Earth Day 2009 A Big Success

Earth Day was first observed on April 22, 1970 as a day for celebrating, teaching and learning about the environment. Everywhere you look there are “Go Green” signs. Earth Day was formed as a forum to express concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes and the air. 

A great Earth Day event is the cleaning up of lakes around your community.  One cause of water pollution is trash.  People leave trash on the land, the water washes up and it takes the trash and pollutes the water.  Lake cleanups serve as a hands-on educational experience for the public so they can see up close the harmful effects that litter and waste can have on their lakes.  It also helps to clean the shoreline of tons of trash and debris therefore protecting and beautifying the environment.  They’re fun and easy to do!  Get a group of volunteers together with trash bags and you’re on your way.  Safety is a main concern so be sure all your volunteers wear the right safety apparel:

• high visibility vests if the lake is in close proximity to a busy road or wooded area
• waterproof boots
• heavy duty work gloves

Even though Earth Day is once a year, we should be doing our part to save the planet everyday!  Simple things such as recycling and cleaning up liter can make a huge impact on our environment and its resources.

Children love crafts and it’s a great way to reinforce the importance of recycling.  Here are some fun and easy “earth” crafts for children; one using a plastic milk jug, and the other a cardboard milk carton.

Plastic Jug Watering Can

Young kids will have fun making their own watering can for using in the garden by reusing a plastic jug.

What you'll need:

• ½ gallon plastic milk or juice jug with handle and lid
• small finishing nail or screw
• hammer
• stickers

How to make it:

1. Thoroughly wash out a plastic milk or juice jug.
2. A grown up should use the tip of a finishing nail or screw and a hammer to gently poke holes in the lid of the jug.
3. Have your child decorate the jug with their choice of stickers. Other options to decorate include gluing on yarn or painting the jug.
4. Fill jug with water and put lid back on.
   
   
   

Milk Carton Bird Feeder

Recycle a milk carton and make new feathered friends with this creative nature craft for kids.

What you'll need:

• quart sized cardboard milk carton
• scissors
• string or cord
• hole punch or pencil
• bird seed

How to make it:

1. Have an adult help you cut a hole in the bird feeder – it should be big enough so a bird could come and sit and eat the feed, but not too big or the carton will become unstable.
2. Using the hole punch, cut a hole in the top of the milk carton and put a string through the hole. If you don’t have a hole punch, you can poke a hole on either side of the flap at the top of the carton by poking a pencil through the top.
3. Tie a knot in the string.
4. Fill the carton with bird seed until it reaches the top of the hole.
5. Hang the cart on a tree branch and watch the birds enjoy their snack.