Easy Ways to Embrace Earth Day on April 22—and Every Day

Every April 22, we celebrate Earth Day worldwide. Established in 1970, Earth Day in many ways marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Today, the day is a way for people of all ages to honour Nature and learn about ways to protect our environment and natural resources.

It’s never too early to share Earth Day and a love of Nature with your child. When we value the Earth, we take care of it. Sharing our values and love of Nature with children can help them grow up to be caretakers of our planet. Even the youngest babies can appreciate Nature’s beauty and start down the path to a lifetime of embracing Earth Day every day.

Here are ten easy ways to honour Earth Day with your child this year.

#1. Do your part.

It may not seem like much but picking up one piece of garbage per day while taking your baby on a walk can make a difference. Toddlers, preschoolers, and older children are often eager to help with this activity. Be sure to be careful (consider wearing gloves and avoid touching sharp edges), dispose of litter or recyclables properly, and wash your hands (and your child’s, if he or she helped).

#2. Plant for pollinators.

Pollinators need our help. Pollinators like bees, moths, butterflies, bats and certain birds are often keystone species, which means they are important to the healthy balance of our ecosystems. In addition, as much as 75% of our human food production depends on their help. Familiar pollinators include Monarch butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds. Nectar-giving plants with colourful flowers are beautiful to look at and help to support pollinator species.

#3. Eat plant-based foods.

Simply put, meat production puts stress on the environment. Even switching to one or two plant-based dinners a week can make a difference (the #meatlessmonday movement has been around for at least a decade as a way to be conscious about plant-based menus). Babies can get in on the plant-based menus, too: soft beans are a terrific finger food for babies just learning to feed themselves.

#4. Use and reuse.

Many of us are already diligent about using fewer disposable water bottles. Other small steps can make a difference, too, like purchasing and reusing a silicone, glass, or metal straw as plastic straws are difficult (if not impossible) to recycle. Although single-use plastic bags have been used frequently during the pandemic, reusable bag use will increase after.

#5. Recycle the tougher stuff.

Of course, for those of us with access to municipal recycling, it’s second nature to recycle glass, plastic, paper and more. Other things are more difficult to recycle, like alkaline and lithium batteries, electronics, and holiday lights—but these things should be kept out of landfills. Many municipal facilities and some retailers offer recycling for these items. 

#6. Make earth art.

Develop an appreciation of Nature’s wild beauty and exercise your creativity. Arranging stones on a beach or collecting fallen leaves or pinecones can be a fun and sensory-pleasing way for you and your child to play together in Nature.

#7. Embrace the rewilding movement.

Efforts called “rewilding” have been underway in Canada to give Nature a chance to reestablish its natural state of abundance and biodiversity. This means preserving public lands as well as natural byways that animals use in migration and reducing city lights overnight during the annual fall and spring bird migrations. Rewilding is also used as a term by families to emphasize reconnecting with Nature, especially during the pandemic lockdowns. Rewilding can be as simple as making time every week or month to be outside in Nature and choosing “green time” over screen time.

#8. Plant a tree.

Worldwide, forests are being logged or cleared for human development. Trees are critical for Earth, to clean our air and trap greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. There are many ways to help, from planting a tree on your property to supporting nonprofits that work on reforestation. For every swaddle or baby memory book purchased, Blloomigo makes a donation to One Tree Planted in an effort to protect our planet. (This time of year is perfect for celebrating trees, as Arbour Week is celebrated in Ontario from the last Friday in April to the first Sunday in May, and Calgary observes Arbour Day on the first Thursday in May.)

#9. Increase your Nature knowledge.

Learning the rhythms of Nature can be a powerful way to build a stronger bond with the planet. An easy way to do this is to observe the changes in the moon with your child over the course of its cycle. Make a game of finding the moon and learning its phases (NatGeoKids has this easy guide). 

#10. Support conservation.

Together, small drops add up to an ocean. From becoming a more conscious consumer to donating to nonprofits like One Tree Planted and others, we can make a difference together in preserving what we love most about Nature.

As parents and grandparents, one of the most powerful things we can do is sustain and share a love of Nature with the next generation. We hope you find some inspiration in our list. Share your way of honoring Earth Day with us on Instagram or Facebook.