Although we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, we know there is value in celebrating the earth all year long. After all, the earth gives us food, water, resources, and open spaces to feel inspired.
At Kuli Kuli, we celebrate the earth and sustainable food every day of the year. For all the people at home needing Earth Day inspiration and activities for kids, we have eight fun and crafty ideas here. We hope you and your family enjoy these ideas and can celebrate Earth Day together this month—and every day!
#1 Make a Butterfly Garden
Children are naturally drawn to the beauty of brightly colored butterflies. Planting native plants is a wonderful way to bring them closer to home. Planting butterfly-friendly flowers and bushes helps butterflies have access to their food plants during their migrations. Do your research and have your children pick out a few flowers and plants that are butterfly friendly and build a local butterfly garden in your backyard.
Fun fact: Milkweed is a popular food plant for Monarch butterflies. Monarchs have a two-way migration pattern, like many birds, which means you get to see them not once, but twice a year!
#2 Plan a Camp-In
Get in touch with nature and take the family on a camping trip—an overnight trip in the woods might not be possible for everyone given the safety measures for parks at this time, but why not plan a family “camp-in?” An eco-staycation could look like a camp-out in the backyard or in the family living room.
Here are some tips to make your family camp-in an epic success!
- Although you may not have the ambiance of a crackling campfire, you can still set up sleeping bags and create a tent using bed sheets. Get creative and have a brainstorming session with your kids about how to create an indoor campsite and get them involved in the planning process, just like a real outdoor camping trip.
- Elevate your indoor camping experience and when the sun goes down, go the whole night without electricity. Take this opportunity to gather around a window and star gaze. Pick out the constellations and have a discussion about each one or make up your own stories about the night sky. If you need some additional light, grab a flashlight or light candles.
Earth Day Camp-in
- Gather together to sing campfire songs and share ghost stories. Make a batch of old fashion popcorn and don’t forget a sweet treat like these delicious homemade cookies. If you have a cooler, use that instead of the fridge. The closer to camping, the better.
- Turn off and unplug all electronic devices to eliminate phantom power use. This includes cell phones, computers, televisions and other electronic devices. Unplugging can also be a great way to focus on family time, without the distraction of phones.
#3 Enjoy a Backyard Picnic
Celebrate Earth Day by heading into the great outdoors, even if that means a quick venture out to your backyard. Pack a no-waste lunch for the entire family and enjoy an afternoon picnic while admiring the beauty of Mother Nature.
For a no-waste picnic lunch, use cloth napkins, reusable cutlery and tupperware to pack all of that delicious and nutritious food like cookies, homemade hummus, fresh fruit, sandwiches, snack bites and vegetable sticks.
#4 Get Crafty with These Nature Crafts
One of these easiest ways to celebrate Earth Day with the kids is to get crafty with Mother Nature. There are plenty of ideas out there and here are some of the best!
- Research local backyard birds native to your area and find out what type of bird feeders these birds like best. Then, build a homemade birdhouse using recyclable material like a milk carton or plastic water bottles. Use Mother Nature as inspiration and decorate it using small twigs and leaves you find in your yard.
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Homemade Pinecone Feeder
Collect pine cones from a family nature hike and coat them in nut butter. Then, sprinkle them with birdseed and hang them in a backyard bush or tree to ensure birds have a delicious snack as they build their nests for the spring season.
- Make an indoor compost pile for all of those kitchen scraps like egg shells, fruit skins and vegetable stalks. Check with your local waste management to see their procedure on compost. Many areas accept compost scraps in “organic materials” bins.
- Take all of the excess dryer lint from your laundry room and bunch it together inside a small mesh net. Then hang the “lint bag” in a bush or tree. This will give the birds extra items to build their springtime nests. Old nets from avocados and oranges make for a great netting option.
- Use recycled scraps of paper to cut out shapes and make a paper collage. Just grab a glue stick and a pair of child safe scissors and let kids make their own artistic masterpieces. You can make a collage of the earth, favorite animals, trees or anything else children find inspiring. They can even include quotes or pieces of poetry too!
