Earth Day 2022: Fun Activities for your Family!
On April 22nd, every year we celebrate Earth Day!
Earth Day allows us to recognize and celebrate our environment and planet. This year’s Earth Day will occur on Friday, April 22, and the theme is “Invest in Our Planet. What Will You Do?” According to EARTHDAY.ORG, this is time to invest in our planet and preserve and protect our health, families, and livelihoods.
When was the First Earth Day Celebrated?
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. Until 1989, the celebration only occurred in the United States. Earth Day became a global event in 1990, mobilizing 200 million people to encourage environmental protection, reduce earth pollution, and become serious about recycling. According to the Earth Day Network, about 1 billion individuals from 192 countries partake in Earth Day festivities every year.
Who Started the Earth Day?
The idea of Earth Day was first conceived in 1969 by junior senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin. He announced that he wanted to start a teach-in program on college campuses to educate students about water and air pollution dangers. The idea was supported by activist Denis Hayes and Congressman Pete McCloskey, and together they organized teach-ins across the US on April 22.
In 1970, the three Pioneers announced that there would be Earth Day celebrations every year on April 22. Their Teach-ins pulled 20 million Americans into the streets to demonstrate against the impacts of industrial development that left a growing legacy of severe human health impacts.
Today’s Earth Day celebration educates individuals about conversation, global warming, climate change, and encouraging people to volunteer for the planet’s good.
Why Is Earth Day So Important?
· Earth day allows us to celebrate the planet’s natural resources.
· The day has, in recent years, been used to increase awareness about global climate change.
· It draws attention to environmental vices and promotes conversation and sustainability.
· The day provides an excellent opportunity to teach our children more about their planet and how to protect it.
· It is a great day to teach them about recycling, reducing, and reusing (3Rs), among other fun activities.
· As a global event, it provides a forum for our families and us to get involved.
5 Quotes you will Love about Earth Day:
1. “Until a man duplicates a blade of grass, Nature can laugh at his so-called scientific knowledge.”
— Thomas Alva Edison
2. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
— Native American Proverb
3. “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.”
4. He that plants trees loves others besides himself.”
5. “The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”
11 Fun Activities for Your Family This Earth Day:
Earth day is a fun-filled day that should be memorable for our children. However, these are engaging activities and will need some preparation to pull them off! Check out the following actions.
1. Read Books about Earth Day:
You can teach your child about the Earth by reading a book together. There are books of all ages explaining how we can protect the earth, conserve energy and recycle. Ask a librarian to give readers appropriate for your child’s age. Then, you can start some projects that revolve around the books you are reading.
2. Engage in Outdoor Activities:
Another enjoyable way to learn about the earth is by going outside. You can, for example, go camping or spend the day taking a nature walk or a hike. Discuss the things you see, smell, and hear. Find out if there are nature centers in your locality and visit them. They will mostly have Earth Day activities that you can participate in with your family.
3. Teach kids about Electricity and Water conversations:
Water and electricity conversation helps reduce the bill and conserve the earth. You can begin to teach your child about discussions from an early age by reminding them to unplug electronics that are not in use, switching off lights in rooms that are not underused, and shutting the water off as they brush their teeth. People who grow up knowing conversation measures save their money and retain a better world.
4. Create Stories about the Earth:
Besides reading stories about Earth Day and conserving energy and water, teach your child to write short stories about their experiences on Earth Day. Let them color some pictures about the day and give exciting captions. You can encourage them to write about this year’s Earth Day Theme.
5. Participate in Earth Day Events:
Different cities have local events to celebrate Earth Day. Some events do things like raising money for animal conversations, planting trees, recycling, marathons, etc. Research what is happening in your locality in advance to plan your Earth Day festivities effectively.
6. Use Recycled Materials to Create Beautiful Art:
You can do many artworks using recycled materials, including indoor and outdoor lawn projects. For example, you can use old plastic bottles, tins, stones, sticks, and other objects to create your art projects. There are so many ideas online on using recycled items for art. For example, you can use old towels and T-shirts to make toys.
7. Create a Garden:
You can plant trees, and flowers, create a kitchen garden, or anything else that can grow in your yard. Planting trees and other plants play a significant role in producing more air for our planet. Find out if there are tree-planting events in your area and participate in them.
