Celebrate Earth Month with These Creative Homeschool Earth Day Activities

Tomorrow is April 1, so Let's talk Earth Day activities! One of the best things about homeschooling is how easily you can build meaningful, hands-on learning around real-world events—and Earth Day is one of the best times to do just that. But instead of squeezing everything into one day, why not stretch it out and celebrate Earth Month with fun, creative earth day activities all month long?

April is the perfect time to slow down and spend extra time learning about the world around us. Earth Day activities give kids the chance to explore big ideas—like taking care of nature, recycling, and protecting animals—in ways that are fun, creative, and age-appropriate. Whether you have preschoolers, elementary-aged learners, or a little mix of both, there are so many simple ways to bring Earth Day into your homeschool.

Today I’m sharing a variety of earth day activities you can do throughout the month—some from our preschool Earth Day printable bundle, others from our Earth Day elementary unit study, and a few simple ideas that require no prep at all.

Of course, Earth Day itself is April 22, but making a whole month out of it gives your kids time to really connect with the ideas behind it. Instead of rushing through a single lesson or craft, you can slow down, build conversations, and even develop new family habits that last well beyond April.

Some of the benefits of focusing on Earth Day activities during Earth Month include:

• Encouraging real-world learning about nature, conservation, and caring for the planet

• Giving kids meaningful ways to practice responsibility and problem-solving

• Supporting early learning skills like counting, sorting, and fine motor development

• Creating space for outdoor exploration and nature-based play

• Making room for family conversations about how small actions can make a big difference

The best part? These Earth Day projects and activities don’t require fancy materials or hours of prep time. Most can be done with what you already have at home or with a simple printable pack or homeschool unit study kit.

If you’ve got preschoolers at home, you know how much they love hands-on, playful learning. Our Earth Day Printable Preschool Activity Bundle is filled with low-prep, screen-free learning activities that are perfect for little learners. Here are some of the simple activities you can use throughout the month:

• Counting Clip Cards – These cards help preschoolers practice counting and number recognition as they count objects related to the environment and match them to the correct number.

• Creating Patterns with Bottle Cap Counters – A fun math and fine motor activity where kids use printable bottle cap counters (or real ones from the recycling bin!) and mats to identify and build repeating patterns.

• Scissor Practice Sheets – Preschoolers strengthen their fine motor skills by practicing cutting along straight, curved, and zigzag lines on Earth Day-themed sheets.

• Recycle Roll & Cover Game – Kids roll dice, find and cover the matching number on a recycling-themed mat, and work on number recognition and counting skills while learning about recycling.

These kinds of print-and-play activities are perfect for preschool-aged kids because they’re simple, visual, and developmentally appropriate—all while helping them learn basic Earth Day concepts.

For your older learners, Earth Month is the perfect time to dive deeper into environmental science, art, and critical thinking. Our Explore the Environment Elementary Unit Study is packed with engaging, hands-on projects designed to help kids ages 6–10 learn about conservation, recycling, pollution, and the beauty of our planet—all while developing important academic skills.

Here are a few of the meaningful Earth Day activities included in the unit:

• Clean Water Science Experiments – Kids will use a STEM kit to explore three different ways to filter and clean polluted water. These experiments open up important conversations about water conservation and access to clean water around the world.

• Recycling Challenge – For three days, kids will track and sort actual recyclables in their home using painted and labeled paper bags. It’s a real-world math and science project that gets the whole family thinking about how much waste we produce.

• Paper Mache Globe – Over several days, kids will create a 3D globe using paper mache techniques. As they add the green land masses and blue oceans, they’ll reflect on how much of the planet is water, how we share space with others, and how the health of the Earth impacts us all.

• Recycled Art Project – Kids will collect recyclable materials from the crate and around the house to create a mixed-media collage of an ocean animal affected by pollution. This project encourages creativity while reinforcing the importance of reducing waste and protecting wildlife.

These projects are designed to be hands-on, creative, and meaningful. They give your elementary-aged learners the chance to connect what they’re learning about Earth Day to real-life issues—and, most importantly, to start thinking about how they can make a difference.

Some of the best Earth Day activities require nothing more than time and curiosity. Throughout Earth Month, you can easily sprinkle in low-prep activities like:

• Take a nature walk and collect trash or recyclables along the way.

• Start a family recycling routine and let the kids help sort and take out the bins.

• Create a nature journal where kids can draw what they see outside each week.

• Read Earth Day books together and talk about what you can do as a family to protect the planet.

If you’re not sure how to fit all these earth day projects and activities into your schedule, we’ve got you covered. Our Explore the Environment Unit Study includes a week-by-week planner that lays out a simple, manageable way to spread the activities throughout April.

Here’s an example of how you could structure your month:

• Week 1: Read Earth Day books and introduce the concepts of recycling, reducing waste, and caring for nature.

• Week 2: Complete preschool printables and elementary clean water science experiments.

• Week 3: Focus on earth day art projects, recycled crafts, and conservation writing.

• Week 4: Wrap up with a family nature walk, journal reflections, and a “What We Can Do” family list.

The goal isn’t to do everything—it’s to create a rhythm of learning and reflection that encourages your kids to look at their beautiful world a little differently.

One of the best things about celebrating Earth Month in your homeschool is how it helps your family slow down and pay attention to the world around you. These simple Earth Day activities aren’t just projects on a checklist—they’re opportunities to spark curiosity, develop responsibility, and build family habits that can last all year long.

If you’re looking for ready-to-go resources to help make Earth Month easier, you can check out: