Do a trash clean-up in your local area.

Participating in neighborhood clean-up projects is one of the most popular Earth Day activities. Nothing in your near vicinity? Choose a park, roadside, trail, or beach in your town and head out with bags for a cleanup day.

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Go paperless.

Going paperless is a fantastic approach to support environmental protection. So many different reading apps allow you to read your favorite periodicals without wasting paper. On Earth Day, ask children to help you identify all the paper products you could do without, then have them help you come up with alternatives.

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Make a terrarium.

Children may learn how living things interact in a terrarium in the same manner they do in the natural world by seeing how they do so when left unchecked.

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Grow your own herbs.

Herbs may be planted inside at any time of the year, but we advise starting your herb garden in early spring or, for this occasion, on Earth Day! Growing your own herbs can improve the taste of your food and have additional health advantages. They will also look gorgeous sitting in their pots inside your house!

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Visit National Parks or do it virtually.

For various reasons, you might not be able to visit a national park on April 22nd. However, the good news is you can still learn about national parks without a road trip! You may experience the Grand Canyon from above. Explore Alaska's fjords. Or go see Hawaii's active volcanoes. Virtually all national parks in the US provide some sort of virtual tour, so go ahead and get that modern technology utilized!

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Make pressed flower crafts.

Even the youngest artists will love this easy nature collage idea. First, collect flowers, leaves, and anything else that can be dried and pressed. Then, once your collectibles are dry and crispy, you can glue them on paper to make a beautiful nature collage. If you want to do the gluing part on Earth Day, collect the flowers and leaves for at least a few weeks in advance to allow them time to fully dry.

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Go camping in your backyard.

For a night in the outdoors, gather everything you need to make s'mores and head to your backyard. Before putting the kids to bed, take in the beauty of the night sky and stargaze with them. After all, one of the finest ways to enjoy all that nature has to offer is to immerse yourself in it.

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Make a homemade bird feeder.

The easiest way to make one is to add birdseed to empty milk jugs or water bottles. Your children will undoubtedly beam with joy as they see the flock of feathered buddies flying to your yard.

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Build an insect hotel.

With the help of everyday household items and some recycling, you can build a charming hotel for bugs. If your kids don't fear the teeny creatures, they can join the project too!

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Eat more locally sourced foods.

Compared to goods sourced from far-away regions, local food travels less distance to marketplaces and retailers. Hence, locally sourced food transportation contributes to less pollution and fewer carbon emissions. So for this Earth Day, visit a local farm or farmer's market to find ingredients for a family meal made only with regional products.

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Create posters with Earth Day messages.

This is yet another way to recycle old magazines, newspapers, and other scraps of paper. Not only is it a creative project, but it also teaches kids important lessons. It's also a terrific idea for an art class project!

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Go birdwatching.

Now is a fantastic time to go bird watching since the birds will congregate in big groups in spring, making them easier to see. Also, you may want to check out a book on bird identification from your local library to introduce your kids to the bird world.

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Start a seed jar.

Even if it isn't yet time to plant a garden in your part of the globe, you can still educate your kids about how things grow. Or do it for fun for yourself! Start a seed jar to get the kiddos excited about gardening and growing plants from scratch in the future.

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Create a play garden.

Whether or not you have a backyard, you may make a play area or mud pit for your kids to play in. Gardening activities are excellent for teaching kids, no matter what kind of garden you choose to plant or how big or tiny.

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Keep all the activities outside.

Going on a landfill tour to teach the small ones more about where all the waste goes, visiting a recycling plant, visiting a local park, or planting a tree—anything you can do outside is fitting for the occasion!

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Go on a nature scavenger hunt.

Look for natural treasures in your area, such as various flowers, a squirrel, moss, etc. However, no need to collect them or yank objects from their natural habitats! Simply give each scavenger a clipboard to log their discoveries.

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Support endangered species.

As a result of habitat loss brought on by deforestation, pollution, overhunting, and other factors, beloved species like gorillas, rhinos, and elephants are in danger of going extinct. Support organizations that help preserve endangered animals, or if you want to help without making a dip in your wallet, sign one of the many online petitions.

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Start composting.

Make composting a regular part of your household routine. It makes nutrient-rich fertilizer for your plants and lessens the burden at the landfill. It's a win-win!

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Switch to energy-saving light bulbs.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States could save roughly $600 million a year on energy expenditures if every family in the country switched only one standard incandescent light bulb for an energy-efficient one.

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Keep reusable shopping bags in your car.

Reusable bags add a lot to minimizing the use of plastic—a significant waste producer. To make protecting the environment more enjoyable, get your family some basic canvas totes and customize them with some fabric paint!

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Have a no-TV day.

It’s healthy to escape from technology every now and then, especially if doing so allows you to spend more time with someone you care about. You may spend the day playing board games or reading novels. Or, even better—spend the whole day outside playing lawn games.

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Collect rainwater.

Use a range of activities to teach your kids about water conservation, from small scientific experiments to more complicated projects like setting up a rain garden or rain barrel collecting system.

