Are you wondering what things you can do for Earth Day with your kids? Earth Day is an awesome time to introduce essential concepts such as recycling, pollution, planting, composting, and recycling with kids. These simple hands-on Earth Day activities below will help you get started to celebrate Earth Day at home or at school. Even toddlers and preschoolers can get involved and learn how to help our planet!
What is Earth Day?
Wondering what Earth Day is and how it got started? Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide on April 22 to demonstrate support for protecting the environment.
Earth Day started in 1970 in the United States to focus people’s attention on environmental issues. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of new environmental laws.
In 1990, Earth Day went global, and today, billions of people around the world participate in support of the protection of our Earth. Together, let’s help look after our planet!
How To Celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day is easy to celebrate at home or in the classroom, with fun hands-on learning activities, experiments, and arts and crafts that you can use anytime.
From simple bug hotels to homemade seed bombs to pollution discussions, these Earth Day projects are excellent for teaching kids about the conservation and protection of our planet.
The great part about our Earth Day activities is that you can use what you already have. Complete a STEM challenge or two with items out of the recycling bin. Grab our free printable Earth Day STEM activities below to enjoy!
Remember, Earth Day activities can be done any time of the year, not just during April! Learn about our amazing planet and how to care for it all year!
How Kids Can Help Care For The Environment
Here is a list of great questions to ask kids when preparing for Earth Day. Asking questions without giving the answer is a great way to find out what kids already know and their thoughts and feelings.
Try these simple questions to start:
- What can you recycle?
- What can you do around the house to conserve energy?
- What do plants do for the Earth and us?
- Why shouldn’t we litter, and what is littering?
- Why don’t we dump trash in the ocean?
- What can we make from old or recyclable items?
Talk about some ways you can support the health of our planet around the house with this free printable included in the mini pack below.
Grab Your Free Earth Day Printable Guides
Download this awesome Earth Day project planner below with activities that use virtually no extra supplies than what you already have around. I guarantee you can try each one!
Click here to get your FREE Earth Day STEM challenges!
Try These Earth Day Science Activities
Add a variety of Earth Day theme activities to your lesson plans whether you are in the classroom or at home! You’ll find themed activities for art, science, STEAM, ecology, LEGO, STEM challenges, and more! Click on the links below to learn more about how to set up each Earth Day activity with your kids!
TIP: Many activities below feature free printable instructions and templates to help you get started easily!
Acid Rain Experiment
What happens to plants when rain is acidic? This flowers-in-vinegar experiment can help you set up an easy acid rain science project.
Carbon Footprint Activity
Introduce your kiddos to a simple definition of carbon footprint. Explore ways for kids to reduce their carbon footprint and help the environment with our printable carbon footprint worksheet.
Stormwater Runoff Pollution
What happens to rain or melting snow when it can’t go into the ground? Set up an easy stormwater runoff model with your kids to demonstrate what happens.
Make a Water Filter
Can you purify dirty water with a water filtration system? Learn about filtration and make your own water filter at home or in the classroom.
Oil Spill Experiment
You’ve head about oil spills on the news and read about the cleanup in the newspaper, but did you know you could learn about ocean pollution right at home or in the classroom?
Shells In Vinegar Experiment
What are the effects of ocean acidification? So many great questions for a simple ocean science experiment you can set up in the corner of the kitchen or classroom and check on periodically.
Make “plastic” out of milk
Transform a couple of household ingredients into a moldable, durable piece of a plastic-like substance with this chemical reaction.
Earth Day Oobleck
You have two kitchen ingredients and an awesome Earth Day oobleck science activity your kids will love.
Earth Day Slime
This gorgeous sparkling Earth Day themed slime recipe is a terrific way to explore a cool chemistry experiment. Our Earth should be a shiny special place just like our homemade slime. This is a fun way to engage kids in a great discussion using science and sensory play all at once!
Coffee Filter Earth Day Art (Science & Art)
This coffee filter Earth Day art is great for even non-crafty kiddos. Explore simple science with a colorful take on coffee filter soluble science.
Water Absorption
Combine science and art with this simple water absorption activity. Use eye droppers to create mini Earths with cotton pads and colored water.
Paper Earth
Learn how to make paper and make this paper earth craft from newspaper or other paper scraps you want to recycle.
Earth Day Art Activities
Earth Day Ornament
These Earth Day ornaments made from salt dough are a terrific reminder to look after our Earth.
