Earth Day Ideas for Your Family From Stepping Stones Museum

Here's the latest news from our Stepping Stones guest blogger, Jennifer Milano. She can be reached at jennifer@steppingstonesmuseum.org:

Many children are using computers as toddlers and know how to send a text message as soon as they can write. It seems like parents are always challenged to keep up! Environmental awareness is another arena where children tend to latch on faster than their parents. How many of you have heard your child come home preaching about recycling or concerns about littering? Earth Day is coming up on April 22, so if you haven't heard about it from them yet, you probably will soon.

One of the reasons why children get so excited about the environment and conservation is because it allows them to express their creativity. It's easy for them to participate and makes them feel as though they can make a difference – and they can. 

Parents and teachers can facilitate this learning and encourage their natural curiosity for the environment. Keep a collection of materials that aren't recyclable, but clean and safe for children to use. Allow them to create, play, sort and reuse the materials for something else. You may end up with a new bird feeder, or a silly new hat!

Participating in an Earth Day event is another way to learn together with your child about the environment and conservation. Stepping Stones Museum for Children is having their Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am until 5 pm. Children will be able to take part in environmentally-friendly programs throughout the day, including making a rain stick out of recyclable materials, participating in a rainforest scavenger hunt, special storytimes, decorating a flower pot and a special performance by Dennis Waring with homemade musical instruments.

You can find the Stepping Stones Earth Day Celebration schedule online at www.steppingstonesmuseum.org. You can also experience our newest exhibit, Invention Convention, during your visit. Come invent and create in a place designed to spark imaginations. Exploration stations, invention capes and recyclable materials set the stage for young inventors.