On the 22nd April people across the globe will be celebrating the 50th Earth Day. This year’s theme is climate action. The aim of Earth Day is for everyone to do their bit to protect and restore our planet. Earth Day was originally started in 1970 as a response to environmental crisis where oil spills, river pollution and smog were of major concern. The Earth Day movement aims to facilitate change for the planet and it’s population.
What can you do at home to support Earth Day and to learn about climate change?
- Talk about how to reduce the energy that you use; switching off lights, turning the tap off when cleaning your teeth, walking instead of driving, etc.
- Explore the images about climate change on 3D Geography.
- Plant some seeds. Looking after nature is a great way to teach children about how nature helps to look after our planet. You could even reuse some waste products to plants seeds in; egg shells, plastic containers, egg cartons, etc.
- Explore Nasa’s Climate Kids activities.
- Older children could research climate change to create a leaflet, poster, project book or video presentation. The WWF have a very detailed page on climate change with a variety of activities and presentations.
- Recycle together. Ask your child to help you to sort your recycling waste whilst you talk about the materials that can be recycled.
- Use ice cubes to show the effects of heat on the polar ice caps. If you have toy penguins or polar bears you could use the ice to set up a small play world.
- Explore some STEM climate change activities.
