{Earth day kids activities } We can’t use it all up

Part of our series of Earth Month activities for kids. Join us as we celebrate and learn about our earth all month long!

Our earth gives us everything we need to live. It’s full of amazing, incredible resources and creatures. But what happens if we use it all up? Today we introduce the ideas of conservation, renewable vs. non-renewable energy, and resource management. In upcoming days we’ll suggest more physical activities — for today, we’ll get the conversation started.

Book to read: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The classic book to start Earth Day conversations. The narrator tells a young child of how long ago he discovered a paradise of Truffula trees and other wonders, and how his greed destroyed the ecology little by little until the environment’s last hope rested on a single seed.

Activities:

Ask your kids what kinds of things on the earth might be in danger of getting used up if we’re not careful and talk about how people are using those resources.

Figure out how your family can use less or recycle and renew.

Ask about how we get our power, whether the resources it comes from can be used up, and is there an alternative source we can harness that protects the limited resources.

Talk about how resources can be managed responsibly. For younger kids, you could use a tree farm or responsible fishing practices as an example. For older kids, you could talk in more detail about deforestation — kids.mongabay.com has photos of deforestation along with facts, a quiz, and tips for how you can help.