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Dear Teachers Q & A

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By Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts

The Story Behind Earth Day

Parents: This year Earth Day falls on a Saturday. This day is celebrated annually on April 22 with events worldwide. Earth Day raises awareness for the environment and protection and care of our planet. The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970 is considered the birthday of the modern environmental protection movement.

Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet, as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution. The first Earth Day celebrations took place at 2,000 colleges and universities, roughly 10,000 primary and secondary schools and hundreds of U.S. communities. However, today more than a billion people worldwide take part in activities on Earth Day in more than 193 nations. Some areas have Earth Day celebrations all week.

Each year the Earth Day theme is different. This year’s theme is “Protect Our Species.” It is designed to draw attention to the rapid extinction of species around the world.

Students are definitely learning at their schools what that they can do to help protect our planet and reduce pollution. Why don’t you and your children join all the other people in celebrating this day by improving the environment in some way? Join one of the many Earth Day events in your community. You could be part of a group working to improve city, state or national parks. Other groups clean up streams, plant gardens at schools and pick up street trash. It will be a great opportunity to have some all-important family time, as Earth Day is on the weekend.

Here are some at-home ways your family can celebrate Earth Day. Whatever you elect to do will be hands-on learning about the environment for your children.

  1. Take a walk in nature and simply appreciate it while stopping to pick up discarded bottles and recycling them.
  2. Plant a tree for every member of your family. Tress remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Nearly a third of all Earth Day celebrants actually plant trees.
  3. Build a compost pile. Find a section of your yard in a back corner and start putting all the leaves and grass cuttings from your yard in the pile. It will decompose, and you’ll be able to put it in the soil for other plants in your yard.
  4. Make bird feeders. This can be done by collecting pine cones, dipping them in peanut butter or honey and covering them with birdseed.
  5. Take a tech break and turn off all electronic devices to conserve electricity.

Parents should send questions and comments to DearTeacher@DearTeacher.com, and visit the DearTeacher.com website to learn more about helping their children succeed in school.

©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2022

As always, please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns.

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