10 Earth Day Adventures for Preschoolers 

Happy Earth Day! Today’s the perfect time to get outside (or bring the outside in!) with simple, hands-on fun your preschooler will love. Think muddy boots, big imaginations, and sweet stories that spark curiosity. We’ve put together 10 playful, screen-free adventures filled with science, kindness, and books. Ready to turn your living room, backyard, or local park into a celebration of our planet? Let’s make Earth Day a celebration your little one will remember! 

Adventure 1: Backyard Biodiversity Safari 
Turn your backyard (or a nearby park) into a mini science safari! Grab a magnifying glass and help your child make a simple “field journal” with paper, crayons, and lots of imagination. Look under rocks for pill bugs, spot spiderwebs sparkling with morning dew, or find dandelions pushing through sidewalk cracks. All those busy bugs and wiggly worms? They’re tiny engineers, quietly working to keep the soil healthy and our planet thriving. 

Extend the magic with Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, a lyrical book that reveals the secret lives of pond creatures. Wrap up by sketching findings together. Even scribbles count as science! 

Adventure 2: Recycled Material Art Gallery 
Host a “trash to treasure” challenge! Collect milk jugs, cardboard tubes, and mismatched lids, then brainstorm creations: a cereal box castle, a bottle cap mosaic, or a tin foil river. Did you know recycling just one ton of paper saves 17 trees? The EPA’s Recycling Facts show how small acts add up over time.  

Pair this adventure with What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting Our Planet by Jess French, which turns eco-actions into child-friendly missions. Show off your little one’s finished art on a clothesline “gallery” and invite stuffed animals as VIP guests! 

Adventure 3: Seed Bombs and Pollinator Parties 
Bees are master pollinators, zipping from flower to flower to help plants grow – including the wildflowers that might already be in your backyard!  Researchers at the University of London discovered that bees see colors five times faster than us humans. It’s a superpower that helps them spot blooms mid-flight!  

But just because we’re not bees, doesn’t mean we can’t get in on the pollinating action. Mix clay, compost, and wildflower seeds to create marble-sized seed bombs. Let your child toss them into empty garden corners or gift them to neighbors. 

Read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle, then plant sunflower seeds in a clear jar to watch roots sprout. When flowers finally bloom, celebrate with a “nectar toast” (apple juice in flower-shaped cups) for your tiny gardeners! 

Adventure 4: Cloud Storytelling & Weather Wonders 
Spread a blanket and cloud-gaze! Ask, “Does that cloud look like a grumpy troll or a dancing rabbit?” Use cotton balls to craft cloud animals later. Clouds can weigh as much as 100 elephants, yet float effortlessly because their moisture is spread thin. Read Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld, a tale about a small cloud’s big impact, then mimic rain sounds with a pot-and-spoon “thunderstorm.” 

Adventure 5: Nature’s Music Wall 
Turn a fence or patio wall into a symphony! Hang pots, pans, and wooden spoons, then add pinecone shakers and dried pod rattles. Jam along to Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis, then discuss how nature’s “music” (wind, rain, bird songs) keeps Earth’s rhythm. 

Adventure 6: Worm Hotel Engineering 
Feeling like getting your hands dirty? Build a “worm hotel” in a clear jar or basin: layer soil, sand, leaves, and a few wiggly worms. See how they tunnel and mix layers. Even though worms don’t have eyes or ears, they sense light through their skin! 

Read Yucky Worms by Vivian French, then challenge your child to move like a worm during playtime. Belly crawls only! 

Adventure 7: Moonlit Earth Day Walk 
When the sun sets, grab flashlights and explore your neighborhood. Listen for owls, spot moths, or collect “moon treasures” like sparkly rocks. Did you know the moon’s gravity pulls ocean tides and helps guide sea turtles to nest at just the right time?  

Read The Moon Keeper by Zosienka, then use glow-in-the-dark stickers to create constellations on bedroom ceilings. 

Adventure 8: Family “Planet Protector” Pledges 
Cut leaf shapes from recycled paper and write promises like “I’ll turn off the faucet!” or “I’ll help recycle!” Hang them on a branch “pledge tree. 

Discover more superpowered ways to help Earth (like turning off lights or using fun reusable bottles!) with the WWF’s Green Tips. Then, make it a family mission to try them out together and become real-life planet protectors! Pair this with Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers, then circle back to pledges weekly with a “high-five” ritual for efforts. 

Adventure 9: Upcycled Bird Feeder 
Turn snack time into science time! Use half of an orange peel or a pinecone to make your own bird feeder—just spread on some peanut butter and sprinkle birdseed on top. Then head outside, hang it up, and keep a notebook nearby to track all the feathered friends who stop by. 

Did you know a hummingbird beats its wings up to 80 times per second? That’s even faster than a helicopter blade! You can discover more about bird life by reading Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward. Then, challenge your child to build their own cozy “nest” using twigs, yarn, and imagination, just like real birds do! 

Adventure 10: Global Dance Celebration 
Celebrate Earth Day with music and movement from around the world! Play songs inspired by the rhythms of Brazil’s rainforests, the African savanna, or the waves of Hawaii. Invite your child to dance like animals and elements—elephants stomping, butterflies fluttering, or waves crashing. 

Honeybees do a special “waggle dance” to show each other where to find flowers like a buzzing little GPS! Keep the rhythm going with We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs, a colorful journey through Tanzania’s wildlife and culture.  

Where Curiosity Meets Care: Creative World School’s Earth-Friendly Philosophy 
At Creative World School, every day is Earth Day! Our classrooms buzz with nature-based projects, from sprouting mini gardens to hands-on crafts. We believe tiny hands can make big impacts and we’d love to show you how. Ready to inspire a lifetime of wonder? Find a preschool near you and schedule a tour at Creative World School and see how we turn playtime into planet-time!