Introducing Earth Day to Children - Where Do We Start?

By Marnie Craycroft

Earth Day topics are big and complex. So, how should we parents, educators and caretakers approach guiding our children toward environmental responsibility? At almost three years and 15 months old, my sons are still relatively young to tackle this topic, right? Not necessarily.

We are never too young (or too old for that matter) to grasp even the biggest concepts and ideas within many facets of life. I prefer to give children credit for "getting it". So, I am confident that I can begin to instill healthy habits, including those habits of environmental responsibility, in my children now.

So, here are a few ways we're integrating Earth Day into our home:

1. Service - Learning by doing is so effective. In our home, we're implementing a weekly community trash pick-up around our neighborhood. We'll wear our gloves and carry a trash bag. We love walking and exploring the colors, smells, and textures so this project is an extension to our meanderings.


2. Gardening - What better way to celebrate the earth than by getting our hands dirty? Our three-year-old took great pride in turning the soil and planting peas, strawberries, blueberries, and potatoes. He likes to go check on his plants. Understanding the connection between our Earth's soil and plants is one that will last a lifetime. Two great books to go along with this concept are The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus and How A Seed Grows by Helene Jordan. How A Seed Grows is a perfect book to accompany an easy first-experience planting activity with your children.


3. Trip to the Farmer's Market - Buying from local farmers is a wonderful, hands on way for children to learn the Farm to Table concept. We adore Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington which brings this idea home. Farmers' Markets are great because the colors, textures, and often smells provide a rich environment for learning.



Local Farmers markets are a great way to introduce ideas behind Earth Day.

1. Books - We have many books lined up for teaching big topics, like environmental responsibility. Two of our favorite books are What Does It Mean to Be Green? and Sofia's Dream. Thank you, Little Pickle Press, for producing such quality reading for our little spirits. Others include Oh Say Can You Seed by Bonnie Worth, Stuff! by Steven Kroll, Recycle by Gail Gibbons, Earth Day: An Alphabet Book by Gary Kowalski, Big Earth, Little Me by Thom Wiley, Planet Earth by Leonie Pratt, and Earth Day Birthday by Maureen Wright.


2. Activities - Inspired by Allie at No Time for Flashcards, I created a very practical sorting activity that would help my son (and me for that matter) truly understand what items belong in which container. We also created an Earth from an Egg Carton and an Earth Resist Painting.



Resist painting is simple and versatile.

1. Sensory - Combining two of more senses into an activity will not only help your child's brain development but will make for a wonderful experience for your child. A few ways we are doing or have done this approach include Going on a Color Hunt, a nature scavenger hunt around our neighborhood using an egg carton as a collecting "basket", a garden sensory bin, implemented a traditional Montessori Nature Basket, an Earth Day Themed Bath and an Earth Day Themed Sensory Bin.





2. Teachable Moments - There are teachable moments every day. Using these moments has been very effective for us helping ingrain ideas, behavior, and concepts. I am also better able to include my children in every day work around our home. For example, today, I was about to dump coffee grinds into the kitchen compost when I heard the pitter patter of my son, "Watchya doin', Mom?". So I whipped the compost bin down off the counter and showed him how to dump the grinds by tapping the filter on the edge of the bin. We talked about what he was doing and why. I think he got it. Sure we teach by modeling, but why not include our children? "This helps make soil, Mama?" Bingo.

On a final note, I encourage you to check out a wonderful Earth Day Link Up & Blog Hop at Teach Preschool and my collaborative Earth Day Pinterest Board. These sites are great resources with amazing activities and ideas that I am sure you will enjoy with your family.

Thank you for choosing to read this article. I hope that we have inspired you today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marnie is founder and writer of Carrots Are Orange, a blog focused on Montessori inspired ideas and activities, teaching kids about money and musings on parenting. She is a big proponent of positive discipline and nurturing creativity in our children. After nearly a decade in the investment management industry, this MBA turned Mama is currently pursuing her Early Childhood Montessori certification. Marnie graduated with a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and earned her MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business. Hailing from Maine, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young sons. You can connect with Marnie on her blog, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. She looks forward to getting to know you.