April 22nd is Earth Day, and this week is Earth Week. It is a day to celebrate our earth and remember all of the important ways that we can make a personal contribution to keeping it healthy and safe.
There are many ways that you can be involved in helping our earth. Here are just a few for you to choose from:
1) Go for a nature walk. Use your senses to be aware of and appreciate nature’s wonders.
2) Draw pictures of your favorite things in nature or of you showing how you care for our earth.
3) Go for a walk around your neighborhood and pick up garbage.
4) Help your grown-up sort the recycling and take it to the curb or trash room for pickup. Can you challenge your family to reduce their waste?
5) Start a compost. Here is a great instructional video from PBS Kids on how to start your own simple compost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA3q07paNbE
6) Start a garden. Your garden can be as simple as an herb garden on your window ledge. See below for suggested materials.
Watch Elmo, Michelle Obama, and friends plant a garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiXU_SDirRQ
7) Turn off lights when you are not in a room. Can you make a sign to remind your family to turn off the lights?
8) Make a craft or art project using recycled materials from your home. Share your art with a friend or family member.
9) Read a book about nature or the earth.
Suggested materials to plant your own garden.
Soil pods – These compressed discs are made from peat and are a safe and easy way to germinate seeds.
Soil – An excellent organic soil with organic fertilizer works best.
Seeds – Do you want to plant beans, herbs, or flowers? You will need seeds.
Plastic wrap (if you don’t have a mini windowsill greenhouse – see below)
Pot(s) or planter(s) – The size of the pot or planter depends on what you want to grow.
Trowel or spoon
Water
Sun
After your seeds have germinated and you give them some time to grow inside, you can take them outside and plant them in your garden if you have one. Otherwise, grow your plants inside. Herbs are fun because you can use them to cook and bake.
Note: I like to use a windowsill greenhouse kit to germinate my seeds. They are reusable and can be used whenever you want to grow seeds.
PBS has a series of kid’s shows “revolving around” the Earth Day theme.
https://pbskids.org/earthday/
Every spring at Barrow, each classroom hosts caterpillars on their journey to becoming a painted lady butterfly. Would you like to have your child raise a caterpillar and watch them change to a chrysalid before metamorphosizing to a butterfly? We order from insectlore.com and I am providing the link to you today. Insect Lore even has a new “home school” butterfly kit to help you support your child’s learning. Besides being an aesthetically beautiful insect species, butterflies are incredibly beneficial, providing a means for plant pollination and as part of the food chain.
Bees are also very important pollinators. For some fun facts and information on how to help bees go to this link https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/bees-fun-facts-and-activities-children.
