Earth Day - 40th Anniversary

8 Ways to Get Outside, Reduce Your Waste and Have Fun!

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (April 22nd). It’s a time to support the environment and this year’s theme of “a billion acts of green.” You don’t have to be an eco-guru to care about nature. Start with a few simple “green” activities, including spending more time outdoors to jump start your spring!

Get Outside

1. Help to get 100,000 kids outside – Join the Be Out There™ movement and sign the pledge to spend time outside with the kids in your life. Get started with the activities listed below and then find more at the Be Out There website.

2. Cultivate your child’s green thumb – Garden with your children and encourage them to lead upkeep of the plants.

3. Play good old-fashioned games – Get nostalgic with these 8 outdoor games you’ll love.

4. Watch for feathered friends in your yard – Then share your sightings and stories online.

Reduce Your Waste

5. Talk to your kids about climate change – Help your children understand global warming and build a foundation of skills that will allow them to appreciate nature. You can calculate your carbon footprint together.

6. Conserve energy at home – Turn off lights when you’re not using them, air dry your clothes, and use small appliances over larger ones.

7. Compost your kitchen scraps – It reduces waste and makes “liquid gold” nourishment for your garden or potted plants.

8. Walk, ride your bike or carpool to school or work – Consider alternative transportation to get where you need to go.

Get 'em Outside video

The No Child Left Inside Coalition has put together a video about the importance of getting students outside to learn. The video is also about celebrating environmental education and its impact on children's learning, health and leadership.

Visit http://www.nclicoalition.org to increase environmental education opportunities at your school.

No Child Left Inside - Earth Day's 40th Anniversary

National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There™ movement

“Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play 

is essential to children’s physical and mental health.”
~American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008

National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There™ movement is connecting American families to the outdoors to raise happier, healthier children with a life-long love of nature.

National Wildlife Federation has just launched an ambitious campaign to get 100,000 pledges by year-end for our innovative Be Out There™ initiative. 

By taking the Be Out There Pledge, you’ll be joining the movement to ensure all American children reap the benefits of outdoor time – simply by promising to start with your own family.

Engaging in regular outdoor play helps your children by:

• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Improving health
• Increasing performance in school

When you take the Be Out There™ Pledge, you’ll get helpful tips and fun, interactive tools to help your family get the most education and enjoyment out of the great outdoors.

Celebrate Environmental Education Week April 11-17 2010

Environmental Education Week is April 11-17 this year, and there are lots of ways to celebrate!

Calculate your carbon footprint and then try to reduce your daily impact during EE week and beyond! There is also a carbon footprint calculator made just for youth!

Make a nature journal to record your observations about your surroundings.

Take photographs of your local environment and the plants and animals that live there.

If you are a teacher, integrate some environmental lessons into your classes. Create posters about the importance of taking care of our local environment, do a nature craft like leaf rubbings, or research local plants and animals. Photo: Maui teachers engaged in a hands-on EE lessonIf you are a parent, take your kids outside to explore! Observe your backyard or a nearby park, create an experiment, go on a nature scavenger hunt, or sit outside and read a book about nature. There are so many ways to learn about the environment!

Visit http://www.eeweek.org/ for more ideas and ways to connect with other people

What are YOU going to do to celebrate Environmental Education Week this year?

Hawaii Nature Center in the news!

Today, Hawaii Nature Center was featured in an article for the Honolulu Advertiser. Click here to read "Help Your Children Enjoy the Outdoors".

Tips from Nature Center staff for spending more quality time outdoors include:

- Help develop your child's inherent sense of wonder and awe for nature by setting the stage for discovery. Explore nature in your own backyard. Take your child on a bug hunt and see how many different kinds of creepy crawlies you can find.

- Do nature crafts with your children. For example, do leaf rubbings in a nature notebook or collect decomposing plant materials to build a terrarium.

- Create a home garden. Get in the soil. If you don't have space for a garden, plant seeds in small pots and have your children care for them. Caring for a plant and watching it grow from a seed is exciting for kids.

Check out the link above to read the whole article and for other resources for encouraging kids to spend more time outside and the benefits of engaging in outside activities. 
 
And remember: the benefits aren't just for kids. Spend a little extra time outside yourself, and you'll be feeling the benefits as well!
 
Also see: "Why Kids Need a Big Dose of Nature" - A US News and World Report article.