Earth Day: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate!

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The 51st Earth Day is coming up on April 22. Although it’s just one day a year, we have to care for this Earth we live on the same way we care for ourselves daily! This Earth Day’s theme is “Restore our Earth.” This focuses on the need to reduce our impact while we’re recovering from COVID-19 effects but repairing the damage done so far! It is so important to extend Earth Day past April so we can protect it for our future.

A hand holding a globe (Earth Day: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate! Ana-Sofia DuLaney Contributor Miami Mom Collective)

So here 5 easy ways to celebrate Earth Day that are fun and help our earth! 

1. Take an Earth Day walk!

This may seem so simple but take a walk around your neighborhood, observe the beauties that surround us with your children and all that we are striving to protect. Make it into an activity, play “I Spy” and search for different natural items. Help them understand deeply that the Earth is our home and it’s our only one! If possible, head out to Everglades National Park or Biscayne National Park, two incredible United States National Parks that are right in our backyard. Enjoy the wildlife and the natural wonders. 

2. Make some seed jars!

This little experiment/activity is so fun and so easy. It’s also an Earth Day activity that keeps on giving! 

All you need are some bean or pea seeds (your favorite kind), a mason jar or another clear glass, and paper towels. Oh, and water of course! 

Seed packets, a jar and a paper towel (Earth Day: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate! Ana-Sofia DuLaney Contributor Miami Mom Collective)
Your only necessary items!
Seeds planted in a jar (Earth Day: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate! Ana-Sofia DuLaney Contributor Miami Mom Collective)
Wet the paper towel, water guns optional! The seeds should be visible from the outside!

Pick your seeds, wet the paper towel but don’t soak it too much, and place in your jar, then place your desired seeds around the jar so you can see them clearly from the outside. 

The good thing about peas and beans is that they sprout so quickly you can see results within one day. You can talk to your kids about how long they think the seeds will take to germinate or sprout.  

Earth Day and National Garden Month are both in April, I don’t think that’s a coincidence, do you? So, once your peas or beans have sprouted and are about 2 inches tall, take them out. Plant them in a recycled pot or your garden and you’ve got a gift that keeps on giving! 

Which brings me to…

3. Make a garden!

Yes, yes. I’m at it again… but building a garden, however small, is such a treat! If you did the seed jars, you already have somewhere to start. You can check out some of my older posts here on starting a garden. 

This is an activity with purpose that will keep on giving throughout National Garden Month and make Earth Day every day. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a lot of space or time, small planters can work just as great to grow some quick veggies, herbs, or flowers!

Ana-Sofia DuLaney Contributor Miami Mom Collective

4. Read some Earth Day-themed books.

As you all know, reading with your kids serves so many incredible purposes. 

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a timeless book about treating our planet with kindness and the difference one person can make. We love it! A little hack, you can also watch this movie! It’s so cute, funny, and educational!

Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson, a gorgeous book bringing to life the story of empowerment of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize. 

If We Were Giants by Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith is a young adult novel about a young girl trying to save her forest community. It teaches community and living in harmony with nature. It’s brought to you by renowned musician, Dave Matthews, and children’s book author Clete Barrett Smith.

5. Practice being eco-friendly.

There are some quick and easy ways to help our Earth on a daily basis. Reducing our use of single-use plastics, using reusable totes, turning off lights when we leave rooms, and being mindful of our waste and recycling. It is so crucial to teach our kids about sustainability, respect for our Earth, and waste. Our carbon footprint can be diminished if we all make tiny, easy changes! Remember, reduce, reuse, and recycle isn’t a slogan for nothing.

For some more in-depth ideas, go back to one of my earlier posts, Eco-Friendly Moms and Families

A handful of soil (Earth Day: 5 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate! Ana-Sofia DuLaney Contributor Miami Mom Collective)I hope you’re able to use these ideas to make your Earth Day meaningful and fun with your children. May you put this into practice not just on Earth Day but every day and see the majesty in our planet. Please always feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

What will you be doing to celebrate?

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Ana-Sofia DuLaney
Ana-Sofia is a Miami native that chose to never leave her hometown. She attended FIU and is an attorney that graduated from the University of Miami School of Law. Ana-Sofia finally became more than friends with her childhood neighbor after over 10 years, and now they are happily married! She was a proud dog mom before she became a human mom, and after the birth of their now four-year-old son, Ana-Sofia has been lucky enough to work from home. In August 2021, their family grew by one more and they welcomed a new baby boy to the bunch! She loves traveling with her family but also loves staying home curled up on the couch. An avid Dave Matthews fan, Ana-Sofia is also a self proclaimed extroverted introvert, grammar freak, Harry Potter obsessed, Heat and UM cheering, and gardening loving mama that hopes she’s doing right by her sons while trying to reduce her ecological footprint. Follow her on Instagram as she tries to live each day fully @TheAnaMachine or her gardening journey on @GardeningInJeans