Earth Day Every Day - 5 Simple Artsy/Scrappy Projects You and Your Kids Can Do Now

Earth Day was 22 April but it’s never too late to do things to help out the environment. Best of all, these 5 simple ideas can be turned into hybrid scrapbooking or art projects!

1. Be gasoline-free and walk or bike to work, school, or shopping as often as you can. It’s good exercise, good for the environment, and you’ll save money, too. Take your camera and snap photos of your journey. You’ll be surprised with what you see when you aren’t zooming by in a car.
   


2. Create recycling bins or decorate your current ones. Cut out pictures of plastic bottles, paper, and aluminum cans from old magazines (recycling again!) and create a collage label. Adhere to the bins with clear laminating shelf protecting material (like Contact paper) to protect it from the weather. But don’t worry – if they get damaged by sun or rain or even just everyday use, you can always make more using more old magazines!
   


3. Create a special recycling bin for items that can be used in future art and craft projects. When you come across bits of ribbon or yarn, stray buttons, pieces of cardboard, scraps of colored paper, or even small pieces of broken toys, put them in this bin. When you have a craft day or just need inspiration, go to the art bin and see what you find. Don’t forget to make a special collage label, too!
   


4. Get together with your family and create an artsy altered journal with ways your family can help the earth. Decorate it with photographs, poems, and pictures cut from old magazines and catalogs. Update it weekly or monthly so you can see your progress. Encourage the kids to create their own journals and identify projects they can do themselves. They may also be able to use their project for school credit or, if they’re in a scouting group, for an activity award.
   


5. Grow something. Plant a tree or a seed in a pot, garden, or backyard and watch it sprout and grow. Take a photo of it
   every week and make a brag book sized (6”x4”) journal album all about it
   including how often you water and fertilize it. If you planted a fruit or vegetable, what did you do with it when it was ripe? Include a recipe if you wish.

Don’t forget to visit your local library
and read more about the earth and our environment.
A couple of good books are
The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss and
50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, by The EarthWorks Group.