10 Easy Ways You Can Celebrate Earth Day During Quarantine

Earth Day 2020 is a historic one—and not just because we’re currently living in quarantine because of the coronavirus. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a day to raise awareness and promote support of environmental protection. While we can’t attend the typical Earth Day celebrations, activities, and more in our communities due to quarantine, there are small, easy ways you can celebrate at home—some of which will have a big impact. Here are 10 ways to celebrate Earth Day during quarantine.

Go for a walk in nature.

Just make sure you follow proper safety protocol, including wearing a face mask and staying 6 feet apart. Want to do some good while you’re enjoying the great outdoors and fresh air? Bring along some gloves and a few bags to pick up any litter you see. 

Or go on a virtual nature walk.

If you can’t safely get to a nearby park (or it’s closed to the public), you can virtually explore NYC parks from the comfort (and safety) of your couch! You can even virtually visit the New York Botanical Garden with spring walks through the daffodils, cherry trees, magnolias, tulips, and more!

Watch zoo and aquarium livestreams.

Many zoos and aquariums focus their efforts on raising awareness and funds for wildlife conservation—including NYC’s Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium, which are all part of the Wildlife Conservation Society. While we can’t visit these institutions to teach our children about and support the wildlife conservation efforts, we can watch livestreams of zoos and aquariums from across the country, participate in online Q-and-A’s with keepers, and download educational activities. 

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Plant a garden—no matter what size.

In addition to being a fruitful (or vegetable, ha!) hobby, gardening has physical and mental health benefits for kids and adults. Gardening outside promotes movement (walking, squatting, and lifting), and you’ll get plenty of vitamin D—just remember to wear sunscreen! It also “connects us with nature, which has been shown to work wonders for children having a hard time focusing,” says Renata Fossen Brown in Gardening Lab for Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden—making it a perfect activity to combat those quarantine stir-crazies. Gardening can also be therapeutic, and it stimulates all five senses, which is beneficial for many children with special needs.

If you have a backyard or small plot of land, try planting one of these 20 plants that are ideal for your kid's first garden. These picks were selected for their vibrant colors, fast-growing characteristics, and usefulness in everyday life. If you’re in an apartment with rooftop access or you have a balcony, try planting a salsa garden. A patch of constant sun, a few pots, and tomato, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, and bell pepper seeds are all you need to cultivate the main ingredients for some healthy nacho fixin’s. On the other hand, if you want to try something simpler—all you need is a window that gets some light!—try growing a mini herb garden to add fresh seasoning to some of your favorite home-cooked meals. However you decide to jump into gardening, just make sure it’s enjoyable and beneficial for all involved!

Stream a kid-friendly nature documentary.

These true-life films are entertaining and captivating for the whole family, but they also educate viewers about nature, the planet, conservation, climate change, and more. Plus, they’re all conversation-starters. After watching one of the below kid-friendly documentaries, ask your kids questions about what we can do to protect our planet. (All ratings and reviews listed below are courtesy Common Sense Media.)

• Wings of Life
  Recommended ages: 6 and older
  Available on: Disney+, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu   
  Disneynature's documentary, narrated by Meryl Streep, explains the importance of flowers and the earth's greatest pollinators: bees, birds, bats, and butterflies.

• Oceans
  Recommended ages: 8 and older
  Available on: Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, and Vudu
  This documentary takes a close look at the Earth's oceans and the creatures that call it home. Expect scenes depicting these bodies of water in all their glory and reality, and animals finding their place in the food chain (sharks feasting on fish, for instance, accompanied by dramatic music).

• Chasing Coral
  Recommended ages: 9 and older
  Available on: Netflix
  This tragic but awe-inspiring film interviews filmmakers and scientists who attribute the decline of one of the ocean's most essential living creatures to climate change.

• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
  Recommended ages: 10 and older
  Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Disney+, and Vudu
  This adaptation of Carl Sagan's award-winning TV series Cosmos (1980) continues the show's tradition of offering scientific research-based explanations about the creation of the universe and related phenomena with host Neil deGrasse Tyson.

• Chasing Ice
  Recommended ages: 13 and older
  Available on: Amazon and iTunes
  An award-winning documentary about the work of celebrated photographer James Balog in tracking glacier retreat




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