Happy Earth Day! - The children are our future (and the planet's)!

Anyone who has ever lived with a child (or just been around one for a few minutes!) knows that children learn very fast! Their minds are like sponges, drawing in information at an incredible rate. They are always asking questions and learning as they play in and around their world. When a new person or experience comes their way, it sparks their curiosity, and opens up a whole new level of interest, and a whole new world to them.
Earth Day can be a fantastic opportunity to spread the message of environmental awareness and caring to the people who will be affected by the actions we take today - our children. This Earth Day take some time to talk with your child about the environment, plants, animals and the weather. See what they know, and what questions they might have - chances are you will be surprised at how knowledgeable they are on this topic already!
Hands-on experience is a great way to help cement ideas into young minds, so we have compiled a list of websites that can help you get ideas that you can enjoy with your family while learning about our environment. The Nature Conservancy has put together a list of ways to celebrate Earth Day with your family, entitled "Spring Outside! Get outside to celebrate Earth Day" that offers links to sites that will help you find out where to go, and what to do when looking for outdoor activities for all ages. Family friendly Earth Day activities can also be found at the Federal Government's list "For Kids". Another great site is Kaboose, they have a whole host of crafts you can do at home like making an Egg Carton Bug Mobile, activites you can do anywhere, foods you can make, and things for your home.
The best way to teach our children about taking care of our planet and its' environment is by setting good examples ourselves, and reinforcing responsible behaviors at home. Earth Day is a great chance to bring awareness to young minds about a problem that they will have to work on every day of their lives if we are going to make a difference. After all - the children are the future, ours and our planet's!