Earth Day is celebrated April 22. Use these fun activities
to teach children the importance of taking care of our planet and learning to
become environmentally friendly.
Children can develop an understanding of protecting our
environment with the help of adults who make them aware of the fact that we are
all interdependent. We can be guardians of the plants and animals in our
surroundings. Below are several activities to help develop awareness for Earth
Day and every day.
Take a litter walk together
Put some excitement into a clean-up litter walk by also
making it a scavenger hunt. Together, make a list of various types of things
that when thrown away becomes litter, such as soda cans, newspaper, paper cups,
plastic or glass bottles, and so on. Children can become aware that certain
items, although good in themselves, can become litter when discarded -- and
litter dirties up our Earth.
When walking, take a brown bag and the list. When the child
finds an item on the list, check it off. See how long it takes to cross off each
item. Of course, dump the litter in appropriate containers -- some may be
recycled.
Grow-it-again foods
A great way to save the Earth is to repopulate things that
we eat. Many fruits and vegetables can be grown again by planting the seeds or
stalks. Here are a few examples.
Pineapple: Cut off the top and trim three rows of the bottom
leaves. Let this dry for a few days and then plant the pineapple top into the
soil, with the top above ground. Keep it moist and in a sunny place. Pineapples
will repopulate into new plants that will eventually bear fruit.
Onion: Find an onion that has already sprouted. Plant it in
the soil and watch it regrow into a new onion.
Carrot: Cut off the top and trim off any leaves. Place in a
layer of pebbles in a low dish container. Keep it well watered and when the
carrots sprout roots, plant in the ground.
Avocado: Place three toothpicks into an avocado seed. Set
this inside the mouth of a jar filled with water. Place this in partial
sunlight. When the roots sprout about four to five inches, plant this in soil
outdoors.
Learn to compost
If you garden with your children, you may want to start a
compost pile. Composting takes time to break down, but becomes great fertilizer
for a garden. Children can also see how some waste materials can be recycled. A
compost pile uses vegetable scraps such as potato peels, carrot scrapings, cornhusks,
lettuce, cabbage, and onion peels. It can also use coffee grounds, plant
clippings and grass.
To make a compost pile, surround a small area with chicken
wire. Place another small circle of chicken wire in the center to help
circulate the air. Layer the vegetable scraps with fresh soil. Keep it moist
and add some lime and fertilizer. Continue the layers, always covering with
soil. You will have good rich mulch for a garden within a few months.
Recycle together as a family
Introduce your children to the recycle emblem on many
products. Talk about why we recycle. Discuss the differences in packaging of
goods -- paper, plastic, and glass. Ask the kids, which would be better to use
and why? Together, make a game of sorting product containers using paper,
plastic, cans, and glass (do not sort glass with very young children). This is
a good activity that teaches classifying as a math skill. Have a recycle center
at your home and ask the children to use it daily.
After these discussions, brainstorm together ways that will
help our Earth -- like use cloth towels instead of paper towels in the kitchen,
don't let the water run needlessly, turn out the lights when you leave a room,
and use both sides of the paper when drawing or coloring. Better yet, use junk
mail for extra drawing paper on the clean side.
As parents, we can show our children how some things taken
from nature can be returned to help it thrive.
Until next week -- Happy Parenting,
Tania
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