Cool activities to do with your children or students for Earth Day 2022

Are you looking for cool activities to do with your children or students for Earth Day? Here are eight more fun activities that will not only repurpose items found around your home but will also help educate on the importance of the “3 Rs”: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Most adults are familiar with this concept and what better way to introduce children to Earth Day, than to pass on knowledge that will help the Earth blossom.

Do you have a Soft Drink Plastic Bottle around? Here are three ways to turn that recyclable product into fun activities that will give back to the environment.

1. Pet Planters.

Here are the steps and material to get you started: 

1. Marker – Draw out the shape of your animal including the ears at the bottom part of the bottle.
2. Scissors – Divide your 2-liter into 3 horizontal parts. Cut out your animal—that will serve as your planter box.
3. Paint the bottle with the color of your choice.
4. Draw a face for your animal.
5. Place a plant and soil into your new planter.

2. DIY Piggy Bank

This fun project will save you money in multiple ways. For one, you create a piggy bank instead of purchasing one. Second, children now have a unique way to store their savings. You can create a unique bank by painting, using a pre-designed paper, or applying some of your favorite stickers.

3. DIY Self-Watering Planter.

Here are the steps and material to get you started:

1. Scissors – Cut your bottle (any size bottle) into two sections.
2. Paint, design, and customize your bottle as you choose.
3. Hole-making tool – Use a tool to make a hole in your bottle cap big enough to thread your string through.
4. String – Thread your string through the cap leaving at least two inches. Tie a knot on the two inches on the inside to keep the string in place.
5. Screw the cap back on the bottle, you want to have at least 3-5 inches of string remaining to be placed in the water later.
6. Plant and Soil – Fill this end with your soil and plant.
7. Water – Fill the base a quarter of the way with water and place the string inside.
8. Place your plant in the Sun and watch it grow.

Here is a cool project to do with an empty Milk Container:

4. DIY Watering Can

Here are the steps and material to get you started:

1. Hole-making tool – Use a tool to make a hole in your bottle cap and a hole above the handle of the milk container.
2. String – Thread your string through the cap leaving at least two inches. Tie a knot on the two inches on the inside to keep the string in place.
3. Paint, design, and customize your bottle as you choose.
4. Water – Fill the container ¾ of the way with water
5. Screw the cap back on the bottle and you are ready to use.

Discuss the birds and the bees! Here are two entertaining activities to do while educating the importance of Birds, Bees, and Hornets in the ecosystem:

5. DIY Birdhouse

Make a Birdhouse From An Empty Container.  It is always great to provide a home for birds, but have you ever thought about the benefits? Other than just giving visiting birds a place to build their nest, protection from the elements, and predators. The birds will also help your garden in many ways. Birds help eat insects, so you don’t have to use harmful pesticides. They also provide weed control by eating the weed seeds. 

Bees and Hornets have received a bad reputation but when it comes to your garden they are just as helpful as birds. Birds help bees pollinate, and bees pollinate 40% of food crops, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Creating a habitat that is safe for birds, bees and hornets will protect your garden from plant-destroying insects and help your plant life thrive. In nature, various animals depend on bees for their survival because their food sources – nuts, berries, seeds, and fruits – rely on insect pollination. Pollination also promotes growth in flowers, which provides homes for insects and birds.

6. Plant flowers that attract bees and hornets

This teaches a child the importance of the birds and bees, while planting the special flowers that will help them.

Have some old towels lying around?  Here are two creative repurposing ideas for old towels.

7. Make a Bear

Using an old towel, rubber bands, and a ribbon, you can turn an old towel into a playful animal. Not interested in building a bear, do not worry, there are Other Towel Animals you can make.

8. Create Bath-Time Puppets

These puppets can double as playful washcloths as well. If you have some light sewing skills to assist the children, this fun activity will bring loads of fun. For a simple design, check out these fun animals, and for more of a challenge try these.

These are fun projects to do on Earth Day or any other day of the year. One of the biggest takeaways one can get from Earth Day is that one person can make a difference. Doing your part to keep the environment healthy, safe, and clean is a task anyone can join in on, no matter their age. So, rather than throwing out some of your old belongings, try to see what you can repurpose or reuse. You may just have some fun with it while saving money and the environment.