Daddy What is Earth Day?

Last weekend, My wife and I where talking about how we were going to celebrate Earth Day. My three year old daughter overheard us and asked if we could celebrate with "lots of candy". (like the other holidays and birthdays she knows). Earth Day is one of the more grown-up holidays like Veteran's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Human Rights Day) where there is more thought, and less candy in the celebration of the day. Therefore, trying to explain Earth Day to a three year old is not easy. I gave it a shot, but I don't think it resonated. My very poor attempt was trying to explain that we live on a planet, with the sky, trees, grass and animals and we need to share this space with others. I said it in a lot more words than that. I was greeted with a blank stare. Maybe celebrating with candy is easier.

At this age kids learn from watching their parents. So, instead of trying to explain what Earth Day is, I'm going to show her how to celebrate. We're going for a hike, doing some gardening and working on the recycling concept. (She does understand there are two colors of trash cans and two different trucks that collect them).

There's no substitute for getting outside and enjoying the day, but if you're reading this, you may be looking for a way to celebrate Earth Day with you're kids. Here's a few cool Earth Day Education websites I found:

http://ww2.earthday.net/~earthday/node/12
http://resources.kaboose.com/games/earthday.html

If you find additional resources, please share them with other readers in the comments below.

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