Family Earth Day Activities

Earth Day is almost here!  The official date is April 22, 2012.  Reducing waste, recycling and reusing items can save you money, teach your kids to save some money and help out old Mother Earth in the process.  Take a moment out of your busy weekend and try one of these activities to celebrate Earth Day.

Tin can herb gardens:  Kids can paint or decorate empty food cans.  Then fill with dirt and plant some herb seeds.  You are teaching recycling and will save some money on fresh herbs all summer.  Mint, basil and cilantro are very easy to grow.

Decorate a compost bin. 

Help your child build a newspaper play structure. 

Create a rain barrel that hooks up to your gutter downspout.  Use this to water your garden.

Cook a meal entirely from scratch. Compare the amount of packaging that was used to the amount of packaging from a quick, pre-prepared dinner.

from pink sherbet's photos on flickr.com

Plant an Earth day garden.  Strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and marigolds are favorites of my kids.

Make a homemade bird feeder.  The classic pinecone, peanut butter and bird seed is easy to do and the birds love it!

Walk or bike today!  It saves gas and reduces emissions.

Kids can practice conservation on a daily basis by:

• Taking a 5 minute shower!
• Don’t let the water run while you are brushing your teeth.
• When you turn on the faucet and let it run to get the hot water pumping, catch the cold water in a pitcher and use it to water the plants or garden.
• Drink tap water or filter your own tap water instead of buying water bottles.
• Scoop your pet’s poop so that it doesn’t end up in water sources.
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Unplug chargers when they are not in use.
• Play outside instead of watching TV.
• Make fewer trips to the store. 
• Don’t hold the refrigerator door open!
• Adjust the thermostat --- 78 degrees in the summer and 70 degrees in the winter will make a big difference in the amount of energy you use and will save money on the heating/cooling bill.

 

Recycle and Reduce:  Challenge your family to reduce the number of bags of trash each week by recycling or reusing more items.  When you hit your goal, treat the family to a picnic at the park or some homemade ice cream!

How are you celebrating Earth Day?  What do your kids do to conserve water or energy?