Happy Earth Day with kids!

image from Anthropologie

 

Today is the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day.  So how has Earth Day changed our world?  Watch this quick video from ABC Good Morning America

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/earth-day-changed-world-10452701

We have been celebrating Earth Day all week by continuing the work on our paper tree.  This year, we have combined both Earth and Arbor Day together.  This is mainly because Arbor Day happens to fall on the same day as Easter Sunday.  Our tree, that is made from recycled products; has been a continuous art project this entire month.   We’ve added items like paper birds, cicadas, butterflies and even small Earth globes.   The kids are having a great time with it!

During the month, we have tried to do something small each day to do our part for the earth.   Matthew has made some beautiful newspaper beaded jewelry for us to wear on our Earth Day Craft Day.  He has now taken it upon himself to create a new recycle box so he can throw recycled items into it.  We have made newspaper origami pots for our seedlings we are starting this year.  This was surprisingly easy to do and the kids love planting things so now we are all set for this year.  Here is a video on how to make them - http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-newspaper-pots-for-seedling-using-origami

Yesterday we visited our local park that has a creek and picked up some of the bottles and cans we found lying around and disposed of them properly. 

Going forward, the kids are excited to volunteer next Saturday to plants some trees in one of our nearby towns.  We are also using our recycled egg cartons that we now have from our egg dying party to make Egg Carton Flowers! 

 

This is a great month to add awareness of our planet and trees to the children’s growing education. 

Here are some internet freebies we found for Earth Day:

   Free 12 page Earth Day Activities Book for Kids (PDF)

 

Recycling Crafts: Rolled Paper Beads

To help celebrate Earth Day we have started to create Paper Bead Necklaces that we will wear during our Earth / Arbor Craft Day this year.   These are so easy and wanted to share the How-to with you!

Recycling Crafts: Rolled Paper Beads and Necklaces!

pictures from creativejewishmom.com


Supplies:

• glossy printed pages, grouped according to color theme  (multicolored, earth tones, black and white print)
• white glue
• something smooth to roll the bead around — the handle of a paintbrush (these are nice because the taper of the handle makes the beads easier to slide off) dowels, pencils or pens, broomsticks?
• scissors
• varnish — spray or water based brush-on acrylic (optional)
• glass or wooden beads (optional)

Step By Step How-To:

Step 1: Cut an elongated triangle out of catalog or magazine paper. (the base of the triangle will determine the length of the bead, the longer the triangle, the chubbier the bead) Rough proportions for this triangle are 2" base and 7" length. Experiment with different sizes to obtain a result you are happy with.

Step 2: Smear a bit of the glue on the inside of the triangle as shown.  If you apply glue along the entire length it will be hard to slide the bead off the stick after rolling.

Step 3: Starting at the wide end, roll the triangle around your stick of choice.

Step 4: For best results roll carefully such that when the bead is entirely rolled, the end point of the triangle will lie at the center point. (see picture)


Step 5: Carefully slide bead off the stick. If you rolled your bead too tight at the rolling step, you will discover it at this time, as your bead will be stuck! (If this is the case roll more loosely with the others...)

Step 6: Set beads aside to dry on a glue-free surface, such as a clean plate, and be careful to keep them separated or they may stick together as they dry. When dry, beads can be sprayed with a coat of gloss varnish for extra protection and shine. Water based acrylic varnish can be brushed on— a less hazardous and healthier option but more work!


Step 7: When the glue is dry, beads can be strung on a variety of materials— dental floss, yarn, kite string, fishing line or wire. You might want to string heavier glass or wooden beads in between the paper beads to give the necklace a more satisfying weight, and allowing the necklace to lie nicely on the proud wearer!

Step 8: Enjoy! And remember beads are not just for girls! They can be used for a wide variety of projects other than necklaces.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Happy Earth Day! 

Wow did we ever accomplish a lot of stuff. The day before Earth Day the kids worked diligently on presentations on Land, Water and Air pollution that they planned to present to the whole family after dinner. This was an absolutely impressive project that they accomplished. We also took a walk to collect bottles and cans found around our neighborhood.

Matthew found old round buttons in my craft box and turned them all into replicas of our Earth. He then used pipe cleaners and created bracelets for both Kristen and myself to wear today. What an awesome piece of jewelry and both of us proudly wore these masterpieces all day long.