earth day delights

by KELLY MILNER HALLS

When Earth Day comes on April 22, will your family be ready to take action? If you read about these fun activities, you’ll be an environmental warrior in waiting—and fully prepared to seize the day!

April Showers Auction

Want to get a jump on Earth Day? Show up for the Land Council’s April Showers Auction, Saturday, April 15 at 5:00 pm. Bid on outdoor items, adventure certificates, eco-friendly items and so much more. Every year is different, and the money raised go to an Earth Day Friendly cause. 1110 W. Riverside Ave. in Spokane.

Earth Day Diary

Before you begin, grab a new spiral notebook and decorate the cover with pictures from newspapers and magazines. Use images that remind you of nature and our planet. As you tackle the other activities below, you’ll be ready to add entries to your family diary, so tackle this challenge first. If you don’t fill up the spiral this year, don’t worry. You can use it again in years to come!

Mobius Moments

If you have very young crusaders for the Earth, consider a morning at Mobius, Spokane’s nonprofit children’s museum located at 331 N. Post Street. They are offering a Little Learns: Earth Day Exploration on Friday, April 15 for kids 2 and up. Make a bird feeder and other crafts out of natural and recycled materials and learn about why our planet needs our help. Class fee is $10.00 and a caregiver must attend with the little learner.

Nature Walk/Bug Count

One of the best ways to celebrate the planet Earth is to go outside. So head for the closest park and start your search—for insects. As the weather warms, bugs wake up—and they wake up hungry. So watch for bumblebees, ladybugs, butterflies, worms and pillbugs gobbling nourishment and tiny drinks of water. Bring your Earth Day Diary to keep track of the bugs you find. Maybe even draw a picture of the bugs you see.

Make Dirt Cup Treats

What’s a celebration without something wonderful to eat? To make your dirt cups, you’ll need milk, clean, small glasses or cups, dark chocolate sandwich cookies, gummy worms and instant chocolate pudding mix.

n Make your chocolate pudding (using the instructions on the box).

n Fill your cups halfway with the pudding.

n Crush cookies into “dirt” in a clean, plastic bag.

n Burry gummy worms halfway into the pudding.

n Add cookie dirt over the top of the pudding so the worm still shows.

n Grab a spoon and chow down. You’ve earned a reward for caring about our planet.

Keep our delicate planet in your thoughts, on Earth Day and beyond. There is no plan B for a human habitat, so let’s take care of the one we have.