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Go on a bike ride or walk to school or work.

Try going for a day (and then maybe a week!) without using a car. Utilize bicycles and public transportation, among other modes of transportation, to reach where you need to.

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Try Smithsonian Learning Lab.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab offers many free resources that may be used to educate a child (big or small) about a wide range of fascinating topics. Also, a dedicated Smithsonian Learning Lab section for Earth Day features fantastic aerial photos of the planet. Take a look!

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Plan a Neighborhood Safari.

This is an activity to involve your and your neighbors’ kids. First, you will have to acquaint them with the many animals living on the safari. This can be done via the Kids National Geographic Learning resources. Then, invite the kids to draw or color pictures of the animals. At last, hang those pictures on your and your neighbors' houses and task the kids to find each and every animal!

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Earth Day reading.

It's okay if your offspring are still too young to participate in many Earth Day activities. Yet, with so many fun Earth Day books available for the little ones, you can spend the day reading and learning together.

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Paint only using your hands as a paintbrush.

Make art inspired by the beauty of nature and what your bare hands are capable of. Then gift this keepsake to a loved one! Why buy paintbrushes when nature has blessed you with all you need to make art?

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Attend a yoga class.

Attend a yoga class to connect with yourself and the wider world. Throughout the class, you'll likely find yourself in postures like those of a tree, mountain, waterfall, or even eagle pose, which are super fitting for the occasion.

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Bake Earth Day-inspired cookies.

By tinting half of the batch blue and the other half green, your favorite sugar cookie recipe will be suitable for the occasion!

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Lower the temperature on your water heater.

Water heaters can waste up to 5% of your heating expenditures and consumption if set too high (at 140 degrees or above).

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Do paper crafts.

Paper crafts can bring to new life the many paper products we no longer put to use. Essentially, it's a way of recycling! Be it old newspapers or magazines, recycling them into art can be a lot of fun for both adults and children.

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Create a recycling collage.

When it comes to recycling, Earth Day is the perfect occasion. Why not use old magazines and newspapers to make art as a way to recycle or upcycle them? Mood boards, vision boards, inspiration boards—all sorts of fun collages can be made by recycling.

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Make art from things found in the recycling bin.

Check the recycle bin (obviously not the one with organic waste) to see what crafts you can create using items you've binned. Smaller children, like toddlers and preschoolers, may create monsters and less clear concepts. Older children could strategize and plan what to use and why.

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Upcycle plastic lids to make cute suncatchers.

Don't throw away your berry boxes just yet. Their lids may be recycled to make lovely plastic suncatchers. The plastic may need to be cut by an adult, but after that, your children can simply draw the planet, different flora, or recycling signs using permanent markers.

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Make a butterfly collage.

Use flower petals, dandelion seeds, bark, sticks, and more to create your own butterfly. Construction paper and glue are the only collage elements that can't be found in nature. Now go on a fun trek and get all your crafting tools while you’re out there!

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Play a nature-themed bingo game.

Take the fun outside and compete to be the first to shout "Bingo!" Create your own cards with photos from the natural world, including various types of trees, plants, flowers, bugs, birds, and animals.

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Paint flower pots.

Pro tip: if you plan to keep your pots outside, we advise choosing exterior paint, which is UV-resistant, to ensure the color lasts longer!

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Host a yard sale.

Hold a yard sale to give stuff you no longer use in the house a new life. If you truly want to go above and beyond, think about donating part of the revenues to a local or national environmental cause that is important to you.

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Visit an arboretum.

Do a fast Google search to find an arboretum in your neighborhood and organize a pleasant family excursion. Bringing a picnic basket to eat beneath the tree is essential to the experience!

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Have a picnic outside somewhere beautiful.

Use reusable plates, cups, and cutlery for an eco-friendly picnic in your garden or another scenic location. After you're finished, be sure to gather any litter.

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Make a 3D earth craft.

With your kid's help, create your own 3D Earth or even a 3D recycle sign that you could display at your house or have your child bring it to school to urge peers to recycle their paper. This can also be a cool primary school project for teachers to do with the kids in class.

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Make a puffy paint craft.

You can make your own puffy paint with ingredients probably already at hand in your home—shaving cream, white glue, and food coloring. It's also a great way to reduce spending and avoid using additional plastic containers. Also, you can make any hues you would like!

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Make a salt dough necklace.

To create an Earth Day-inspired necklace, you'll have to make a tiny Earth-shaped medallion out of salt dough, paint it and then thread a ribbon and cute little beads through it. Don't forget the clasp or make it a tieable one.

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Paint Rocks

This beautiful pastime blends the outdoors with wholesome family activities that the little ones will especially enjoy. Painted rocks also look excellent in homes as decorative pieces and are thoughtful presents. Simply look for flat or almost flat pebbles, then let your artistic side unfurl.

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Take a recycling quiz.

To test your children's knowledge, prepare a printout featuring recyclable/compostable and non-recyclable goods. Draw a circle around each item that can be recycled or composted, and then discuss with your kids why.

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