Easy ways kids can get involved in Earth Day 2021

These ideas will help children come to appreciate the environment and the planet

Earth Day is just around the corner. (Jure Gasparic, Photo provided by DTE Energy)

SAN ANTONIO – Earth Day is on Thursday, and it’s a great day to stop and celebrate all things planet Earth. As many of us spend more time outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children now more than ever have the opportunity to become one with nature.

Here are a few ways kids can get involved for Earth Day and give back to Mother Nature.

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Earth Day activities for students

Grow plants from seeds

Want to do something simple that still has science behind it? Have your students grow plants from seeds. Growing plants can be very rewarding. By putting your kids in charge of watering, they can nurture something and watch and record the growth.

In order to help get your child to enjoy gardening, choose plants that grow quickly to help keep their attention. Many only require minimum attention like watering and feeding. Some to consider include snap peas, sunflowers, radishes and marigolds.

Make a milk jug bird feeder

Looking for a fun and artistic way to give back to nature this Earth Day? Look no further. KSAT12 Meteorologist Kaiti Blake shows you how your little one can make a milk jug bird feeder and decorate it using what you have at home. The demonstration is courtesy of greatstems.com. To read more and see other great easy at-home science experiments, you can click here.

Outdoor Earth Day activities

Pick up trash while walking in nature

There are also some very easy things you can do for Earth Day that don’t cost a lot of money.

Heading for a walk or hike with your kids? It’s a great way to help clean up your neighborhood, all while helping the environment. Parents probably should supervise, the cleanup, however. And as an added bonus, your children will get plenty of fresh air and exercise!

Soggy start didn't stop some from taking a first-day hike

Do a nature scavenger hunt with your kids

Another thing you can do to appreciate the great outdoors is to go on a scavenger hunt. Create a list of items and see how many your children can find! Your child’s appreciation for nature may come from simply getting outside and experiencing it. Some things you can have your child look for in your next scavenger hunt could include a squirrel, a feather, a flower, a smooth rock or a spider web.

And as for preschool and toddlers, having your child do something as simple as paint with water outdoors can be fun, easy, and inexpensive. One website suggests just offering them a bucket of water and a paintbrush and let them color away on bricks or sidewalks to learn about different properties while making comparisons and experiencing the effects of gravity. It’s simply about letting them learn about the great big world.

Tell us in the comments what you plan on doing to mark the big day (set for Thursday!)

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About the Author:

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.