Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day. How will you honor your Earth Mother?

CONNECT:

·        Take a look at Earth Day by the numbers: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/earth-day/87036

·        The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists several books for Earth Day: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/earthday.htm

·        Learn about Earth Day by watching these kid-friendly videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQIzoLURl2g

CREATE:

·        Go international, and play Canadian eco-games at http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/kids_home.cfm

·        Get colorful with this coloring and activities book from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/region5/earthday/happy.html

·        Try one or more of 50 Earth Day activities: http://tinkerlab.com/fifty-earth-day-activities/

CARE:

·        http://earthday2015.ca/25-ways-to-clean-your-commute/ has 25 ways to green up your trip.

·        Start a Recycle Rangers Club with these resources: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/earthday/rangers.htm

·        Be a part of a billion acts of green: http://www.earthday.org/takeaction/

·        Decorate grocery bags for Earth Day: http://www.earthdaybags.org/

CAREERS:

Make some “green” by going green as a career.  Have a job where every day is Earth Day. Find out at:

·        http://idealistcareers.org/inspired-by-earth-day-here-are-jobs-volunteer-opportunities-and-events-to-explore/

·        http://www.epa.gov/careers/

·        http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/Navy%20Pages/eco_careers.htm

Take Time to Smell the Roses …

When we think of spring, we often think of flowers, but they can be found year round in some places. Flowers are more than something to look at and smell. Discover the colorful world of flowers here.

CONNECT:

• Explore flowers with PBS: http://www.pbs.org/parents/catinthehat/activity_exploring_flowers.html
• Find lots of flower facts at http://www.avasflowers.net/facts-about-flowers-for-kids. Try making a trivia game using these facts.
• Did you know that flowers can be a secret language, and have different meanings around the world? Find out at http://www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowersymbolism.htm
• Have you heard of Xrays for flowers? Take a look at floral radiographs to get an inside picture: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~agrxray/

CREATE:

• Celebrate wildflowers, and add color, in your own home by using the Plant Conservation Alliance's coloring books: http://www.nps.gov/plants/color/
• Make your own blooming tea; watch how to do this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaQ-FJAZfXM.  Here’s a list of herbs for teas: http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse/herb/unusual/1339
• Solve the mystery of the Great Plant Escape: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html
• “Eat your weeds, dear.” Yes, you can eat dandelions. Watch how to pick them safely, and prepare them in dishes to eat: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/03/eat-your-weeds-tips-for-picking-and-cooking-dandelions.html

CARE:

• Help create life – and help sustain your family by following the FUNdamentals of “My First Garden”: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/firstgarden/index.cfm
• Take greening to the community by trying one of the service-learning projects detailed at http://www.epa.gov/osw/education/pdfs/svclearn.pdf
• The Great Plans of the MidWest used to spread out over half a million square miles; now less than 2% of the native prairie remains. You can turn a bare dirt field into a prairie in this restoration challenge game: http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/games/prairie/build/index.html
• Create flower crafts, and give them to someone to brighten up their day: http://www.freekidscrafts.com/girls-crafts/flower-crafts-girls-crafts/

CAREERS:

Like getting your hands dirty? Try growing flowers for a living. Like to creat something beautiful? Do flower arranging? Like selling? There are flowershops and gardening centers waiting for you. Here are some starting websites about such careers.

http://www.aboutflowers.com/about-the-flower-industry/floral-industry-careers.html

http://endowment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/AFE-Grow-Your-Future-Career-Brochure.pdf