Earth Day Parade

WHAT YOU NEED

• Earth Day Banner (instructions below)
• Band instruments (see Fun Family Music Night)
• Work gloves and trash collecting bags (gloves and bag for each participant)

HOW TO DO IT

• Check your local newspaper to see when your area will be celebrating Earth Day.
  
  
• Several days before Earth Day, invite your children and their friends over to make an Earth Day Banner and the instruments for the parade (see Fun Family Music Night for instrument suggestions). You can include purchased horns, whistles and kazoos as well.
  
  
• While you are creating the banner and instruments, decide the route for the parade. You might suggest walking around your block, or taking the parade to the park or recreation area nearby.
  
  
• On Earth Day, gather the participants together at the beginning of your route.
  
  
• Decide who will carry the banner at the head of the parade then give out instruments and gloves and trash bags to the others. You can trade assignments along the way so that everyone can have a turn with each assignment.
  
  
• Now start your Earth Day Parade encouraging everyone with gloves and trash bags to pick up neighborhood litter that they find along the route.
  
  
• After the parade is over, meet back at the appointed location (your home or a recycling center). Help the children go through the trash bags to pull out the items that can be recycled.
  
  
• The link below provides a simple list on what can and cannot be recycled:
  
  
• Internet Consumer Recycling Guide
  
  
• www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/shortest.html
  
  
• Congratulate everyone for helping to make the Earth a cleaner place!

FOLLOW UP FUN
Set up a recycling center in your home by assigning one bin for paper and one for recyclable plastic and glass. Let your children help you label the bins and encourage them to be part of the family “Recycling Roundup”. Each family member can be assigned one week out of the month to make sure all of the household recyclables are placed in the proper bins and either taken to the recycling center or set out for the city to pick up.