Earth Day was started in 1970 by a former senator, Senator Gaylord Nelson. At the time, there were no environmental laws prohibiting businesses from polluting the air or water. Once scientists started noticing and actively speaking out against various forms of pollution and how the pollution was affecting the ecosystem and the environment, Senator Nelson took action. In the next decade or so, most environmental laws we now take for granted were put into effect, such as the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. To learn more about the history of Earth Day, check out: https://www.epa.gov/earthday.

Here are some activities you can do with your children to celebrate Earth Day:

• Create a nature journal. Each member of the family fills one page with a different plant, insect, animal, etc. Include drawings, descriptions, fun details and facts, or anything else you can think of!

• Play nature bingo. Print out an empty 5 x 5 bingo template. Each family member fills the board with what they can observe in their backyard or out the kitchen window.

• Learn about National Parks from home. Pick a National Park, then pick a unique feature from that park and learn more about it.

• Build a bird feeder together. Enjoy months of observing different birds outside your kitchen window.

All the activities mentioned above can be fun and enriching, but take the time to just go outside with your family and enjoy the nature around you!

References:

Earth Day ‘70: What It Meant. Nelson, Gaylord. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/earth-day-70-what-it-meant.html

Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). https://www.epa.gov/earthday