{ Earth day kids activities } Giving thanks for our earth

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

We’re going to start simply, since it’s a weeknight. A wonderful way to kick off a month of celebration of our earth is to encourage your kids to think about the things on earth for which they are grateful.

Book to read: Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp. A beautiful message encouraging us to give thanks for the earth and all it provides for us, written by a Mohawk Iroquois chief. It mentions the parts of our world/universe large (the sun) and small (berries), forces such as the wind, other inhabitants (animals), and reminds us what an honor it is to be a human being on our earth.

Activities:

Ask your kids which things in our natural world they are thankful for, and share what you appreciate most, too.

Make drawings or paintings of “I’m thankful for…” If you like, you can share them on our Earth Day Children’s Art shared Pinterest board. (Follow that board on Pinterest for an invitation.) Integrate what your child is learning in school into the project: think of all the adjectives you can to describe the part of the earth you’re thankful for.

Consider taking time every day this month for sharing what you’re thankful for from the earth. If you are religious, you can add this to your daily prayer. If you are not, your child can write her own version of the Native American message, you can read part of it, or you can simply share informally your appreciation at the dinner table or any time of day: “I am thankful for this crisp, sweet apple that a tree grew for me and can’t wait to eat it for lunch!”