Earth Day Activities For Kids

What are you doing for Earth Day 2011?  That's what my children keep asking me.  They're anticipating the holiday with as much excitement as they have before Christmas.  So I made a list of a few ideas to make the day fun and meaningful at the same time.

1.  Plant a tree, shrub, flower, or seeds.  The main objective is to get the kids to appreciate nature and what it provides (i.e. tree=shade, shrub=shelter for small animals, etc.).  Seeds can be planted indoors to be transferred outside at a later date.

2.  Attend an organized community event.  Many cities and/or communities sponsor events on or near Earth Day.  The event may include a "fair" with various eco-friendly organizations showing their products/services at booths.  The event may involve a trash clean-up at a local park or other public place.  Visit earthday.org to find out if there's an event in your area.

3.  Organize your own trash pick-up.  If your community isn't already doing this, you can initiate it yourself.  Start at a park in your neighborhood and walk the paths picking up trash along the way.  Don't forget to bring a large garbage bag (or two) to throw everything in.  Leave the trash bag next to the trash can at the park to be picked up on garbage day.  My family did this one year and by the end of our walk, we had several neighbor kids who had joined in our effort -- very fun!

4.  Go on a hike.  Get out and enjoy nature by hiking a trail in your area.  The goal is to help the children experience the peacefulness that nature has to offer.  This activity could be combined with the trash pick-up described above.

5.  Visit a farmer's market.  If you live in an area that has a farmer's market open, take the kids and let them choose an item or two to serve for dinner.  If you're like me and have just received another dusting of snow, this might not be an option.  Instead, visit a co-op or grocery store that sells local or organic products and let the kids choose an item or two.  Cook a meal using only local ingredients and discuss the benefits to the environment when you eat local.

6.  Get crafty.  Use some of the trash that you picked up earlier in the day (or items you have around the house) and be creative.  See what ideas you or your child can think of to craft with the trash.  How about a plastic bag kite, or a CD jewel case scrapbook.  For inspiration, take a look at the "Kids" section of this blog.


What about you:  Does your family do anything special to celebrate Earth Day?  Do your kids get excited about this "holiday"?

Is That Your Natural Color? (Make Your Own Easter Egg Dye)

My family traditionally has an Easter Day Egg-stravaganza where we dye dozens and dozens of eggs in every color of the rainbow.  This year rather than purchasing a dye kit,  I'm going to have everyone color eggs with dyes that we can make ourselves.  Not only will this more natural and eco-friendly, but it will be a fun science experiment for the kids. 

I thought I'd share the recipes that I'm planning to try to achieve various colors.  Many of these DIY recipes were obtained from Kiwi magazine.

Happy World Water Day 2011

Did you know that March 22^nd is World Water Day?  Did you know that each of us have a water footprint?  According to National Geographic, over 70% of the Earth is covered by water.  Of that water only 2.5% is freshwater and 60% of that is trapped in glaciers and ice caps.  So it's critical that we protect this valuable natural resource.  Did you know there are some fairly easy things you can do to reduce your water footprint?  National Geographic has supplied many of the following ideas and statistics.  I'm keeping it simple because, as I've mentioned before, I'm a bit lazy and always looking for an easy out...

Trash To Treasure: St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Traps

If you’re kids are anything like mine, they’ve been counting down the days until March 17^th – St. Patrick’s Day, of course.  Tonight is when the leprechauns come out in numbers to celebrate and hunt for gold.  My kids love to make contraptions to try to trap one of the little buggers so they can get him to confess where his gold is hidden.  I take advantage of this opportunity to re-purpose some of our trash.  For the trap, you can use cereal boxes, Kleenex boxes, empty yogurt cups, old plates, bubble wrap, paper bags, and whatever else inspires you.  You can also use items from nature:  sticks, rocks painted gold, etc. 

Below are some photos of traps we’ve made.  Although, you may not want to copy our designs, as we have yet to capture a leprechaun…

A Green Vacation

With spring comes the infamous Spring Break.  If you're wondering what to do, here are a few earth-friendly suggestions:

1.  Instead of traveling to some far off place, go on a "stay-cation".  By staying at home during your vacation time, you’ll not only be protecting the environment, you’ll be saving money.  To ensure a successful “stay-cation”, you’ll need to make a commitment to not answer cell phones, e-mail, etc.  Take the time to sleep in late, read a book, watch a movie, play a game, go on a picnic, or try a new recipe.  Plan to do some sightseeing in your community or spend a day browsing the stores.  There are so many activities near or in our houses that we never take the time for, well, here’s your chance.     

2. If you decide to take trip somewhere, try to minimize your impact on the environment.  Travel by train rather than plane to make for a more energy efficient trip.  Pack light to reduce your load and energy required during travel.  Make reservations at a green certified hotel with a travel site such as Travelocity.  These hotels have made a commitment to sustainability, including using less water and energy.  If you need to rent a car, choose a hybrid model to reduce your emissions and carbon footprint.  Or consider taking road trip in a hybrid car rather than flying by plane.

3.  Make reservations to join a volunteer team on a project in the area you want to visit.  Join the American Hiking Society to pick-up trash and restore hiking trails in Alaska, Washington, or another beautiful state.  Go with Cross –Cultural Solutions to another country to work with a local community on a health, education, or building project.  There is a wide range of voluntourism opportunities available with different organizations, depending on your interest.  This is a great way to travel and also help make a difference in the world at the same time. It’s important to note that the majority of these opportunities will require that you pay for your flight and accommodations for the trip.  A small number may provide lodging and meals, and very rare is the flight cost covered by the organization.    

It's A Nice Day For A Green Wedding...

With the onset of spring (and summer soon to follow), many young couples are making wedding plans.  Financing a wedding is often a concern.  I have compiled a list of several ideas to help lower the wedding budget while not compromising the quality of the event.  Additionally, these ideas are good for the environment.