Save the Environment While You #StayHome

It’s time to get into the Earth Day spirit, #StayHome-style.

Earlier this week, people around the world commemorated the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, our annual celebration of the great blue marble we call “home.” As we all did our part to #StayHome, though, Earth Day 2020 wound up being far more digital than ever before thanks to the many family-friendly online resources that were created in support of this year’s event.

So while our current situation may keep us all from going outside and getting together with our friends in support of #TeamPlanet, thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can learn about Earth and celebrate nature, courtesy of “the Internet“

Check out our list of online activities and resources below, and let us know in the comments below if you have suggestions of your own!

Need to borrow a digital device to access these great sites? Find out how NYC students can apply for internet-enabled tablets TODAY right here on The Morning Bell.

Ways to Celebrate Planet Earth from Home

• Enjoy New York City’s parks from home, courtesy of NYC Parks’ new Parks@Home webpage. From tours of City parks, to digital tree meditation and flower art tutorials, this new page can help you and your family enjoy the City’s green spaces without ever setting foot outside!

• Try adding a little nature to your home by making your very own terrarium, or fairy garden! Martha Stewart offers great tips that will help you make a terrarium to be proud of while you #StayHome.

• The Museum of the City of New York has an Earth Day page for young environmentalists, ages 6–12. From now until April 30, kids can check out this page and learn how they can help keep the City clean and environmentally-sustainable!

• It’s time to “fly” out to Finland and take a virtual walk through a Finnish Forest with UPM Forest Life! Use a map to navigate multiple paths and forks as you chart your own journey through a gorgeous forest full of life. We recommend you use headphones for this experience!

• Celebrate #EarthDayAtHome with NASA and the Earth Day 2020 Toolkit. Spanish-speaking families may also visit Ciencia de la NASA for home-based STEM activities in their language!

• Learn more about the world around you with National Geographic Kids and NatGeo@Home! We especially urge kids to check out the site’s Science Lab, where they can learn about cool science experiments that they can try out at home!

• From changes in climate to North American bird populations — learn how to read graphs and data with the New York Times Learning Network. The NYT Learning Network has a broad range of lesson plans for middle schoolers and high schoolers, featuring lessons such as Fighting Extinction: Researching and Designing Solutions to Protect Endangered Species and hosting STEM writing contests!

• Get to know our planet with interactive PBS lessons! Take a virtual field trip to the National Weather Service and Hurricane Center to learn how to read weather maps and practice reporting the weather! You can even find out how many different types of clouds exist above our heads.

• Explore the cartoon-style map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Discover the treasures–of over 5,000 years of art, from all around the world, by hopping through time on their Time Machine!

We hope this list helps add a bit of nature into your lives during these challenging times. For more great tips, news, and suggested activities, including our first and second #StayHome activities lists, and our updated NYC Reads 365 list, subscribe to The Morning Bell today!

(Credit for banner image, “Planting the Seeds,” by VeganVixen (Mel Mel). Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Flickr.)