Easy Earth Day Resources and Activities For Kids and Families

Earth Day is coming up next week, serving as an opportunity to reflect on our impact on the natural world around us, and teach our little ones to do the same. Since launching back in 1970, the official Earth Day organization works to "build a historic movement when citizens of the world will rise up in a united call for the creativity, innovation, ambition, and bravery that we need to meet our climate crisis and seize the enormous opportunities of a zero–carbon future."

Creativity, Innovation, Ambition, and Bravery are all traits we hope to inspire in young generations through Piccolina, and Earth Day is a perfect opportunity to instill and exercise these. That's why this month we encourage you and your little ones to think about our collective and individual impacts on Earth, and how we can each do our part to save the planet. We've rounded up some fun – and easy – ways to get involved with Earth Day this year and beyond.

THE FIVE Rs

Okay, so we all know the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), but you may notice a couple of our own additions to the list:

First thing's first – let's get educated. For your kids to understand the importance of what they're doing, they need a little background so we're sharing some book recommendations to help. We've included a few books that are good starting points for learning about how we impact the Earth in our daily lives. These are great for our younger ones, but if you're looking to take things further, we encourage you to learn about some inspiring trailblazing women and girls in environmental history like Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, or young activist Greta Thunberg, to get inspired to make big change!

The Earth Book by Todd Parr
The Earth And I by Frank Asch
A Kids Book About Climate Change by Zanagee Artis
What a Waste by Jess French
Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson
Greta and the Giants by Zoë Tucker

Reduce: Talk to your kids about the importance of conserving energy (ie. turning lights off in unoccupied rooms) and water (ie. turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth) to encourage them to implement these practices in their daily routines. They can make sticky note reminders to place by their light switches and bathroom mirrors.

Reuse: There are limitless ways to reuse common household items for fun, kid–friendly crafts, and it's a great way to practice innovation. In line with the Earth Day theme, you can use old toilet paper rolls to make DIY butterflies, or use Easter's leftover plastic eggs to create these fun, colorful birds.

Recycle: You can also make a recycling chart to put up in the kitchen and keep your recycling bin accessible to the little ones so they can participate in the process. Did you know that many recycling centers will give you anywhere from 5–10 cents for each can or bottle your turn in? You can use this change to start an "ice cream fund" or something similar for added incentive!

Reconnect: Above all, we encourage you to unplug on Earth Day, get outside, and reconnect with nature! Whether you're hitting the beach for some fun in the sun, or setting out for a picnic in the park, make sure to have fun and take a moment to truly appreciate the nature around you. And don't forget to pick up after yourself!