Create Earth Day Place Portraits

Ask your child to describe their favorite place in nature. Do they love going to the beach? Or do they enjoy hiking in the woods? Perhaps they love going to the neighborhood playground. Help them choose an outdoor space they love to visit to make a place portrait.

Invite your child to start the place portrait by drawing or painting a few items they normally see in the outdoor space. If they chose the beach, they might add sand, water, and seashells. If they chose a neighborhood park, they might include grass, trees, and flowers.

Next, invite your child to look at the recyclable materials you collected and decide what materials they might want to use to create other aspects of the space. For example, they can use bottle caps to create flowers or tinfoil to create glittery ocean waves. As your child adds materials to their place portrait, talk to them about the materials and why it's important to recycle them — instead of letting them collect on the ground in their favorite outdoor spaces.

Continue working with your child to come up with other ways to include recyclable materials in your place portrait. A piece of cardboard could be crafted into a dog enjoying the park, or a scrap of newspaper could become a seagull flying above the ocean. Talk to your child about the creatures they sometimes see in their favorite outdoor spaces.

Let the place portrait dry and then hang it out for everyone to see! Happy Earth Day!