Here's a Fun Earth Day Project for the Kids

There's no better way to teach children about the significance of Earth Day and preserving the world's natural resources than combining a recycling project with the opportunity to plant something and watch it grow.

That's just want the children at the Brandon, Riverview and SouthShore Montessori Schools did.

The kids put rye grass seed and potting soil into recycled socks that they decorated with googly eyes, chenille puff ball noses and yarn mouths. They then watered the soil daily and watched their "Earth Day Zombies" sprout a full head of hair over several weeks. 

Then the students trimmed and styled the "hair."

Here's some more Earth Day activities for kids from No Time for Flash Cards:

Recycled bird feeder

You will need an empty milk carton, a bamboo skewer, dowel or chopstick, scissors, ribbon and birdseed.

Cut an opening in the milk carton. You will want it to start about an inch from the bottom. When that is done, poke a hole under that for the dowel/chopstick and one on the opposite side of the carton. Poke the dowel through. Poke a hole in the top of the carton for the ribbon that will be used to hang the feeder. Thread the ribbon through and knot it. Fill with bird seed. Hang it outside and wait for the birds.

Earth Day tambourine

You will need two paper plates, something to make some sound ( bigger is pasta, cereal), some green crayons, blue paint, a large brush or sponge, a stapler or a hole punch and ribbon.

Give your child the plates and have them draw the land of the earth with green crayons. They need to press hard for the wax to be thick enough for the paint to be repelled. Do both plates.

Cover the plates with the blue paint. The paint should be repelled from the wax. If the paint is covering it, just blot it with a paper towel. Do the second plate and let dry.

If you are doing the ribbons for securing the plates, punch the holes in both plates at the same time. Make sure the holes are close enough together that the stuff inside doesn’t fly out.

Put the pasta or cereal inside.

Tie the plates together with the ribbons or staple them together. Then make some music.

Recycled UFO

You will need an old CD, some washed-out single-serve applesauce containers (you can also use egg carton cups), paint, a paint brush, some foam sheets (or colored paper), glue and scissors.

Paint the two plastic containers. Set aside to dry.

Cut the foam sheets or colored paper into small shapes. Glue onto the CD. Let this dry. Cut more shapes out to use as windows and doors for your UFO. When the paint it dry, glue your windows and doors on.

Glue the CD onto the bottom container first. Glue the top on and let your UFO dry completely.

About Earth Day

Earth Day always falls on April 22. This observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues. In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. McConnell chose the spring equinox (March 21, 1970) and Nelson chose April 22. Millions of people participated and today Earth Day continues to be widely celebrated with events on both dates. The most common practice of celebration is to plant new trees.

Do you have some great Earth Day ideas? Be sure to share them in the "comments" section.