On April 22, we’ll join the billions of people worldwide to celebrate Earth Day! What a great opportunity to plant the seed of caring for Mother Earth. Here are a three Earth Day Crafts to make this Earth Day memorable and fun for your family.
Photos courtesy of Katie Osterhout
Earth Day Crafts
The Nature Name Game
Our beautiful Florida spring weather makes it easy to head out on a nature hike any time of the day. Why not make a game out of your next hike with the name game! For this activity, carry along a bucket and collect items from nature that you can use to create the letters of your names. Think twigs, leaves, flowers, seeds, rocks, shells and even broken parts!
Have your kiddos think about letter shapes while on the hunt. Once you get home, spread out your materials and let the puzzle begin. You can form the letters on the sidewalk or glue them to paper for a temporary piece of art.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Caring for our earth means being wise with our resources. Why not reuse your everyday materials before tossing them into the recycle bin?
Colorful cereal boxes can be used to make cardboard flowers. Cut petals, stems and leaves of all different patterns to make a colorful piece of art. Egg cartons can be washed with soap and warm water then used as a fun way to serve up a snack or even a meal. Put bite-sized pieces of food into each egg tray. Some great options are cheese cubes, raisins, oyster crackers, grapes, banana slices, baby carrots, apple slices, olives, nuts and even small dollops of yogurt served with a small spoon!
Earth in a Bowl
Make breakfast or snack time more fun by making “Earth in a Bowl.” A little green and blue food coloring turns a bowl of yogurt into a planet earth. You can keep it simple and just add a few drops then swirl it around or test out your painting skills by creating the continents. Water down liquid food color in a small bowl to use as your “paint” and grab a new or very clean brush to lightly create your earth on top of the yogurt. Have fun!
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