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What is World Environment Day?
World Environment Day is a day for people across the globe to think about how we're harming our planet and how we can help build a greener future.
When is World Environment Day?
The first World Environment Day was held in 1974 and it now takes place on 5 June every year.
How your family can get involved
World Environment Day is a really good opportunity to teach kids about being eco-friendly in a fun and engaging way. And to think about how your family can be greener, too.
You can talk about everything from recycling to eating less meat, and older kids may want to do their own research into environmental issues affecting the planet.
The theme for World Environment Day 2021 is Ecosystem restoration – preventing the loss of our forests, wetlands and coral reefs, and going from harming nature to healing it.
There’s no need to get too hung up on the theme, though, any activity that helps your kids understand more about the environment and their role in our planet’s future is great.
From recycling toilet rolls to make monsters, to planting cress and watching it grow, these World Environment Day activities for kids are a fun way to get them thinking about the planet and our impact on nature.
1. Have a sunflower growing competition
Sunflowers are some of the easiest plants to grow and kids love following their progress as they get taller and taller.
Add to the fun by having a sunflower growing competition.
Get each member of the family to plant a sunflower and measure them regularly to see whose grows tallest.
The best time to plant sunflowers is from mid-April to the end of May, so 5 June should be fine. Sunflowers usually flower in August.
2. Bake gingerbread planets
Bake cookies with the kids and use coloured icing to decorate them so they look like the earth. Kids will love making AND eating them.
A basic gingerbread recipe works well as the firm texture makes the biscuits easy to decorate – we like this one.
If your kids aren't fans of ginger, try this easy lemon and vanilla cookie recipe instead.
You'll just need a round cookie cutter, some icing and maybe a picture of the earth for inspiration.
3. Go on a litter pick-nic
Help clear up litter in our parks, beaches and green spaces by going on a litter pick-nic.
Pack a delicious family picnic and eat it in a popular beauty spot or local park. Afterwards, go around the area picking up the litter other people have left behind, as well as your own, of course! Talk to your kids about how litter can harm wildlife and the planet.
You'll need bin bags, protective gloves and, for added fun, litter grabbers!
4. Grow cress heads
Growing cress is a great way to get kids interested in gardening and learning about where their food comes from.
Planting cress in egg shells teaches kids that things we think of as rubbish can have other uses, too. To grow your cress heads follow these simple steps:
1. Draw a face on an empty eggshell
2. Put a bit of wet kitchen roll in the shell
3. Add some wet cotton wool on top of the kitchen roll
4. Put cress seeds on the cotton wool and press down gently
5. Place on the windowsill or in a warm, sunny spot
6. Once the heads have grown cress 'hair' you can give them a haircut and eat it
5. Make toilet roll monsters
Learn about recycling by decorating old toilet rolls. You can turn them into monsters, fairies, aliens … whatever you like.
Let kids get creative with paint, scraps of paper, materials and any other recycled materials you have lying around.
Be inspired with our list of easy toilet roll crafts.
6. Cook a veggie recipe
Eating less meat and animal products can help reduce your carbon footprint.
You don't need to go fully veggie or vegan – every meat-free meal counts.
Get the kids involved by cooking a veggie meal or baking some veggie treats together. We've got loads of fun veggie recipes to try here, they're all easy to make and great for cooking with kids.
7. Go on a nature scavenger hunt
Explore your garden or nearby green spaces with a scavenger hunt.
Give the kids a list of things to look for – a stone, a feather, a blade of grass, are all a good start. The kids then tick off each item as they find it and collect them in a bucket or basket.
If you trust your kids with a phone, get them to take pictures of birds, insects and other things they can't collect and add them to the list, too.
8. Make recycled kitten planters
These cute kitten planters are super-easy to make and look great on the windowsill, too.
Cut off the bottom of a plastic drinks bottle, making sure to leave triangles for the ears. Decorate the bottles to make kitten faces, or any other animal you fancy. If you're painting them, you'll need a craft paint that works on plastic, such as acrylic paint.
Pop your favourite herbs or plants in the planter in their original pot, et voila.
Get more ideas for craft activities using household objects you'd usually throw away here.
9. Watch a nature documentary
A great way to learn more about nature and the environment is to settle down with a nature programme.
Pick something you can all watch as a family.
Disneynature has some great family-friendly nature movies, including Elephant, which is narrated by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Older kids will enjoy exploring Sir David Attenborough's award-winning programmes, many of which are available to stream on iPlayer.
10. Plant a bee and butterfly garden
Planting wildflowers is a great way to attract bees, butterflies and other insects to your garden.
The number of bees, butterflies and hoverflies in the UK is falling, and planting native wildflowers helps provide them with food.
Many garden centres sell wildflower seeds and seed bombs especially designed to attract insects, and they're easy for kids to plant.
Wildflowers are usually best sown in spring or early autumn so plant ahead and enjoy your new visitors on World Environment Day.
11. Have a toy exchange
Get your kids to do a toy exchange with their friends.
Each child brings toys they don't play with anymore and swaps them with other kids. That way everyone gets new toys to play with, without having to spend money or send their unwanted toys to landfill.
If you don't like the idea of a toy exchange, your child can donate the toys to a charity shop so other children can enjoy them.
12. Make a bird feeder
Bird feeders are so simple to make and kids will love watching out for the birds they attract.
Recycle old toilet rolls to make these easy feeders.
1. Feed a piece of string through a toilet roll and tie at the ends to create a loop to hang your feeder
2. Smear peanut butter over the toilet roll
3. Roll the toilet roll in birdseed
3. Hang it up out of the reach of cats and wait for the birds to come (it may take a few days for birds to come to a new feeder)
13. Create a green family plan
Get the kids to think about things you can do as a family to become more eco-friendly. Ideas could include:
- Recycle more
- Use less plastic bags
- Have more meat-free meals
- Turn off the water when brushing your teeth
There are loads more ideas about going green as a family here.
Get the kids to create a wall chart with your green goals on it. Add a sticker every time your family achieves one. For example, each time you have a meat-free meal, put a sticker on the chart.
See how many stickers you can get for each goal over the course of a month. It's a great way to motivate the kids AND you to think about the environment more.
Reduce your family’s carbon footprint from the comfort of your kitchen by making a simple swap to Quorn Mince or Pieces.
Every bite, every meal and every plate counts, so join the movement and share photos of your family’s meat-free meals on social media with the hashtags #Quorn #OneBiteAtATime.
Visit Quorn to find out more and check out our delicious meat-free recipes for inspiration.