4 Environmental Activities For Kids - Safari Ltd®

4 Environmental Activities For Kids

Apr 16, 2021
"And I dream of the vast deserts, the forests, and all of the wilderness of our continent, wild places that we should protect as a precious heritage for our children and for our children's children. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment."

 — Nelson Mandela.

Environmental Activities For Kids

At Safari Ltd, we believe in the power of play to encourage learning. The following earth friendly activities will engage children in learning about stewardship and conservation through playful interactions. Let's have some fun!

The Power of Pollinators

Pollinators are helpful garden friends! They include insects, like butterflies and bees, plus some bats and birds. Pollinators help plants be able to produce seeds. 75%-95% of all flowering plants on earth (including vegetables, fruits, and nuts) rely on pollination.

Our pollinator insects and flower toys teach conservation and pollinator appreciation through play! Learning about animals and Insects (that sometimes provoke fear) with toys helps children experience the benefits of various animals in a playful manner that removes the fear component that some children may experience when faced with a new critter.

Our Toob figurines can be used outside in nature, in garden sensory bins, in conjunction with nonfiction books, as models for art projects, or so much more! Read books, watch videos, and talk with your children about all of the ways pollinators are beneficial to life. 

Environment Toys for Kids:

Flowers TOOB®

 Insects TOOB®

Butterflies TOOB®

Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly

Life Cycle of a Honey Bee

Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle Stuffed Puppet

Pollinated Foods and Snacks

 

This one's easy... and delicious. Learn about pollinators (see resources below). Find pictures from old magazines/draw your own or go on a scavenger hunt (at home or store) to identify plants that pollinators help to grow. Choose some of those foods to make a snack!

Recycled Egg Carton Garden Starter 

 

Supplies:

Pollinator Friendly Plant Seeds (these can be easily found on Amazon)

Cardboard Egg Carton

Potting Soil

Tray (to place egg carton on to catch water)

Popsicle sticks (to label plants)

Spoon or Handy Scooper for dirt

Life Cycle of a Green Bean Plant 

Procedure:

-Cut top off of cardboard egg carton

-Place bottom (egg cup) section of carton onto tray

-Spoon potting soil into each individual egg cup in the carton

-Gently press a seed or two into each individual cup

-Write plant name on a popsicle stick and place into the appropriate cup

-Place egg carton garden inside next to a sunny window. Water as directed on seed packets.

-When your plants get a few inches tall (and it is past the freeze danger in your area), replant outside in a pot or garden area. You can cut apart each egg cup and plant the entire thing (they are biodegradable).

More information and activities about pollinators:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services: Pollinators

Pollinator Partnership

Flowers that Welcome Pollinators 

Books:

Various Children’s Literature about planting seeds (fiction and nonfiction)

Various Children’s Literature about pollinators 

Recycled Material Small World Play

 

Use recycled items (cardboard tubes, boxes, containers, etc.) to create biomes (polar, tundra, boreal forest, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, grassland, savanna, desert, and freshwater ecosystems (including lakes, rivers and wetlands) or fantastic small world play invitations/dioramas to use with a variety of Safari Ltd. toys.

Through playful exploration, you can pursue learning about the biomes of the world. Biomes are extremely important to life on earth! Through land development, use of fossil fuels, overfishing, etc., humans have had a devastating affect on many ecosystems. Teaching children about biomes is the first step in appreciation which leads to a conservation mindset.

Materials:

Assortment of recycled cardboard, containers, etc.

TOOB(s) to match Biome(s):

Rainforest TOOB®

Desert Figurines

Arctic Figurines

River TOOB®

Great Lakes TOOB®

South African Animals TOOB®

In the Woods TOOB®

Tape

Construction Paper

Paint

Scissors

Procedure:

Your imagination is the limit! There is really no set procedure, let your kids make 3D dioramas or flat landscapes for small world play.

Kid friendly information about Biomes:

https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/biome/403913

https://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/world_biomes.php 

Animal Rescue: Marine Debris Water/Sand

 

Pair with Ocean Animals and sensory bins or play tray to create a polluted body of water and /or beach that needs to be cleaned and animals rescued. 

Materials:

Bin or other container

Water or sand

Small bits of trash (pieces of plastic, foil, bottle tops, rubberbands, etc)

Pacific TOOB®

Good Luck Minis Ocean Fun Pack

Whales

Sharks

Tongs 

Procedure:

Add all materials into the bin and have your child clean up the water/sand and rescue the animals. You can take it up a notch by wrapping some of the animals in plastic or foil, or by putting rubber bands around them.  It’s great to combine this activity with books, articles, or videos about marine debris and rescue efforts. 

Kid friendly information about Marine Debris:

Marine Debris

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/teaching-idea-plastic-pollution/

https://www.pinterest.com/redtedart/earth-day-activities-ideas/ 

Pairing  Pro Environmental Children’s Books with Safari Ltd. toys: 

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry

An account of the pollution of the Nashua River in Massachusetts by factories and the subsequent conservation efforts.

River TOOB®

Powhatan Indians

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest by Lynne Cherry

Story demonstrates the interconnectedness of life in a rainforest.

Rainforest TOOB®

Rainforest Fun Pack

Red-Eyed Tree Frog

Spider Monkey

Jaguar

Caiman

Porcupine

Boa Constrictor

Upcycle our products into home or party décor!

 

Safari Ltd. toys are durable timeless classics that are very collectable. Our fans often save the toys to be passed on to future generations, however there are also many creative ways to upcycle them into beautiful and fun décor items.

DIY Safari Ltd Tutorials and Inspiration:

Safari Ltd. DIY Activities Blogs

Safari Ltd. DIY YouTube Videos

We love the earth and all of its creatures big and small. At Safari Ltd., we continually strive to find ways to promote conservation. We would love to hear the ways that you and your family show love to the creatures of the earth.

 

About the writer:
Anji Audley is an educator with teaching and tutoring experience in PreK through elementary grades. She is also a mom of two active and creative boys. Anji is a strong advocate for play-based learning. Pulling ideas from Montessori, Reggio Emelia, and Waldorf, she infuses learning with hands-on STEM activities, nature, play, and art to inspire discovery and creativity. Follow her on Instagram.

 

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