Create these fun earth day recipe Rice Krispie treats with your kids and talk about ways to make earth day everyday!
Celebrate Earth Day
As most of you probably know, Earth Day was this past Saturday. While I think that it’s wonderful to have a day to increase environmental awareness, the regular, simple habits that we practice from day to day are what really make the difference.
For the past couple of years, I’ve been working with Dawn Helps Save Wildlife to help increase environmental awareness and spread the word about some of the amazing animal rescue centres that they work with. Today, I wanted to share some easy ways to help make Earth Day everyday and a fun earth day recipe using rice krispie treats. I strongly feel that our “small” earth-friendly daily habits can add up to big changes in the world, and hopefully our children will continue to build on these habits in the future. Strive for progress, not perfection. 🙂
How to Encourage Environmental Awareness in Our Kids
Talk with Your Kids Early.
Point out the little things to your children that you do every day to help protect the earth. Whether it be recycling, turning off the lights when you’ve finished using them, composting, or shutting off the water in between brushing your teeth, explain to your kids why you are doing these things. Have your kids help you decide which foods can compost and what items need to go into the garbage or let them tackle the sorting of the recycling. The earlier that kids learn to do and appreciate these tasks, the more they will get ingrained into their daily habits.
Get Outdoors.
With all of the technology around these days, kids seem to be losing their natural instinct to engage in self-directed outdoor play. Spending time in nature with your children helps them to develop a meaningful connection to the environment and is wonderful for so many areas of their growth and development. Hopefully the more time that our children spend playing in the outdoors, the more motivated they will be to appreciate it and protect it in the future.
When you’re out for a walk, slow down a bit to really look at everything that is around you. Spend time jumping in the puddles or discovering the prettiest rock that you can find. This outdoor scavenger hunt can be a fun game to play with your kids while you’re out exploring your local outdoor areas or away on a camping trip.
Encourage Your Kids to Pack Environmentally Friendly Lunches.
There are a number of re-usable pouches and containers that you can purchase to help reduce the amount of plastic snack bags, packaging, and plastic wrap used for lunches. They’re still easy for kids to pack and can be reused throughout the school year. Not only does it help to cut down on the waste, but it can also encourage healthier eating habits by reducing pre-packaged processed food. Look for bags that can be washed in the washing machine or containers that can go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning after use. Stainless steel lunch kits are a great idea to even further reduce your plastic use as well as stainless steel drinkingbottles to replace juice containers.
Cut Down on Plastic Bags
Cutting down on plastic bags is probably one of the easiest things that you can do – it just takes a little getting used to. Invest in a few strong re-usable bags that you can use when you head out shopping. Always keep a stash in your car in case you unexpectedly decide to shop. I’m always amazed at how many groceries I can pack into one of these bags and I don’t have to worry about the bag breaking with heavier items. If you do have plastic bags, re-use them when possible and be sure to recycle them when you’re finished.
Have Fun
Helping to take care of the earth isn’t about being perfect in every way. It’s more about being educated about the choices you’re making and understanding their impact on the environment. There are many fun ways to learn about animal protection and environmental issues such as local science centres, animal rescue organizations, or resources online or from your community library. If you leave in the San Francisco area, be sure to check out The Marine Mammal Center and International Bird Rescue. They have lots of family-friendly education programs available and are really engaging. You can also check out Dawn Helps Save Wildlife to see what programs and events they’re currently working on.
Earth Day Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
One of the best ways that I find to talk with my kids is when we’re baking in the kitchen. They definitely love their treats and it’s a casual way to talk with them as we’re working. Plus, they’re never as quiet as they are when they’re eating something they love!
To make these Rice Krispie Earth Day pops, just follow my favorite Rice Krispie recipe {using regular Rice Krispies and no cocoa}, and add some blue food coloring once the marshmallows have melted. Once the Rice Krispies are all stirred in, butter up your hands and a circle cookie cutter, and press the Rice Krispies into the circle. Add a paper straw {not plastic!!} if desired and allow them to firm up for a few minutes.
Once you’re done, use some green cookie icing to add in the continents. Please note that our pops *might* not be geographically correct! Thankfully, it was still a fun learning experience. 😉
World Penguin Day
I also wanted to mention that it happens to be World Penguin Day on April 25. {Not to be confused with Penguin Awareness Day in January – lol!} Spend some time with your kids learning about these cute, flightless birds. Read a book, search the internet, watch a documentary, or make up these fun little penguin brownies!
What’s a penguin’s favorite relative?
AUNT ARTICA! 🙂
{Sorry, I had to do it!}
If you would like to learn more about ways to reduce plastic use, check out this post…
For more information on the animal rescue organizations that Dawn supports, please visit the following sites. I’ve personally visited The Marine Mammal Center – once with Dawn and once with my family – and it was an amazing experience.
The Marine Mammal Center
International Bird Rescue
Shedd Aquarium
