Activities to Help Kids Learn About Sustainability and the Environment

The summer holidays are fast approaching – we know, they spent enough time at home last year, but at least over the holidays, you don’t have to homeschool.

With fun on the brain, and panicking parents wondering how on earth they’ll keep the kids entertained for six weeks, we’ve listed a range of activities to help inspire your children to learn more about our environment. 

Our children will inherit this earth, as guardians of a greener future, it’s our duty to give them the knowledge and tools to make the most sustainable decisions. 

Bookmark our blog, share it with your partner or friends, and take note of these activities which will make your small ones see adventure the every day. 

Get Growing 

Many of us have the luxury of a garden at home, but few attempt to grow our own fruits and vegetables. 

The more we can eat homegrown food, the better, as we don’t have to travel for produce, or buy produce from other countries, which also impacts our carbon footprint. 

According to the latest data from the United Nations, food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. 

Grab some seeds from your local gardening shop and get the children in on the action of creating new plant beds and planting the seeds. 

They will love tending to the plants and enjoying the fruits of their labour once everything has grown. Who knows, it may even encourage them to finally eat their greens! 

Transform Recycling into Crafts 

Art Attack was how we all learned to transform Fairy Liquid bottles into rockets, and Weetabix boxes into castles. It was inspirational for a generation, but that same creative flair can still be harnessed now. 

Using recycled items for crafts is a wonderful way to give your kids some creative time, and help them to understand more about the materials that cannot be recycled. 

Going even further, you could also use old clothes for making costumes. Another great way to give them a second life. 

Forest School 

Many local areas now host forest schools where older children can go for a few days a week to learn about the importance of forests, how to live in them and respect the wildlife that lives there. 

Some forest schools provide camping trips, while others are just weekly classes. Search locally to discover if you’ve got a forest school and how they run. 

If you want your child to experience more of the great outdoors and have a deeper respect for the natural environment, signing them up to forest school could help in all of these ways. 

Photo Scrapbook

Many children love playing photographer, so why not encourage their natural curiosity and creativity and go on a photo scrapbook adventure. 

Provide them with a camera, whether it’s an old phone or an old fashioned polaroid, and then go out on walks to see what you can find together. 

When you get home, print out their pictures and add them to a scrapbook. You can even take it a step further by helping them to use the computer to learn more about the plants or wildlife that you found. 

Bike Adventure 

According to data from 2019, there is a steep decline in children picking up bike riding. 

Bike riding is not only a more sustainable form of transport but also a life skill that can support children in many areas of their development. 

Learning to ride a bike this summer should be on your bucket list. 

If your child is already confident on a bike, now’s the perfect time to book out lots of outdoor adventures. 

Studies prove, that the more time we spend outside, the better for our mental wellbeing, but also that when children enjoy their natural environment, they are more conscious of maintaining it. 

Litter Pick Walk

Litter is still a problem that tarnishes our earth and damages the local wildlife, but we can turn it around. 

Litter picking used to be something you would get forced to do at school, but now more people are treating it as an environmental hobby, litter picking during runs and walks. 

Get your children in on the cleanup, and whether you’re walking somewhere or just out for a family walk, make it a challenge to see who can collect the most. 

Build Animal Shelters 

As the destruction of many natural habitats continues, more animals are finding themselves without a home. 

If you have a garden, you can support this environmental challenge by creating safe havens for birds and other animals in your backyard. 

Children love the idea of seeing more animals in their own space, and you can even go so far as to film the activity and show them in the morning. Who doesn’t love watching a hedgehog find a new home? 

There are many places you can purchase kits from or free tutorials on YouTube. 

Creating Hedgehog hotels, birdhouses, and even bug islands. 

All of these creatures and critters make a big impact on our environment, and the more we educate our children about their care, the more they will thrive and continue to help us create a better world.