Earth Day is the perfect time to help kids connect with nature, learn about the environment, and discover how even small actions can make a big difference. Whether you’re homeschooling, planning a classroom celebration, or just looking for a meaningful way to spend the day as a family, these hands-on Earth Day activities are a great way to inspire young environmentalists. From getting a little messy with seed bombs to planting trees and sorting recyclables, these creative ideas will have your kids learning, laughing, and loving the planet all at once. Let’s dive into some Earth-friendly fun!
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Pick Up Garbage & Recycle
My daughter and I have a tradition every Earth Day – we go out for breakfast then spend some time in the parking lot and around the restaurant picking up trash. We choose a different location every year and we pack our gloves, garbage bags or cans, grabber tools and do our part to clean up! My kid loves using the grabber tool so she has a ton of fun with this and we feel good when we’re done.
These are the garbage grabber tools we use. I like this tool because it has a great grip, it’s sturdy, and it folds for easy storage.
If the parking lot or area we are in doesn’t have much trash (YAY!), we will drive around and look for a spot that needs some cleaning up. We sort the trash into recyclables, compostable items, and landfill waste (as best as we can) to ensure proper disposal.
Make a Bird Feeder
This is always a fun activity! The first time we made these DIY bird feeders was at a homeschool meetup at a local wildlife park. Then we made them again on a camping trip (using pinecones) and now we make a new one every Earth Day.
Use materials like cardboard rolls from toilet paper or paper towels, pinecones, or thick cardboard cut into large shapes.
Tie some twine, string, or fishing line around the top of the pinecones, through the center of the paper roll, or through a punched hole in your cardboard shape. This will be for hanging the bird feeder, so leave a good length of loose string.
Slather some peanut butter or other nut or seed butter all over the pinecone, or around all sides of the cardboard. NUT ALLERGIES? Use mashed banana instead of nut butter.
Then add a thick layer of birdseed over the nut butter. You can also use seeds, oats and dried fruit if you don’t have birdseed. I like this nut, seed, and fruit mix birdseed because the seeds are already out of their shells making every bit of it completely edible and less messy!
Immediately hang your bird feeder outdoors in a high, safe location for the birds to enjoy!
Make and Plant Earth Day Seed Bombs
One creative and eco-friendly thing to do on Earth Day is making flower seed bombs. We love to make them a few days before Earth Day, then give them out as gifts wherever we go. Especially because they look adorable wrapped up with our FREEBIE Earth Day Seed Bomb Gift Tag!
These little balls of beauty help spread wildflowers, support pollinators like hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, and add color to dull spaces. Plus, they’re super hands-on and fun to make! Here’s how to make them>>> DIY Flower Seed Bombs for Earth Day
Start a Garden with Silly Eggshell Planters
These eggshell planters make such a cute project for kids and are a great start to a beginner garden! All you need are some intact eggshells, a permanent marker, soil, and vegetable (or flower) seeds.
Line a plate or tray with a paper towel.
Clean out the eggshells and carefully draw a silly face on the outside of each shell. Set them out on the plate or tray. Then fill each shell with some soil and plant seeds inside.
TIP: to help the eggshells stand upright, form half a pipecleaner into a circle and use it as a base for the bottom of the eggshell. You might need to adjust the pipecleaner depending on the size of the eggshell.
Give them a little water and some sunlight – they will grow best in a warm location.
Once the seedlings sprout, it will start to look like your egg face is growing hair! Encourage your kids to talk to their new garden eggshell friend every day (I swear it helps them grow).
Once the eggshells have sprouted a strong head of hair, you can plant the entire eggshell into the ground or planter—the shell will decompose and provide nutrients for your growing plants and soon your family will have a new little garden!
Plant a Tree
My husband is an arborist – aka “tree guy” – so trees are kind of a big deal around here and planting a tree in your yard or community is one of the best ways to help the Earth! Trees provide oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, reduce air pollution, and create homes for birds and other wildlife. They also provide shade and can help lower energy costs in urban areas. But there is a proper way they need to be planted!
If you want to plant a tree, be sure to check out this short video of my daughter, Emily, explaining how to plant it correctly, so you can grow a healthy tree!
Check around in your community for local tree-planting events; they are a lot of fun for the entire family! If there are no events in your area, you can always plant a tree at home. There are many varieties that can be planted in the ground or simply in a large pot.
Reduce Energy Use for the Day
OK – we live in a state where the cost of energy is RIDICULOUS so we are always reducing our energy use in general. But you can celebrate Earth Day by cutting down on electricity use for at least a day. Turn off unnecessary lights, unplug devices, and spend time outdoors instead of using screens. Have a picnic dinner or go for a walk. Consider biking or walking instead of driving to reduce your carbon footprint. Small energy-saving actions can add up to a big impact for our planet!
This Earth Day, gather your kids, classroom, family and friends and take part in these fun and meaningful activities to help make the planet a little greener. Each of them encourages eco-friendly fun: making seed bombs, planting trees, picking up trash, and gardening are all hands-on ways to engage with nature and inspire environmental stewardship. Because our planet really is ‘DA BOMB!
Happy Earth Day!