Celebrating Earth Day with your Kids

The 70’s were known for many things: the Vietnam War, Watergate and disco, but it was also the birth of Earth day, on April 22 1970.  For me, Earth Day has always been a part of my life and now I would like to continue it with my children.

A great way to start celebrating Earth Day is to understand its origins. I told my young children (ages 3 and 5) that a Senator from Wisconsin wanted to teach people about the effects our actions are having on the Earth. People from all across the United States came together to celebrate the Earth, teach people about how to keep the environment healthy and show our government how important this issue was to the people. The first Earth Day drew 20 million people! Simplistic, but they understood and became excited. I showed them video, we read books and planned Earth Day/Week activities.  

After my mini history lesson, we were ready to start doing our part in keeping the Earth clean and green, and we started at home. We set up a recycling center in our house where the kids could easily separate the recyclable items from trash. We talked about using less water during our countless hand washings by turning off the faucet while lathering up with soap and while brushing teeth. The kids picked out reusable grocery bags from our local grocery market and made some of their own too. I found some great ideas here.  And we went to Home Depot for some new energy efficient light bulbs.  

Next, we moved on to the kids' school. We were in luck because they were already a part of The Green Team. The Green Team is an educational program for grades K-12 that helps students and teachers learn how to help the environment and is backed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and Department of Environmental Protection. A friend of mine told me her son’s school in San Francisco encouraged all parents to pack their child’s entire lunch in reusable containers, no plastic baggies. That seemed pretty easy -- until I got to the drink. So, that is where we are now, reusable containers for everything aside from the drink. Finally, we are eager to participate in the age old tradition of carpooling. My father and a neighbor carpooled to work for 15 years, and I still remember it vividly. I don’t think they had much in common, other than a desire to help the environment and a need for a day off from the daily commute.    

These things don’t all have to happen overnight. I have a goal of doing one Earth-friendly thing a month and try very hard to get the kids involved. I do the same with my quest for a better diet for my family.

I found many resources online that can help you on your path to eco-responsibility, including www.earthday.net and www.earthday.gov. I also found some books that embrace the eco-friendly lifestyle; Green Start: In the Garden, from ikids, is a very cute little book for young children. I also liked 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh. It has easy to remember tips kids can relate to and do with their family. My kids love the Dr. Seuss classic, The Lorax. He understood the importance of saving the environment before it became ber trendy. And finally, a big hit around our house, Dora Celebrates Earth Day from Little Green Nickelodeon.

Aside from being the right thing to do, I am finding that my kids like being in charge of something. My daughter wrote out a plan for our recycling center; my son helps me remember to bring the reusable bags to the store and both are very eager to help keep the Earth green. They find it outlandish, even at their young age, that someone would throw trash on the ground.

Think about what you and your family can do, however small, to help preserve Mother Earth. You can make it fun and not a chore easily, and you’ll feel better knowing you helped make the Earth better for future generations. Check out Boston Green Scene for Earth Day activities in and around Boston. Happy Earth Day!