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On Wednesday, April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day will be celebrated around the globe. The annual event focuses on environmental awareness and educating those about sustainability and environmental protection.
For the past 50 years, individuals have spent April 22 participating in activities like tree planting, trash collecting, and learning more about our planet. Typically, Earth Day is the perfect occasion to get outside and enjoy mother nature. However, enjoying activities outside may not be possible for many Americans.
Many people will have to celebrate the annual event from inside their home because of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. But, there are many activities for kids to take part in during Earth Day while in quarantine. Depending on the parents’ resources, children may be able to learn more about sustainable practices like recycling, gardening, composting or they could watch BBC’s Planet Earth to get a broader understanding of the planet.
There are a lot of digital events and resources available online as well:
NASA Developed the ‘Earth Day 2020: 50th Anniversary Toolkit’ to Educate Young People
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has created the “Earth Day 2020: 50th Anniversary Toolkit.”
“Fifty years ago, people around the world celebrated the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970),” the space agency said on its website. “Organizers selected dates and planned activities specifically to engage young people in the growing environmental awareness movement.”
NASA has created this resource to help educate young people about environmental protection and sustainability measures. This toolkit is free for anyone to use.
The space agency stated on its website: “As most of us observe Earth Day at Home this year, NASA has pulled together a variety of resources from across the agency into this online toolkit. The toolkit complements NASA’s Earth Day at Home collection, which includes an online quiz, videos, posters and other resources created specifically for Earth Day 2020.”
Parents can have older kids tune in to NASA Science Live: Earth Dayat 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
The webcast will feature Jim Bridenstine, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who will discuss NASA’s technology and how it aids scientists in learning about Earth and its interconnected systems, according to Space.com.
Kids Can Watch ‘Earth Day Live 2020’ to Learn More About the Environment While Being Entertained
On Wednesday, the Earth Day website is hosting a huge digital event. Earth Day Live 2020 will be streamed on the site, and it will feature messages and performances from musicians, actors, scientists and politicians.
Some Earth Day Live 2020 participants include Zac Efron, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Nahko, John Kerry and Al Gore.
The Earth Day website states: “The world’s largest civic event is going digital for the first time in its history. We’ll demand that leaders take science seriously, listen to their people and push for action at every level of society to stop the rising tide of climate change.”