Happy Earth Day!

For as long as I can remember, I've loved Earth Day. Conservation is a huge passion of mine, and I knew that I wanted to pass that on to my children. Today I'm always trying to teach M about conservation and how we need to preserve our planet for the next generation. We always do crafts and activities on Earth Day because it's an easy way for her to learn, and it's fun for her. Here are a few ideas we're trying this year that you and your little one can try with us!

1) Plant something! Whether it's a tree, a plant, or some beautiful flowers, your kiddo will love playing in the dirt and you'll be helping the planet!

2) Make toilet paper roll bird feeders. These are a favorite of ours. Just get an empty toilet paper roll (make sure all of the paper is off!), punch two holes in the top to run some string through so you can hang it, smear it with some peanut butter, roll in birdseed, and hang! It's an incredibly easy craft and the kids will love to watch the birds come and eat off their roll!

3) Start recycling. This may be a no brainer, but there are tons of households that don't recycle. If you don't, give your local city hall a call and see if they offer recycling services. You may be able take a little field trip down to the recycling center so the kids (and you!) can learn all about how recycling works.

4) Conserve energy. This is definitely an easy one. Start teaching your children to turn out unnecessary lights, and to unplug unused electronics. You can even make it into a scavenger hunt to find electronics that don't need to be plugged in.

5) Seed bombing. This is another personal favorite of mine. Every town has that vacant lot(s) that's overrun with weeds, and not even remotely attractive to look at. Seed bombing is perfect for those eyesores! Find instructions here.

6) Reuse your trash. That glass spaghetti jar you chunked in the trash after making dinner last night? That could be used to store other things, such as crayons or craft supplies. (Cute tutorial here. They made Easter jars, but you could use any animal!) That green bean can could be repurposed into a planter to grow herbs indoors. Getting new tires? Bring an old one back home to plant flowers in. It's actually pretty cute once it's finished!

7) Reduce your amount of waste. M loves to drink water, but she wants to drink it out of the tiny water bottles, which means we go through 5-10 water bottles a day. Our solution? Buy a water purifier for our tap and buy her a pretty reusable bottle that she's excited to drink out of. No more water bottles piling up!

8) Start a compost pile. Compost piles are great for fertilizing plants and flowers, and they're fun for kids to make! Buy (or repurpose!) a container with a lid, let your child decorate it, and start composting.

9) Go on more bike rides. M loves to visit the library, which is just a short distance from our house, but we've been driving to it whenever we go, though I'm not sure why. If it's a nice day, and you'd be biking through a safe place, why take the car? Hop on your bike to take the trip! It reduces air pollution and gives you exercise.

10) Return those grocery bags to the store. Most grocery stores have a bin where you can return used grocery sacks. When you get home with your groceries, save the bags and return them on your next trip. I always put mine in my trunk so I don't forget them when I go back. You could even go a step farther and buy reusable bags.

How are you celebrating Earth Day this year?