Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2022 and celebrating with your kids can be tons of fun! Depending on the age of your little ones, celebrating Earth Day may be as simple as going for a walk outside in the stroller or as in depth as talking to teens about global warming. I’ve rounded up a list of Earth Day Events happening in the Capital District and have also included a list of 10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day with Kids that was put together by my national site, The Local Moms Network.
Earth Day Events happening in the Capital District
Celebrating the Earth Afternoon Walk – Albany Pine Bush Preserve
**Registration is Required**
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 1pm
Suitable for Ages 6-10, Tweens, Teens and Adults
Come and celebrate Earth Day at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. We’ll take our time, stopping to acknowledge and celebrate all the good things we love about our little slice of the world: the sand beneath our feet, the special flora & fauna surrounding us, and whatever weather Earth Day 2022 brings! We plan to walk 1.7 miles. This program will meet at the wooden and metal kiosk at the Blueberry Hill East Trailhead (#4).
Click here to learn more.
Earth Day Clean Up – Saratoga Spa State Park
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 10:30am
Celebrate Earth Day at Saratoga Spa State Park with our most recent park partner, the Children’s Museum at Saratoga! We will work together to make the park a little more beautiful. At 10:30AM on April 22nd, we will meet at the Lincoln Bathhouse where the Museum’s new Nature Backpack program will be demonstrated. At 11:00AM everyone will head out to help clean up one of the park’s many pathways. Come share in the reward of making a greener, cleaner world! Gloves and bags will be provided. No registration necessary.
Click here to learn more.
Earth Day with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and the Bethlehem Public Library
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 2pm
Join us at the Normans Kill West Preserve (map marked with parking area and directions attached) in Bethlehem for Earth Day stories and a short hike. We will be sending you home with an activity. Please note that masks and social distancing are required during this event. Co-sponsored by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. To register online, go to mohawkhudson.org/events.
Click here for more information.
Earth Day Cleanup – Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 2pm
Celebrate your local trails this Earth Day. Join our staff for the good habit of cleaning up our community and protecting our wild spaces with a community trash cleanup!
Click here for more information.
Earth Day Festival – Grafton Lakes State Park
Friday, April 22, 2022
Join Grafton Lakes for a family friendly Earth Day festival. Learn about the migration of monarch butterflies, the importance of pollinators, the impacts of invasive species, and much more. Partake in activities, demos, and crafts. This year’s Earth Day theme is to Invest in Our Planet’s Future. Each one of us can make a positive impact from the small to the tall. Following the festival will be a drive-in movie in the parking lot. The description for the movie will be announced (we cannot release the title due to licensing restrictions). There will be light refreshments available during the movie for purchase. No registration required. The Festival will be held Friday, April 22nd from 5-8pm, followed by a drive-in movie in the parking lot. The charge for the festival is $3/person, ages 5 and under free. No charge for the movie.
Click here for more information.
Earth Day Trail Trek – Thacher State Park
**Registration is Required**
Friday, April 22, 2022
Let’s celebrate Earth Day on a guided walk to High Point! Along the way you’ll learn about local wildlife, trees, invasive species and more! Call 518-872-0800 to register
Click here for more information.
A Workday for Earth Day – Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 9am
Join MHLC for a workday to celebrate Earth Day! We will be meeting at Bender Melon Farm Preserve for a clean-up project. Plans are underway and will be posted in early March along with a link to register.
Click here for more information.
Earth Day 2022 – Albany Pine Bush Preserve
**Registration is Required**
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 9am
A variety of activities will be taking place throughout the preserve beginning promptly at 9:00am and ending at 12 noon. All equipment will be provided. Participants will meet at their pre-registered worksite location and receive a commemorative sticker. Please dress appropriately for the weather and outside working conditions and bring your own snacks & water. A limited amount of opportunities for ages 5-10 will be available, while the bulk of the opportunities will be for ages 10+. This event is held rain or shine. Special thanks to the Friends of the Pine Bush Community for helping to make this event possible.
Click here to learn more.
Five Rivers: Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Stop at the visitor center to pick up a scavenger hunt sheet before you head out on the trails today. It’s a list of things to see and do as you explore (no collecting, please). Keep your eyes and ears open for all kinds of springtime surprises! When you’re done, return to the visitor center and trade in your completed scavenger hunt for a poster.
Click here for learn more.
Clean Up Day at Washington Park in Albany, NY
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Pitch in and help keep Washington Park beautiful! Volunteer for one of our monthly Park Clean-Up sessions. Projects will vary, but can include raking, weeding, pruning, and general clean up and maintenance.
Click here for more information.
Celebrate Earth Day All Month Long with Sustainable Saratoga
Team Up to Clean Up – April 23, 2022
Tree Toga – April 30, 2022
Click here to learn more.
10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day with Kids!
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts have been one of our favorite pandemic activities, because they’re so versatile – you can download ones to do outdoors or indoors, for every type of holiday, and for every age.
This super simple one is perfect for younger kids, since it features both pictures and words.
This one is perfect for older kids who can read and understand a bit more about the meaning of Earth Day (bees spreading pollen, the recycling sign, etc.).
Want to fill some more time? Have your kids make their own scavenger hunt with pictures and words, and then complete it!
Pick Up Your Favorite Playground
Choosing an area to clean up—a playground, beach, or even your street—is a wonderful activity the whole family can do together. Give everyone their own gloves, garbage bag, and see who can pick up the most trash! You can even turn this into an Earth Day play date activity.
Make A Homemade Birdfeeder
Give a gift to your backyard birds and make a bird feeder craft. You don’t even need birdseed—cereal like cheerios and peanut butter work just fine. We love these ideas from The Spruce Crafts.
Make a Card with Recycled Materials
Turn that junk mail, old school art or magazine pages into homemade Earth Day cards. Grandparents or teachers will love getting a special gift and you’ll be able to talk about where paper comes from—and why we shouldn’t waste it.
Get into the Garden
Gardening with kids is a perfect learning opportunity—they can practice fine motor skills, follow instructions and help in planning. For some ideas for gardening with kids, read our recent article on the topic.
Craft Using Recycled Materials
From Corn Husk Dolls to Tin Can Drums, upcycled crafts are a perfect way to explain the power of recycling. Bonus: You won’t have to buy new materials.
Read a Book
We love adding a book or two about holidays to our collection, and Earth Day is no exception. (Note: If you’re trying to save paper, download them onto your Kindle or check them out from the library.) A few of our faves:
Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration
Skip the Car
Can you walk to school or bike to a playdate? Take the extra time on Earth Day, and explain why you’re changing your routine. Not only is it great for the planet, it’s healthy for you and your kids, and may just help you start getting a bit more exercise into your daily routine.
Play Earth Day Bingo
We love this adorable Bingo game from Little Bins for Little Hands. Easy enough for a toddler to play, but fun enough to engage older kids, too!
Play it Forward with LEGO
The LEGO brand has started a Replay program where you can ship old pieces back to the company and they rebuild them, give them new life and pass them on to kids in need. They’ve already collected and redistributed 300,000 pounds of LEGO bricks.
