Celebrate Earth Day with These Fun Kids Activities

This year marks Earth Day’s 52nd anniversary. Since the inaugural year, we’ve seen many changes in conservation and in how we’re taught to care for our planet. Almost every country in the world celebrates Earth Day, but the celebrations look very different for us all. While taking part in large community activities may not be an option for everyone, you can still encourage your kids to learn new ways to ensure a greener planet by doing these activities right in your own backyard.

Earth Day Scavenger Hunt

One of the best ways that you can celebrate Earth Day with your children is by getting outside and enjoying nature. Change up your usual walks or hikes and create a scavenger hunt. While you are outside, take some time to enjoy the views, watch some clouds and jump in with your kids to join the scavenger hunt. Even if you stay in your backyard, this is a great activity for everyone.

Print the scavenger hunt here.

Regrow Vegetables

Instead of just trashing scraps from your veggies, show your kids how you can regrow the vegetables into fresh, homegrown produce. From lettuce and carrots to onions, beets and celery, there are many vegetables that your kids can regrow in their own indoor garden. To start, place the ends or tops of your vegetables into an inch of water and place them in partial sunshine. The next step is to add fresh water daily and watch your veggies grow.

Discovery: Wild World

Use Earth Day to discover fascinating facts about habitats around the world and the animals that call them home. Discovery: Wild World is a photographic book with magnetic pages that encourages kids to learn and read as they place the animal magnets in their habitats. From a scarlet macaw in the Amazon rain forest to a polar bear cub and its protective mom in the Arctic, there’s a whole wild world to discover!

Neighborhood Safari

While we can’t explore the entire world right now, we can encourage our kids to use their imagination — and some fun resources — to learn how they can help the Earth. Check out this neighborhood safari from Nat Geo. Families can design their own "safari stop" with resources like coloring pages, animal facts, and weird but true info. To keep the learning and fun going, check out their lessons plans designed for kids of all ages.

Laugh It Up

If your kids love telling jokes, give them a few Earth Day one-liners to add to their comedy routine.

What kind of plant grows on your hand? — A palm tree. Or, how can you tell the ocean is friendly? — It waves. Find more Earth Day LOLs here.

Earth Day Snack

With all the fun your kids are having on Earth Day, they are going to need a yummy snack. So, get baking together. Start with a boxed muffin mix and add blueberries and green food coloring to make Earth-inspired muffins.

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