April has always been one of my favorite times of year. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and all around the signs of the world “waking up” can be seen – from the blooming trees, to my blooming allergies, spring is definitely in the air.

It’s no wonder to me that Earth Day occurs in April as it is the perfect time for us to “wake up” to the environmental issues we face as well as to “spring” into action and do something to help take care of the Earth. It can be anything from small gestures such as turning off the lights when leaving a room (my hubby is a pro at this), or making sure to recycle whenever and wherever possible, to larger projects like making compost bins, and planting home gardens (designed appropriately so as not to tick off the neighbors or homeowners association).

There are a few things I plan on doing with the kids this year to make them a little more environmentally aware – it never hurts to start young. Since the kids are forever accompanying me to the grocery store, I figure one of the things we can do will be to make some of our own shopping bags. This can be done a few ways. I can either buy pre-made bags at the craft store and let the kids decorate them with fabric paint, and glitter, and all that jazz, or I can let the kids pick out their own fabric and make my own. I may not be the craftiest seamstress, but I believe I can sew a square shaped bag – just need to find the dust rag and WD-40 for the sewing machine. I’m sure I’ll wind up with a lot of princess, SpongeBob, sparkly, Batman, glittered, and bedazzled bags of glory, but they will definitely be a nice change from the plastic bags that are taking up so much room in my pantry. Yes, the bags that I already have will be put to good use (for kitty litter, bathroom trash, etc) – but I believe my current stock of plastic will last me for the next year or so. I have this many bags because I am a compulsive grocery shopper.

Next up will be a few little gardening projects – like planting some flowers around the yard, decorating pots, and then letting the kids pick plants to put in them, etc. And of course I can’t leave out the peanut butter and birdseed pinecone feeders. I love to work in the yard (though right now if you drove by my house you probably couldn’t tell, as I hibernate in the winter), and I hope I can instill this same love in my kids. I think so far I’ve been successful, as my daughter will go outside with a shovel in one hand, her fairy wand in the other, and Barbie high heels on her feet. Her mission is to save the worms from their inevitable death by sidewalk fate and to help dig holes for the flowers we are planting. My son likes to put on his Wolverine gloves and aerate my yard – a superpower that was discovered this past Halloween.

I did contemplate putting together a “largish” home garden that would have a number of different fruits and vegetables for us to munch on throughout the summer months; however, I figured that since I don’t have the patience for “Farmville” on Facebook, this may not be the best project for me to undertake.

There are so many ways to celebrate Earth Day, and it is also a great way to spend time together as a family and help our environment at the same time. So get your hands a little dirty, and of course, have fun!learn about conservation

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