5 Ways to Unplug and Connect with Your Family for Earth Day

15 Minutes Outside by Rebecca Cohen
Rebecca Cohen's new book provides parents creative ways to make the outdoors a part of every day.

Are you ready for Earth Day? Help your family embrace nature on April 22 by doing more than just hugging a tree with these activities from Rebecca P. Cohen’s new book, Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids.

These simple ideas will help you conserve, learn, and have fun together. Then you can join the B Kind 2 Earth Day campaign! The idea is simple: promise to do at least one kind thing for the earth on Earth Day and get others to do the same. The kindness can be as basic as going on a hike with your kids, or as big as a park clean up – or anything in between.

When you decide what to do, share with us on Facebook!

1. Make solar S’mores

Place a large marshmallow and piece of chocolate between two graham crackers, wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil, and set it in the sun for ten minutes. Unwrap it and voila! The s’more is ready to eat.

2. Find designs in the stars

Turn off the house lights one evening and head out with a warm blanket to lay on the ground. Look up at the sky and connect the dots with your fingers to point out to each other the shapes, letters, or numbers you see. If the moon is out, you can play with your moon shadows too! If you want to take the experience further, start a moon journal!

3. Use a renewable resource and fly a kite

Even if you have to be at the office during the day, you can use the extra hour of daylight to make an evening special by packing a picnic and heading to the park to watch the sunset. Bring a kite to make the time together even that much more fun.

4. Learn to reuse with compost

With this composting lesson, shovel in dirt with worms into a clear plastic bag, poke about twenty holes near the top of the bag for ventilation, then add banana peels and apple cores as you have snacks and watch what happens over a couple of weeks. Keep the bag at the outdoor temperature and away from direct sunlight. Return the worms to the spot you borrowed them from when you are done with your experiment! If your ready for the big-time, make a worm-compost bin!

5.  Go on a power walk instead of watching TV

Plug into family connection with a walk to a favorite location with your children; better yet, if you don’t have a favorite, take a walk near home and discover one. Ask your kids about their favorite ways to unplug outside and plan to do more outdoor activities together.

So take a break from the electronics to really celebrate Earth Day. There’s a wonderful world out there around us, and you and your kids are bond to have a great time, create some memorable moments, all while getting a breath of fresh air and enjoyable physical exercise. Help show your kids how remarkable nature by taking the time to appreciate it.