#5 Go Virtual
Given the times, there are a lot of opportunities to celebrate Earth Month with some visual online programs. Educational resources from organizations like PBS Kids or Biomimicry 30-Day Earth Month Challenge offer plenty of starter ideas. You can also check out these “Take Action” Ideas from the David Suduki Foundation. Assign each family member a different action item for the month and make a plan to share what everyone learns at the end of the month.
You may even check with your children’s school or science teacher to see if they have any other available resources that they recommend. You can even watch one of these videos from two of our moringa suppliers, Pamela and Teddy, and ask follow-up questions to your family. Kids love generating ideas, and might enjoy questions like, “If you could design a company with an environmental mission, what would it be and why?”
This is a wonderful opportunity to explain concepts like regenerative agriculture and sustainability, as well as the power of consumer choices to younger generations.
#6 Make Environmentally-Friendly Goals
Gather together as a family and create a list of environmental goals that your entire family can strive towards. If some of your family members are more excited about certain goals than others— create “Earth Month Teams” with different goals assigned to each group.
Eco-friendly Goal Idea: Switch to Natural Cleaning Products!
As you make each goal, talk to your children about the importance of each one and the significance of conserving our planet’s resources. Whether you make your home a plastic free household, or use the eco-friendly wash cycle on your dishwasher, or vow to take shorter showers, make a plan and a system of measuring your impact.
Once you have all agreed to these goals, print them out, have everyone sign it and hang it on the fridge for everyone to see as a friendly reminder. If this feels overwhelming, start with one family goal that is smaller, such as “5 minute showers” goals.
It’s amazing how much more meaningful and achievable goals are when they are visible and realistic!
#7 Plant a Tree
Besides a family fun activity, trees can help lower greenhouse gas emissions and provide a home for a variety of animals. Birds, bumblebees and butterflies will appreciate the habitat you provide! If you aren’t sure what type of tree to plant in your yard, call your local nursery and ask a garden care expert for a tree species that will thrive in your local climate.
Don’t have a backyard to plant a tree? Plant a small garden instead. Small pots fit great on a back deck, balcony or indoor windowsill. Start with something easy, like herbs, as you dabble into the world of farm-to-table food! Whether you plant a big backyard garden or some small indoor herbs, give children responsibilities in the garden. Not only will this help nurture their connection to nature, but also it will teach them the value of caring for something.
If you can’t plant a tree directly, consider instead supporting companies that plant trees. Kuli Kuli is leading a Plant a Tree Campaign this 2020, for the entire month of April! For every moringa product sold, we will plant a tree on Teddy’s farm! You can learn more about climate-smart agriculture and Teddy’s farm here.
#8 Take a Walk in Nature
Celebrate Earth Day and spring with a local nature hike. Given the times, we want to acknowledge that it is not easy to “get outside” right now. If you do have access to a local park, enjoy while practicing social distancing!
Before heading out on your walk, create a nature scavenger hunt list. See how many items you can check off, or patterns in nature you can find (try finding spiral patterns as a start!). Another idea is to create a bird watching “Life List.”
Get adventurous and create an insect scavenger hunt. Look under leaves, logs and rocks and remember to turn those rocks and logs back over when you’re done! They are great “insect hotels” and wildlife habitat.
Tip: Consider packing a reusable canvas bag for any empty water bottles or trash you find along your walking path. Once home, you can sort your items for proper recycling.
Closing Thoughts: Make Every Day Earth Day
There are a number of great ways to celebrate Earth Day. From cleaning up a local park to reviewing your family goals towards sustainability, remember that Earth Day doesn’t have to be celebrated just once a year, but it’s a great way to start.
Planting a Tree for Earth Month
When we all do what we can to protect the planet, we prove to each other and to the earth that we can be environmental stewards. Plus, kids can have fun with all the eco-friendly crafts and goals along the way!
Show us how you celebrate Earth Day by tagging us @kulikulifoods!
