Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on April 22. First held in 1970, on that day, the world celebrates our planet, and environmental activists raise awareness on the issues related to the dangers our world faces today environmentally. First proposed by peace activist John McConnell as a day to honor the Earth at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, this day quickly became a national celebration.
Not long after that, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed to hold educational forums on the environment on April 22, around the country, hiring Denis Hayes, a young environmental activist at the time, to do the coordination nationwide. Together they named April 22, “Earth Day.”
Today, fifty years later, environmental problems have become a global concern. One of the ways to help save the planet is by buying and selling recycled clothing, especially kids’ clothing. There is a retailer of recycled kids’ items where you can find plenty of toys, clothes, electronics, and much more. You can check here and get something for your children for the next Earth Day celebration.
Children outgrow their clothes faster than they can damage them. That’s why many retailers today have made it their mission to sell recycled kids’ items to help families reduce costs and also help reduce greenhouse emissions.
Do you celebrate Earth Day? Here are some ideas to turn Earth Day into a fun, creative experience for your children and teach them environmental awareness through craft and play. Keep reading and find out more about some crafty ideas for making cool upcycled items out of recycling materials.
Make your own tic-tac-toe game with bottle caps
Why throw the old bottle caps if you can make a perfect tic-tac-toe game? Get a cloth from old kids’ clothing and sew it into a small bag. With a fabric marker, draw the lines of the tic-tac-toe board on the bag.
On three bottle caps, you can draw a circle or leave them empty and draw an X on the other three caps. That way, you could have a bottle cap for each player. Use the bag to keep your caps safe for the next game.
You could also use the idea for checkers
1. Terrariums
Get creative with your old jars and bottles. If you and your children like to plant things or take care of small animals to observe their way of life, you can turn those old plastic bottles and big jars into small terrariums for bugs and lizards. Keep in mind that animals should live in their natural habitat. So at one point, it would be best to set them free. You can even use recycled kids’ toys and put them in the terrarium – a Lego doll, for example.
For your terrarium made of recycled materials, you can use a jar where you can put some dirt, stones, moss, and a small garden plant if you have enough space. Make sure you also have some pieces of wood where the animal can hide. Get creative and arrange the terrarium into a tiny garden.
2. Wind Chimes
You an use old plastic items like straws or recycled kids’ items like plastic bead bracelets, metal cutlery, or even your old rusty watering can turn it into a wind chime. All you need is a string, some creativity, and small recycled items.
You can use old bottles (plastic and metal ones). Turn them into colorful, decorative elements. Paint them with acrylic paint or markers and nail polish. There are plenty of ideas online where you can find some inspiration.
3. Create crafty 3D paintings with Egg cartons
Egg cartons can become a part of your child’s tree painting or a mad scientist portrait. The egg cartons give a 3D effect on the drawing. You can use it to create the tree crown or the mad scientist’s hair. You can even use it to draw the tops of buildings in the city and create a 3D drawing from a bird’s eye view.
The best part? You would use recycled material and participate in the Earth Day celebration.
4. Patchwork
Instead of throwing those old jerseys and dresses, you can turn your children’s clothing into patchwork blankets or carpets. It could be a lot of work, but it is worth it. Turn your kid’s old clothes, especially those that bring you nostalgic memories, into a blanket for the sofa. You can use the patchwork as a bed cover as well. It would be a fun project to do with your children, and they can also join in on the sewing.
When it comes to carpets, you will need a lot of old clothes. Cut them into squares and rectangles of different sizes. Sew the edges together and make sure that the seams are well hidden. You could also use some colorful thread to make it more attractive.
There are plenty of other ways to celebrate Earth Day with your children without harming the environment, such as making recycled paper, using rechargeable batteries, or planting a small garden. What matters is that we all work together to keep our planet clean for years to come!
If you’re looking for more ideas, here are a few more:
- Turn old newspapers into origami cranes
- Make a bird feeder out of an old milk carton
- Save water by using a bucket to shower
- Use a hanger to make a clothesline
- Reuse packing peanuts in new packages or crafts projects
- Collect rainwater in a barrel to use for watering plants or washing
To conclude
Teaching children about the environment today is of great importance. You can be a part of the constant ongoing saving the environment process. You can shop for children’s items from retailers for kids’ toys, apparel, and electronics.
You can also play with your children and teach them to get creative with the things they don’t want to use anymore. Earth day can be every day.