There are so many benefits of creating a garden in your yard. You can plant beans, potatoes, veggies, and carrots with your child since they are easy to care for. Also, teach your child to maintain a clean and unpolluted backyard. You can use indoor gardening kits and garden boxes if you don’t have a yard space or live in an apartment. You can also create an indoor herb garden since it is easy to grow and care for.
8. Create a Compost Bin:
Creating a compost bin for summer plants and gardens is another excellent idea for Earth Day. The project will benefit outdoor plants while cutting down the garbage in landfills. If you don’t have a garden, you can take the waste to compost sites in your locality to help community gardens.
9. Clean up the Neighborhood:
You can pick a trail, roadside, or a local park and compete on who can collect the most recyclables and garbage. Ensure that everyone in the family puts on the right gear to avoid contamination.
While the task may not be so glamorous, your child will learn the importance of not littering. In addition, they will see how attractive their community could be if people discarded waste responsibly.
10. Go for Hiking or Nature Walk:
One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is taking nature walks. You can take walks in a local pond or lake, or take a walk in the forest. Let your children enjoy wildlife and natural scenery.
You can bring along a camera to capture some of the beautiful scenery. You can later put together the photos into a nature photo album. The children could also use the pictures to create a book about nature.
11. Build a Birdhouse or a bird feeder:
Building a birdfeeder or a backyard birdhouse is an excellent project for Earth Day. The house or feeder will allow the family to view different types of birds. See and record the types of birds you see per day. You can also take photos of the birds and try to identify them on the internet.
10 Fun Facts about Earth Day that will Surprise You!
1. The founders meant the date to appeal to College Students:
The founders of Earth Day selected April 22 partly because it fell between the college’s final exam and spring break. During this period, students were the most motivated about environmental activism.
2. In some countries, it is called “International Mother Earth Day.”
The General Assembly of the United Nations set aside April 2022 as the International Mother Earth Day in 2009. However, among other few countries, America did not adopt the new name.
3. There is an Earth Day Song:
The song “Earth Anthem” was composed in 2013 by an Indian poet called Abhay Kumar. The song has since been recorded in all official United Nations languages. Follow the following link to listen to the music: https://youtu.be/kQz8jxJLNOA
4. Earth Day went International in 1990:
The concept of Earth Day remained an American affair until 1990, when it went international. According to the Earth Day Network, the demonstration of Earth Day in 1990 was demonstrated by 200 million people from 141 countries.
5. It Inspired Countries to Begin Environmentally Beneficial Initiatives:
Many countries have begun environmentally beneficial initiatives following Earth Day celebrations. For instance, in 2012, over 100,000 people in China rode bikes to reduce the emissions of CO2 and highlight the level of pollution cars emit.
6. Approximately, One Billion People Celebrate the Earth Day:
Earth Day is the largest secular celebration globally. About one billion individuals participate in Earth Day activities every year. This is about a quarter of the global population.
7. Earth Day Led to Creation of Environmental Organizations:
The Earth Day celebrations and activities have not only influenced the people, but the government has also recognized them. The Earth Day celebrations led to the formation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
8. There is a Unique Theme in Each Year’s Earth Day:
The Theme of Earth Day 2022 is”Invest in Our Planet. What Will You Do?” Last year’s theme was “Restore Our Earth .”This year’s theme emphasizes the need to invest in the earth by shunning things that destroys the planet and working more on what benefits it.
9. The First Earth Day Attracted A Large Group of Participants:
About 20 million Americans, an equivalent of 10% of America’s population, turned out during the 1970s ‘ first official Earth Day celebration. They participated through demonstrations, celebrations, or participation in some form of environmental activities.
10: You can easily participate in Earth Day:
Both children and adults can participate in the Earth Day celebration. You don’t have to do much; planting a single tree, taking the trash outside, riding a bike instead of driving, or turning off electricity whenever not in use can help preserve our planet.
Parting Shot:
2022 Earth Day’s theme is calling us to invest in our planet. This is a perfect time to change it all. Not only are we capable of transforming nature’s climate, but we can also change our business climate and political climate.
As Earth Day 2022’s theme suggests, we should invest in good actions to preserve nature and protect our overall health, livelihoods, and families. So let us determine to work together. Let us invest in our planet!
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