Celebrating Earth Day is a great way to welcome spring and remind your kids about the importance of respecting and protecting the Earth.

The holiday is a great learning opportunity to show your kids little steps they can take to help conserve the planet.

There are so many fun outside activities you can choose from to help your kids learn. It is also an excellent opportunity to do different activities with your kids. We’re all itching to get outside after winter, so this helps us do that too. Check out these activities you can do with your kids this Earth Day.

Plant a tree

Growing up, this was the tradition I remember doing with my parents. We would get a little pine tree and find a spot in our yard for it, and then we watched it grow every year. Adding in this tradition could be a great way to help the environment. You don’t have to plant a tree every year, but instead, you could add different plants or plant one tree and measure it every year to see how much it has grown.

Scavenger hunt in nature

Kids love searching for things (especially if there’s a prize involved or it’s not something in the house), so why not build a scavenger hunt around nature? Create a list of things for your kids to find, and then you can take pictures of them. Be sure not to disturb any of the animal habitats. You can keep things simple for small kids and add further challenges for older kids, such as specific birds.

Clean up the neighborhood.

You can organize a group to clean up your neighborhood or a nearby park. Use it as a learning experience to teach your kids about the dangers of plastics in the environment. My kids always get upset when they see a bunch of trash on the ground, so they already know that it can be harmful.

Make your own rainwater collection system.

This project is a great way to teach your kids how to conserve water. You can use rainwater for different things around the house, such as watering houseplants or flushing the toilet if you’re ambitious. You can add other lessons about conserving water by turning off the sink while brushing their teeth or doing dishes.

Camp out in the backyard.

Another fun way to enjoy nature is by camping out in your backyard. Your kids will hear the sounds of nature they usually don’t. If it’s warm enough where you are, it’s a good time of year to do this before the bugs all start to come out. You can also stargaze and take some time to relax in nature.

Use stuff you usually recycle as art.

Take the egg cartons and cut them up or use an old box and create something new. Your kids probably do this plenty anyway, but you can use it as a fun Earth Day activity and give them permission to take any of the recyclables they want to make something new.

Adopt an endangered animal.

Look at different organizations that will let you sponsor or adopt an endangered animal. You can use this as a learning experience and show your kids how important it is to protect the species we still have. Talk about what it means when a species is endangered and which ones we’ve lost already.

Get into composting.

This healthy habit can become part of your routine. Depending on your circumstances, there are a few different methods to try out. It will lighten up the landfill while creating excellent fertilizer for your garden.

Have an outdoor party.

Having friends and family over to celebrate Earth Day is another great way to appreciate being out in nature. Grab some yummy food and fire up the grill. Make sure to talk about the importance of cleaning up, or if you head to a park for your party, you can help clean up around the area too.

Make a birdhouse or feeder.

My kids love watching the animals outside, so you could turn this one into a craft of making your own birdhouse or bird feeder to encourage the birds even more. Your kids can have a lot of fun decorating, putting the feeder up, and then seeing what kinds of birds show up.

Make Earth Day-inspired cookies.

No holiday is complete without some baked goods. Use this as an opportunity to create some Earth cookies to share with your kids. You can either color the dough blue and green or use the equivalent to decorate them after they’re baked.

Let your kids pick.

Kids often come up with great ideas we may not think of. Ask for their input on what they might want to do to celebrate. They may think of some things that are important to them that we might have missed.

While Earth Day can be somewhat overlooked, you can bring some fun and educational activities for your kids to celebrate. Get them involved in caring for the environment so they understand how important it is to respect the area they live in. Have some fun while you’re at it, and enjoy the warming weather.