3 Achievable Earth Day Projects For Kids & Their Parents!

Earth Day takes place on April 22, 2014 and it’s the perfect opportunity to teach kids about the three Rs – reuse, reduce and recycle! However, if you’re a busy mom or dad who struggles with coming up with creative projects for your kids, the thought of planning something fun can fill you with dread and angst. Projects don’t have to be complicated in order to be fun and educational for kids. These three activities can teach your kids valuable lessons about Earth Day without putting you through a lot of stress.

Create One Of A Kind Recycled Robots

Recycled robots can be a fun way to reuse items that you might otherwise just throw away. Creating them is easy, too. You’ll need a few key items to create the robot bodies, such as small boxes, coffee cans, milk jugs or tin cans that have had the tops removed – just make sure that you’ve used a safety can opener so that you won’t have to worry about their little fingers on sharp edges.

Set out the items for your robot bodies and give your kids a few accessories, such as googly eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners, construction paper and any other art supplies you have hanging around the house. As your kids create their robots, talk to them about the materials they’re using, stand back and watch the creativity flow. 

Make The Earth A Prettier Place By Planting Flowers In Your Community

Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to teach children the value of giving back to their local community. If your city has a parks and recreation department, call and ask about planting flowers in a community space like a park, a school or the local police department. Head out to a local nursery and let your kids pick out some stunning flowers to plant at the location. Flowers like petunias, pansies, impatiens and bellflowers are all gorgeous and will add a beautiful pop of color to any community space. Also, local native plants are a great green option as they are naturally supported in your environment; requiring less upkeep, and less dependency on fertilizer. These newly added plants will help support the local bee population too. 

Repurpose Old T-Shirts And Turn Them Into Bags

If you have a stack of old T-shirts that you don’t wear anymore, but you can’t bear to throw them away, repurpose them into fun and funky shoulder bags. It’s a great way to remember special events that have been commemorated by a particular T-shirt. Plus, they make fantastic gifts for loved ones!

First, create straps by cutting off the sleeves, leaving the shoulders intact. Then, turn the shirt inside out and use a simple stitch to sew up the bottom. Flip the entire thing right side out and you’re done! 

Do you and your kids have any Earth Day traditions? We’d love to hear about them! Leave us a comment and tell us how you celebrate our Earth.