Clean Up Your Neighborhood

Take pride in your community.

Picking up litter is a fun, simple, and free activity that can have instant results for your child and your community.

Possible recipients

Anyone who enjoys a pristine neighborhood, park, beach, or public walkway.

What you’ll need

• Plastic bag or reusable milk crate to collect trash

• Sturdy gloves for kids and adults

• Optional: pick-up stick, a separate bag for recyclables

Instructions

1. Assign gloves and a trash collection gear to each family member.

2. Clear out litter from a section of park, beach, vacant lot, or your own neighborhood. Take all necessary precautions, including wearing sturdy gloves, being careful on river banks or near roads, having adults handle dangerous items, and supervising children closely. You can pick your favorite walk and do a one-time sweep, or make clean-up a regular family event.

3. Properly dispose of all litter.

Reflections

• Did you find a lot of litter? What kind of litter did you see most often? What could be done to help with that problem?

• Why is it important to pick up litter?

• How do you feel when you see litter?

• How can you inspire others to help keep the neighborhood clean?

• What other ways can we take care of the spaces where we live?

Resources

See more picture books for Earth lovers!

• Colonel Trash Truck by Kathleen Crawley
  The colonel is on a mission to protect the beauty of the earth by cleaning up litter — and convincing others to do the same.

• Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter
  This hilarious story is sure to inspire your whole family to be mindful of your environmental impact.

Take it further

• Take a few digital photos of what you’ve picked up. Then have your family send an essay about your experience along with your favorite photo, your names, age(s), and address to mail@wildernessproject.org. Your essay will be published on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project website, your children’s names will appear in the Registry of Apprentice Ecologists, and you’ll get an official certificate. For tips on conducting the clean-up and writing the story, as well as essays and photos from other apprentice ecologists, visit the website.

• Have each family member pick up five pieces of trash each time you visit the park before you start playing.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.

Start an Upcycle Bin

Repurpose would-be waste into craft supplies.

Create space in your home to store items that either can’t be recycled or can easily be repurposed before being recycled. Then encourage your children to use their imaginations, turning this would-be waste into something new.

Teaching our children to care for the earth is integral to teaching compassion. And as the complicated challenges of climate change and waste management demand global attention, the planet's health will be front and center in kids' lives. Here is one small, fun way your family can learn to become earth advocates.

Possible recipients

Get started with this quick video.

Encourage your family to get creative with clean, would-be waste materials, either as silly craft projects or as creations with clever new purposes.

What you’ll need

Click here to download and decorate a sign for your upcycle bin.

• Our printable Upcycle Bin label

• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers

• Box or spare laundry basket

• Duct tape

Instructions

• First, decorate your poster.

• Add three ideas for upcycled creations in the three blank spaces. Get inspired with our Kids Can Upcycle! Pinterest board.

• Attach your poster to a large cardboard box.

• Add a roll of duct tape.

• Add unrecyclable plastics and other clean items you would otherwise toss whenever possible.

• When you’re feeling crafty, create something new from the materials you gather!

Reflections

• Can we think of some ways to use less plastic as a family? Let's make a list!

• What are some things our family is already doing to conserve earth's resources and keep the planet clean?

Resources

Click here for the complete book list!

Browse our growing collection of picture books for earth advocates.

• The Greening Book by Ellen Sabin
  Full of unique activities and exercises, The Greening Book teaches children that they can make a difference in the future of our planet.

• What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French
  Informative, engaging, and eye-opening, this book introduces elementary-aged kids to the idea that nothing can ever be truly thrown “away.” Walk away with strategies to conserve resources at home and the inspiration to stick with those strategies.

Take it Further

• Take this 31 day, kid-friendly Zero Waste Challenge.

• Don’t be an “aspirational recycler.” Review the rules for recycling in your local area, and be sure to follow them.

Disclaimer:  Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.