Earth Hour has become a celebrated holiday for families across Canada and around the World. For many families it is a chance to spend some fun and educational time together and to find a renewed commitment to the planet. Visit Mom in the Know Facebook Page, and you can watch as millions of people in more than 150 countries & 7000 cities across all 7 continents come together and use their power to PROTECT THE PLANET.
I love Earth Hour and you can make a day of it by spending time reading, crafting, and preparing for lights out at 8:30. Early in the afternoon, I like to take a walk with the kids and have them find the following:
Two round rocks
Three pieces of trash
Two signs of spring
Something red
A twig that looks like a tree
Twoo pieces of bark
Returning home, we begin to decorate for our evening celebration. Last year, we made a banner from old paper bags and materials from our recycle bin. You will need:
Paper bags
White glue
Jute rope or yarn
Stapler
Scissors
Paint or markers
Pick a message and lay out your bags “Earth Hour, Save our Planet, We Love Earth.” Sketch out full block letters as a template. Have kids use safety scissors to cut, crumple and tear recycled items to fill in the letters. Staple banner points to jute or yarn.
This year, I am planning to create a picture of the world using our thumbprints. It is going to make a beautiful keepsake.
One ink pad for each family member participating
Canvas
Frame and poster paper
Light pencil
Sharpie
Sketch a circle to represent the earth and lightly draw in the continents leaving room for signatures at the bottom.
Taking turns, have each person make a print to fill in the areas with the appropriate colour.
Have each family member make one last print on the bottom and sign their name under it.
Last year, I found a world map beach ball and hung it from the ceiling. We used a big world map for our tablecloth and filled jars with some twigs and branches we had picked up on our nature walk.
Don’t forget the candles. In the past, I have purchased big pillar candles and had the kids paint and decorate them. We have also used simple tea lights and votives to make the evening special.