10 Earth Day Activities & Crafts for Kids
Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd. Did you know: Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection? It was first celebrated in 1970 and is celebrated in more than 192 countries each year including the United States! There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day including getting crafty, fun games, or outdoor Earth Day activities. If you are local to Des Moines, Iowa make sure to check out our Earth Day in Des Moines Guide for tons of fun options.
Here are 10 Earth Day Activities & Crafts for Kids that will help you celebrate with your kiddos. Happy Earth Day friends!
Puffy Paint Earth
Shaving cream, glue, and paint. What can happen? This is a simple activity and fun way for toddlers to get involved in an Earth Day craft. Sometimes the best things are the messy things. Take a look at the full instructions to create your own Puffy Paint Earth at home.
Earth Day Craft with Writing Prompting
Get kids of all ages thinking! Start with a coffee filter and let your children’s imaginations go wild. The craft is a great starting point to get the family thinking of how they can help Mother Earth. It can be as simple as picking up trash at a local park, collecting paper towel rolls for a craft, or recycling plastic water bottles. There is no wrong answer. If your child seems stuck you can create a writing prompt to help them get started.
Take a look at the full tutorial from iHeartCraftyThings!
Stained Glass Planet Earth
The best part of this Earth Day activity is it creates a fun home decoration! Tissue paper, wax paper, and glue are all you need for this art project. This is a great activity to let young students let their imaginations go wild on this Earth Day theme activity. Take a look at the whole tutorial and other great ideas from Mom On Time Out here!
Awesome Earth Day Project
Shaving cream is always a good idea when it comes to creating the perfect Earth Day activity. This project calls for shaving cream and paint. It follows the same method as coloring Easter Eggs. Teaching with TLC shares how to do this activity plus different ways to use the same concept for other holidays. Take a look!
Earth Day Promise Hands
Recycling is a big part of how to take care of our Earth. As a family spend some time talking about how to cut back your carbon footprint, collect bottle cans, bottle caps, plastic bottles, milk cartons, and more. This is a great opportunity as a family to make sure you have a recycling bin and learn the best ways to use it. It is also a great time to discuss environmental issues and environmental causes. Grab some books from the local library or find some kid-friendly videos online.
After you have chatted and learned about how to take care of the Earth for future generations, create the Earth Day Promise Hands.
Earth Day Collage
This is a bigger project that older kids would have tons of with. Children create a large Earth and then place a flag that reads “This is Me” on the Earth. Check out this activity and many more fun Earth Day activities from iHeartCraftyThings here.
Go on a Nature Walk
Not a craft, but a simple and great way to explore the great outdoors to celebrate Earth Day. Get outside and take a look at the different plants and discuss how plants are important to our planet. One fun idea is to gather different items such as flower petals or pine cones in nature and create nature crafts when you return home. You can also do a nature scavenger hunt while you are walking. This is a super fun Earth Day activity for all ages!
Pick Up Trash
Another great outdoor Earth Day activity is picking up trash in your local neighborhood. Grab some plastic bags and make your neighborhood a better place. Teaching kids not to litter and pick up items they know are not good for the planet is a great Earth Day activity.
Make a Bird Feeder
Grab some pine cones on your nature walk and make a bird feeder for the birds. This is a creative way for kindergarten students (or any student) to celebrate Earth Day!
Participate in fun Science Experiments!
‘What I Have Learned’ has gathered 20 Earth Day Science Experiments filled with hands-on activities that include lessons on water pollution, water conservation, and so much more. Make sure you bookmark this resource for future years.
