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7 Fun Things To Do on Earth Day

4 min read

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd.

It started in 1970 as a way to bring attention to environmental issues and the importance of caring for our planet.

It’s a reminder that we all share responsibility for protecting the earth, a wonderful lesson for young children.

Here are 7 fun and easy ways to celebrate the earth with kids:

1. Take a Nature Walk

Ages: 18 months and up

Purpose: To give children time and space to observe the natural world, build curiosity, and develop awareness of their environment.

Materials Needed:

Comfortable walking shoes
Weather-appropriate clothing

Instructions:

Go for a slow, child-led walk.
Allow the child to stop, observe, and interact with natural elements along the way.
Follow their interests and take time to notice what they point out.

Click here to download our Spring Scavenger Hunt.

2. Start a Nature Tray

Ages: 2 years and up

Purpose: To provide children with hands-on exploration of natural objects while developing observation skills, vocabulary, and a connection to the natural world.

Materials Needed:

Tray or large container
Assortment of natural items (pinecones, stones, leaves, sticks, shells, flowers)
Magnifying glass

Instructions:

Go for a walk and collect fallen items of interest. Bring along a basket or reusable bag. Ensure items are safe.
Add them to the Nature Tray.
Invite the child to explore the collected items freely.
Encourage them to look closely at each item and use the magnifying glass to observe details.
When finished exploring the fallen items, return them to the outdoors.

3. Teach Plant Care

Ages: 18 months and up

Purpose: To help children develop an interest in caring for the environment

Materials Needed:

Houseplants or garden plants
Small watering can
Cloth for wiping leaves (optional)

Instructions:

Show your child how to gently water plants and care for them.
Invite them to help with regular plant care routines.
For more information, check out our blog post: List of Child-Friendly Plants + Plant Care Sequencing Cards

4. Plant a Garden

Ages: 2 years and up

Purpose: To help children understand plant life cycles and develop care, patience, and responsibility through gardening.

We have a few blog posts on planting a garden with children:

You could also plant a Pollinator-Friendly Garden.

Invite your child to help plant flowers that attract pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. You can plant directly in the garden or use a large pot with soil.

Once the flowers begin to bloom, spend time observing the different insects that visit for food, rest, or to lay eggs.

Click here to download our Wildflower Pollinator Language Cards.

5. Learn About Garbage, Recycling & Organic Waste Sorting

Activity: Sorting picture cards into three categories – Garbage, Recycling, and Organic Waste.

Click here to download the printable and instructions.

Ages: 3.5 years and up

Purpose: To help children understand how to properly sort waste and develop awareness of caring for the environment.

Tip: Connect this activity to real-life experiences by having garbage, recycling, and organic bins accessible to the child and inviting them to throw out their waste independently. Talk about why different items are recycled versus composted, and what happens to them afterwards.

If you live in Toronto and aren’t sure where something belongs, the Waste Wizard on the City of Toronto website is a helpful tool. You can search for specific items, and it will tell you exactly what bin they belong in.

6. Crafts with Recycled Materials

Ages: 3 years and up

Purpose: To encourage creativity, problem-solving, and environmental awareness through the reuse of everyday materials.

Materials Needed:

Clean recycled materials (cardboard, boxes, tubes, paper, flyers)
Glue and tape
Crayons or markers
Child-safe scissors (optional)

Instructions:

Invite your child to create freely using recycled materials.
Offer support as needed with cutting or assembly.

Tip: If your child is really interested in building and creating with open-ended materials,

Makedo is an easy-to-use, child-safe tool set designed for working with recycled cardboard, making it ideal for extending this craft into more complex construction projects.

7. Build a Bug Hotel

Recommended age: 3 years+

Purpose: To develop care and respect for living things in the environment by creating a safe space for insects such as beetles, ladybugs, and other beneficial bugs.

Materials Needed:

A shallow box, crate or wooden frame
Fallen materials from nature, i.e. sticks, dry leaves, pinecones, bark, stones, etc.

Instructions:

Invite your child to help gather natural fallen materials from outside
Introduce the idea that small insects need safe places to rest, hide, and live.
Work together to fill the container or designated space with the materials, layering and arranging them in different ways.
Place the finished bug hotel in a quiet outdoor area of the garden.
Return to observe it over time and notice if any insects begin to visit.

Note: This is a wonderful collaborative activity for a group, allowing children to contribute in different ways while building awareness of how we can care for living things in our environment.

Use our Insect Scavenger Hunt to keep track of any insects that come to stay.