Earth Day is coming up this Wednesday, April 22nd, and while it may look a little different this year with the stay at home order, there are still lots of fun ways to celebrate with the kids!
Take a Nature Walk
Raleigh has a number of local parks with great walking trails that are still open during the pandemic. There is also an extensive trail system that connects throughout the city. View our Raleigh Tot Spots list of top places to walk, plus there’s a map to find spots near you!
Nature Scavenger Hunt
While you’re on your walk, use this awesome nature scavenger hunt BINGO card from the NC State Parks for extra fun! We did this with the kids at Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve and it was a huge hit! We meandered along the trail and didn’t even have to go off trail to find almost everything on our card!
Explore and Share your Nature Observations
Use https://www.inaturalist.org/ to identify plants and animals along your walk. Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. Your findings are shared with scientific data repositories to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe!
Neighborhood Safari
National Geographic is encouraging everyone to participate in their Neighborhood Safari! Create art incorporating animals: either photos of live or stuffed animals, original drawings, animal coloring pages, or sidewalk chalk. Display your animals in your neighborhood, either from your window or balcony, and encourage your neighbors to do the same! Don’t forget to share your art using #NatGeoEarthDayAtHome.
Watch a bean sprout
Follow this simple Earth Science experiment using beans to learn about how seeds sprout and grow into plants! The kids will be fascinated and then you can plant it to grow your own food!
Plant a garden
Now’s a great time to get a start on that garden you’ve been thinking about! Grow your own vegetables or herbs to supplement your grocery bill, or plant a tree to help the Earth!
Start Recycling
If your home doesn’t already have one, create a recycling center. If you already have a recycling center, take another look at how your household is using it and how you could improve your efforts.
You can also clean out your closets and toy bins and donate your unused items. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
Participate in a Virtual Earth Day event
Zoos have been streaming live videos of their animals, nature preserves have been live streaming their classes, and Earth Day events have gone digital! Find all the fun at our Raleigh Tot Spots Calendar!
Make a Bird Feeder
Construct a simple bird feeder using the pine cones laying around your yard, or get fancy with this wooden DIY kit!
Serve a Special Snack
Serve a special dessert in celebration of Earth Day, like this delicious dirt pudding or beach pudding dessert kit. You could also do a fruit and veggie buffet with all of the colors of the rainbow! If the kids won’t eat the veggies, try a vegetable petting zoo to explore all of the different foods by using your 5 senses!
Make your own Cleaning Solutions
Whether you want to be more Earth conscious, or the store is just out of stock, you can make your own cleaning products using materials from the Earth!
- Use hydrogen peroxide and alcohol (just make sure your mix is 70% alcohol, and leave it to dry on its own).
- White vinegar and vodka are power cleaners, easily cutting through grease and removing mildew, odors, stains and wax buildup.
- For surfaces that need to be cleaned — but not sterile — lemons can also be used to clean non-porous surfaces. For extra points, reuse existing spray bottles in your home instead of buying new ones!
Earth Day Craft Ideas
There are tons of great options for Earth Day crafts, but here are a few options: CD sun catchers to reduce bird collisions, Make a Bee Condo or view this list of 34 options.
**Bonus if you can use recycled materials or items found in nature!
Travel our Earth Virtually
Google has created virtual tours of many famous landmarks and national parks, so you can travel from the comfort of your own home!
There are also a number of virtual field trips and live web cams you can view from home with the kids!
Good news is that you are already helping the Earth by staying home! Less cars on the road uses less gas and produces less pollution! There’s another positive out of this pandemic!