Earth Day DIY Crafts that Grow On You - Literally
The earth is our home, so the celebration of Earth Day should be a big one! If you love everything from the trees to the birds to the seas, try these Earth Day Crafts this year. Some of them will literally grown on you, or wherever you plant them. Preferably in the ground somewhere or in a pot. If that's your thing.
Whole World In Your Hands Plate
Teach your kids about the beauty of the earth with this hand painted and cute Earth Day craft. Let them get their hands nice and messy for this one with a big sheet of recyclable or sustainably made paper and then once it's dry, cut out hearts.
You'll need some brown paper for the hands, but this is a great time to use up brown paper bags from the store! If you use non-toxic, natural paint, you could even throw it all into the composting bin once you're done or feed it to your worms if you have a vermiculture composting system! (We know you do). For a while anyway, you can enjoy eating some chocolate earth balls on them or just looking at them on the fridge or taped to a door in your home.
Flower Child Crown
Is your family eco-friendly? Who deserves the crown for giving the most back to the Earth? You can crown whoever reigns supreme by making this crown of grass craft. Much like the one above, you can easily use biodegradable and non-toxic paper for the crown and even cotton fabric scraps to make flowers. Stickers are fine too, but they'll take longer to break down or won't at all if they're plastic of any kind. Get your scissors and glue out and get ready to make someone in your household Earth Day royalty.
Seeds Of Change Craft
You may have seen these, but maybe not in this form. We love this reusable paper craft that actually has seeds hidden inside! All you need to do is put it in the dirt and it'll sprout seeds. If you want to spread your love of the planet, you'll simply have to try this craft. You can use whatever wildflower or herb seeds you'd like. Whoever you give one of these flower bombs to will think of you year-after when the flowers bloom. Plus, the bees and pollinators that visit the flowers will thank you too!
People Of The World
It's important to unite on Earth Day. Bring the people you love together by creating this beautiful and inspiring Earth Day craft. If you've ever made paper angel chains, the idea is similar. You'll just have to use recyclable paper for the little people and the earth. Have your kids do this project with you to teach them a little something about teamwork. At the end of craft time, you'll have something you can frame and keep as a reminder that the world we live in is a place we should spend more time protecting and honoring.
Planet Play Dough
Kids love to play with stuff. They probably can draw the earth, but do they know what's inside? This is a great science and art lesson all in one. You can start with a little class about the layers of the earth. Freshen yourself up on the earth's mantel, crust, and molten core and then give your kids the task of creating little globes. At the end of the "class" you can cut them all open to see if your kids were truly paying attention! And then rewards them with some little chocolate globes of their own!
Biodegradable Binoculars
Now, these won't let you see far away, but they will be a fun plaything for your kids to "observe" nature with. Save your toilet paper and paper towel rolls for this craft. With some glue and tape, you'll be able to make binoculars for your whole family. Then, maybe take a trip to the local forest, meadow, or even the park to go on a safari. Make a checklist for insects, animals, and plant species your kids should hunt for and fun facts about all of the above. It'll be a lesson and fun bonding activity that will enlighten them about the environment and open their eyes to the outdoors.
Illuminated Globes
Paper mache is so diverse. You can make it into pinatas, sculptures, and in this case, earth lights. This craft doesn't use all earth-friendly materials, but it can be done about 95% with ones that benefit the planet. Have your kids help assemble these earth lamps and then put them in their rooms as a friendly and beautiful night light they can gaze at while they fall asleep.
Terrariums
Growing something is one way to observe nature first-hand and help purify the air! These old picture frame terrariums are also a great way to "up-cycle" things that might otherwise be thrown away. Head to your local thrift store or just pick out some old frames from your house and paint them one color. Then, nail them all together to make a gorgeous terrarium for all of your household plants. You can start plants from seeds and teach your family about the growth cycle or buy some mature plants to enjoy right away.
Earth Day Balloons
Latex may not seem like it can decompose and return to the earth, but it can! It just takes longer than something like a banana peel. You can easily make this balloon Earth Day craft to celebrate our beautiful planet by blowing up a dark blue balloon and glueing green paper continents to the outside. The heart is also a nice touch. Take this a step further in a lesson in geography for your kids by having them mark the continents, point out where you live on the globe, and talking about how climate change could affect everyone on earth. You can also make little Earth hot air balloons. The basket could be filled with treats like blue and green candy or a small living sprout of some kind of another.
Tin Can Planters
Don't throw that can of crushed tomatoes away after making sauce! Save it to make your fun Earth Day planter. These are silly, fun, and environmentally friendly crafts you can do at home. Just pick out some plants from the local nursery, get some pom poms, googly eyes, and construction paper, and turn these planters into creatures with wild hair! They're sure to make you smile when you look at them and give you a breath of fresh air as they purify your home's oxygen.
Stained Glass Earth
This isn't really glass, but it has a nice stained glass effect! You can easily make these for your home and decorate your windows. All you'll need is tissue paper, glue, and ribbon. It's a great way to reuse tissue paper that has been ripped or crinkled—since you'll want to rip and crinkle it anyway! Make one or make a garland of these to hang in a sunny spot and admire on Earth Day.
Bird Seed Feeder
We've done a lot of crafts here that focus on the earth itself and plants, but the pretty creatures that live here deserve some attention too! You can help feed your backyard friends that take care of pesky insects for you and keep nature in balance by making heart-shaped bird seed feeders. They may look sophisticated, but they're pretty easy to make. Plus, you and your kids can have fun making these together and then watching to see which birds love them most. It's a lesson in crafting and ornithology all at the same time!
Flower Wreath
Egg cartons can go in the compost pile or recycling bin, but you could do one better by making this gorgeous and colorful wreath. It's amazing that this is egg cartons because the transformation is certainly impressive. This one is a bit more technical, but it's evergreen so you'll be able to use it as an eco-friendly wreath for your front door for seasons to come. And like we said above, if you use natural, non-toxic paint, you could throw it in the compost bin once you're tired of it!
