Celebrating Earth Day the Montessori Way: Montessori-Inspired Earth Day Activities

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that children should be offered opportunities to be deeply connected to nature. She once said,

"The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the earth."

Earth Day, April 22nd, is the perfect time to help children come in contact with nature and celebrate the beauty of the Earth.

There are so many fun and interesting activities for children to do to appreciate nature and to help protect the Earth and its resources.

• Plant a garden (herb, vegetable)

• Start a composting bin

• Use reusable water bottles

• Pack your lunch using only reusable containers

• Decorate and use an environmentally friendly reusable shopping bag

• Go for a nature walk

• Pick up trash in your neighborhood, at a local park, or at a local beach

• Focus on conserving water when showering, washing dishes and clothes, and brushing teeth

• Focus on using minimizing the use of paper products with reusable dishtowels and cloth napkins

• Try to use less energy by turning off lights, walking or riding a bike instead of driving a car, and turning off technology

• Recycle glass, plastic, metal, and cardboard

• Sort recyclable items

• Create an art project using recyclable materials (such as a pine cone bird feeder)

• Earth friendly art projects

• Release ladybugs to help control plant-eating insects like aphids to protect crops

• Read books about protecting the Earth (ideas listed below)

Earth Day Books:

• Happy Earth Day! by Deborah Hopkinson

• My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan

• What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet by Jess French

• Old Enough to Save the Planet by Loll Kirby

• We Are All Connected: Caring for Each Other & the Earth by Gabi Garcia

• Earth Day Every Day by Lisa Bullard

• Earth Day--Hooray!: A Springtime Book for Kids by Stuart J. Murphy

• The Earth Loves Me by Terrill Martinez

• Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty

• This Class Can Save the Planet by Stacy Tornio

• Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary McKenna Siddals

• One Earth by Eileen Spinelli

• What Does It Mean to Be Green?: A Picture Book about Making Eco Friendly Choices and Saving the Planet! by Rana DiOrio

• Our Planet! There's No Place Like Earth by Stacy McAnulty

• The Earth and I by Frank Asch

• Earth Day: An Alphabet Book by Gary Kowalski

• Why Should I Recycle?: Helping Kids Take Care of Planet Earth by Jen Green

• Hello, World! Planet Earth by Jill McDonald

• Worm Weather by Jean Taft

Whether it's something big or something small, there are fun and exciting ways to protect the Earth for us all!