Earth Day Recycled Craft
Can you believe this Earth Day recycled craft uses egg cartons? So easy to make, fun to wear, recycled materials, and a bit of chemistry too!
Earth Day Pop Art
Inspired by famous artist Andy Warhol, kiddos can create their own pop art using the planet earth as the main subject!
Earth Day Zentangle
Celebrate Earth Day at home or at school with this mindful and relaxing process art activity. Draw zentangle patterns onto our printable Earth template using colored markers or art supplies.
Earth Day Art
Use a fun paint splatter technique for a perfect art project for year-round use and of course, for an Earth Day theme!
Earth Day Coloring Page
Download our free earth coloring page. We made a batch of homemade puffy paint to color our earth for easy Earth Day art.
Newspaper Craft
Reuse your newspaper and make this easy newspaper craft inspired by famous artist, Wassily Kandinsky.
Earth Day Paint Chip Craft
This Earth Day craft with paint chips is fun and easy for kids of all ages.
Printable Earth Day Activities
Visit our Earth Day Printables page to gather resources for your next Earth Day lesson planning session.
Earth Day Playdough Mat
Make your own playdough and set it up for fun play to learn about how recycling works for kids.
Earth Day Bingo
Free printable bingo cards and other Earth Day activities you can do at home or in the classroom. These Earth Day picture-based bingo cards are great for preschoolers!
Earth Day LEGO
Earth Day LEGO Challenge Cards
Try these printable Earth Day LEGO challenges with the bricks you already have for quick STEM challenges!
Earth Day LEGO Building Challenge
Build a LEGO mini-figure habitat showcasing an Earth Day theme!
Grab your FREE Earth Day STEM challenges!
Plant Theme Earth Day Activities
DIY Seed Bombs
One of our favorite Earth Day activities these homemade seed bombs are easy to make and great for gifts too!
Photosynthesis
Find out where plants get their food from and why they are so important for life on earth.
Surprise Garden
For the younger kiddos, pair this simple picture book while planting a container garden on your porch. We even used dollar store supplies to get started!
Start A Seed Jar
Encourage an appreciation for the natural world with this seed germination experiment. Give kids the opportunity to see up close how a seed grows and what would actually be happening under the ground!
Grow Grass Heads
Use a few simple supplies you have on hand to grow these cute grass heads in a cup. Learn about how seeds germinate and grow with this easy plant activity.
Grow Flowers
Watching flowers grow is an amazing lesson for kids of all ages. This hands-on activity allows kids to plant and grow their own flowers!
Earth Day Activities for Birds, Bugs, and Animals
Birdseed Ornaments
Make your own super simple bird seed ornaments and add this fun bird watching activity to your kid’s day.
DIY Bird Feeder
We made a DIY bird feeder for winter, now try this easy cardboard bird feeder for Spring and Earth Day!
Food Chains
A simple introduction to the relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Printable worksheets included!
Biomes Of The World
What biome do you live in? Learn about the world’s different biomes and what makes each unique with this hands-on biome lapbook project.
Build an Insect Hotel
Make an easy bamboo structure for local native bees to lay their eggs this spring.
Bee Hotel
Take the learning outdoors and explore the world of bees with a DIY bee hotel.
Recycling STEM Challenges
Tons of ideas for easy things to make from recycled items. Test out your engineering and design skills today!
Build the Eiffel Tower out of newspapers.
Build a Cardboard Tube Marble Run.
Printable Earth Day Activities Printable Pack
40+ Earth Day science activities and STEM projects for kids that are easy to set up and fit into your available time, even if it’s limited!
- Printable Earth Day theme STEM activities that are simple but engaging for home or classroom. Perfect for K-2 and beyond but easily adaptable to many skill levels.
- Dive into simple background science explanations to share with kids. At the same time, kiddos can explore hands-on and playful experiments, projects, and activities such as cleaning up oil spills, exploring water filters, and more!
- Engaging Earth Day Enginers pack with theme activities, journal pages, and design process steps! Learn about the design process and think like an engineer while you design and build a better recycling can and more!
- Easy to gather supplies makes these STEM activities ideal when you have limited resources available. Specialty activities include growing a grass head, making an insect hotel, DIY birdseed ornaments, and more!
- Additional STEM activities include a recycling sort, brick-building ideas, puzzles, and screen-free coding activities.
- Earth Day Bingo Activity Pack is included as well.
This is a great collection! Thank you for including our terrarium activity!
Hi Love these craft ty so much.