Hello TuTiTu fans, young and adult alike! This week we’re celebrating earth day, and what a great time to give thanks for our wonderful planet and think about how we should treat it back and how we all need to help protect the environment. In honor of earth day, here are some useful ideas on how to celebrate it!
Watch a movie
In recent years, and what with Hollywood catching up to the importance of thinking green, many films for children have been made with a specific environmental theme in mind. Watch them with the young ones and discuss the message together! Some of our favorites are The Lorax (everyone loves Dr. Seuss…!), Wall-E and March of the Penguins.
As you enjoy the film, be sure to exercise a critical eye. Depending on the child’s age and level of understanding, try to engage them in a discussion about the film’s topic. Do they understand the problems being presented in the movie? What else can be done to fix them? And so on.
Recycle
One of the key ways to give back to the earth is to recycle our things – it’s a small step we can all do. To encourage the kids, you can show them TuTiTu’s special video for kids – it’s a song about recycling!
You can even make an afternoon out of it. Separate the trash together into different recycling categories to score points and see who gets the most items right in the shortest amount of time. You can prepare in advance special bags for each type of material and decorate them accordingly. Finally, take a trip together to the nearest recycling station and on the way teach the child what each item can be made into!
Make crafts from recycled materials
Here’s a chance for some educational fun! Learn about repurposing items, save money by making instead of buying, and have creative fun in the process. There are a million and one things you can make from recycled materials and a million more ways to upcycle what you already have lying around the house… Get some great ideas from our Pinterest board, Kids love Earth Day!
Take a hike
One way to appreciate the nature around us is to go and see it for yourself! Take the little ones for a hike in a forest, a lake, or whatever lovely piece of ground and fresh air you have nearby.
They will enjoy the physical exercise and you can even use the opportunity to teach them about the nature they see around them: which animals live in your area? How do their own habitats look and what makes your environment fit to house them? Note also the natural environment where you are – can your kid notice different types of trees and bushes? Do any of them grow fruit or flowers?
Turn off the lights
Did you turn off the lights on earth hour? You can make this into a whole activity here too – bring candles and create a blanket fort in the living room. There you can sit cozily together and read a book or play a game in a special atmosphere and without electricity!
Some of our favorite books about recycling are We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers by Lauren Child (from the Charlie and Lola series) and the “Little Green Books” series, for instance Don’t Throw That Away, The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle and I Can Save the Ocean.
How do you celebrate earth day?
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