live, even in an apartment or classroom, you can grow a garden with kids. Grow a cherry tomato in a pot on a sunny balcony. Grow mint, basil or parsley on a windowsill. Grow a strawberry plant in a hanging basket. There are so many creative ways to grow flowers, vegetables and fruit in small spaces.
Start composting
Composting is when organic materials get converted into soil. Home composting or school composting can reduce the amount of trash that goes to the landfill, and put nutrients back into the soil to grow more nutritious food. There are several ways to compost at home with different backyard composters, vermicomposters or electric food recyclers. and some helpful instructions from the USEPA for Composting At Home.
Notice three good things in nature
Enjoy a stroll outside and notice three good things nearby nature with your child. Nature is all around us, even in busy city, and can surprise and delight our children. As adult we tend to downplay the nature in cities, but kids don’t need to hike up a mountain to connect with and appreciate nature. They love dandelions growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, moss clinging to the north sides of buildings and creeping vines crawling up buildings. Noticing small things in nature nearby can bring a sense of joy and gratitude for the planet we live on, no matter where we live.
Go pond dipping
Discover the wonderful world of pond minibeast with your child or your classroom.
Eat something locally grown
Visit a local farmers market, farm or grocery store and look for locally grown seasonal food. At this time of year fresh asparagus, peas, spinach and strawberries are beginning to make their way from farms to tables.
Go watch birds
Birds are fascinating animals and watching them can be so fun! All kids need to watch birds is to get outside to look and listen for birds in nearby nature. No need for fancy binoculars!
Create a nature journal
Help kids get close to nature by giving them a journal to record their observations – no artistic talent needed! Nature journaling is the recording of what kids see in nature in a journal using pictures, words and/or numbers. To get started with nature journaling get an art journal, a pencil and some easy-to-carry water colour paints. I’ve included some great books for to help you and your child or classroom learn how to start a nature journal.
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws (Author)
In straightforward text complemented by step-by-step illustrations, dozens of exercises lead the hand and mind through creating accurate reproductions of plants and animals as well as landscapes, skies, and more. Laws provides clear, practical advice for every step of the process for artists at every level, from the basics of choosing supplies to advanced techniques. (from Amazon)
How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention by John Muir Laws (Author), Emilie Lygren (Author)
This book, expanding on the philosophy and methods of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling puts together curriculum plans, advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can leap into journaling with their students. The approaches are designed to work in a range of ecosystems and settings, and are suitable for classroom teachers, outdoor educators, camp counselors, and homeschooling parents. (from Amazon)
Watercolor in Nature: Paint Woodland Wildlife and Botanicals with 20 Beginner-Friendly Projects by Rosalie Haizlett (Author)
Step-by-step instruction on how to paint 20 realistic insects, fungi, birds, botanicals and mammals in her vibrant wet- on-dry watercolor style. (from Amazon)
365 Days of Art in Nature: Find Inspiration Every Day in the Natural World by Lorna Scobie (Illustrator)
Observe the slow, constant pace of the nature that surrounds you every day, and use it to inspire you in your art and creativity. Activities may include visiting a particular tree four times in the year and drawing it. How has it changed? Study the colors you find in autumn leaves. Explore drawing them in different materials. (from Amazon)
Sources
EPA History: Earth Day https://www.epa.gov/history/epa-history-earth-day
We’re In Step With ‘Plogging’ https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/origin-and-meaning-of-plogging