At our St. Johns preschool, we hold the belief that sustainability in childcare is important for the future of the community, environment, and our students. That’s why we instill various sustainability initiatives in our students from a young age. As Earth Day approaches, a day to educate and demonstrate support for environmental protection, it’s important to think of activities we can do with our children to help celebrate the earth. Here are a few ideas:
Plant a Fruit or Vegetable Garden
A lot of children love digging around in the dirt, so this is definitely an activity they can get excited about. Whether you plant in your own backyard or a rented garden plot, planting your child’s favorite fruits and veggies will help teach them how to nurture the environment. As an added bonus, fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies make a great snack!
Scavenger Hunt
Make a list of various things your child may find outside like sticks, rocks, leaves, pinecones, and things like plastic bottles or paper cups. Once they’ve collected everything on the scavenger hunt list, you can discuss the impact each of the items has on nature (pinecones carry seeds to help grow more trees, birds use sticks for their nests, etc.). For any paper or plastic items, discuss how these do not belong in nature and how they should be properly recycled to have a good impact on the earth.
Sort Recyclables
If you don’t already have separate bins for recycling purposes, make some with your child and have them help in the sorting process. After you’ve collected and sorted a lot, together you can take the recyclables to machine for depositing bottles or cans. See how many items you can recycle, and let your child keep whatever money you get for them as a reward for her efforts.
