Green Thumbs, and Green Hands and Feet too!

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22, 2012!  Whoop Whoop!  That means it is time to seriously celebrate, what else, but the Earth!  We've got books to read about the Earth, projects inspired by the Earth, some protecting the Earth to do, and of course some serious planting in the Earth waiting for us.

The three books we've been reading are The Earth Book by Todd Parr, The Adventures of the Plastic Bottle by Allison Inches, and The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute Anymore by Stan and Jan Berenstain.  I think we like The Earth Book best for toddlers.  The plastic bottle book is interesting but too many words on the page.  And the Berenstain Bears is OK but more about pollution then the celebration of Earth Day.  Jonah & Vera seem to like them all...

We started doing an Earth project the other day.  Jonah did a quick craft while Vera was sleeping that we saw on Pinterest here.  We modified it a bit and used paint brushes, but it was easy and Jonah really liked doing it.  I think we will be doing many more "food coloring on coffee filter" painting projects!  He made a bunch and we hung them in the kitchen to start the week off celebrating the Earth.  He also loved, loved. loved playing with the water in the sink when we were cleaning up - not sure that was very Earth Day inspired - but he is 2.8 years old.

In honor of Earth Day (and to prepare for Vera's upcoming garden party in our backyard for her baby naming) I decided we should do some planting!  And Jonah is on the "bug" kick so I thought it would be fun!  I am so not a gardener with a green thumb-but I always give it my best shot.  So this afternoon, when the sun came out we planted Impatiens (because they are shady plants, I love the name and they are pretty!)  Jonah was just as impatient as the Impatiens and I clearly bought way to many of them... but we had made the best of it.  There was a lot of dirt going everywhere, water going everywhere and a few amazing discoveries of earth worms which delighted both Vera and Jonah!  There was also a stint of "naked Jonah" running around the back yard under the water spray laughing like a hyena and Vera giggling her head off watching him... very Lord of the Flies...

We got sort of cleaned up and decided to make our hand and foot prints for our next project.  Also inspired by many Earth Day toddler crafts on Pinterest (see a few here, here, and here), I decided we would do a "recycled" Earth made of all recycled stuff and paint.  So today we did green hand and foot prints on some of the packing paper I still have from unpacking all those boxes.  (These will be the continents) Vera loves doing her hand and foot prints now!  This is awesome because she hated it the first few times we did it!  We will finish it before Sunday (or so we hope).

Today was fun, albeit, exhausting due to Jonah's three or was it four, super extra special tantrums... He is learning the hard way that if he doesn't listen then he ends up in his room... I feel like he should have already figured this out by now-but we are still working on it...

Tomorrow morning we are planning on going to the Smithsonian's Einstein Planetarium at the Air & Space Museum to see One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure (that is if we get there in time and there are still tickets...)  When we get home, we hope to finish our recycled Earths!  Then we will have Earth Day Shabbot.  On Saturday morning, we are going to the Atlas Theatre to see the Theatre for the Very Young's production of Aquarium, which sounds kinda earthy. Then finally (if we are all still alive and kicking-Mama is away this weekend so it is just Jonah, Vera & me) on Sunday, we are hoping to attend the big Earth Day rally on the Mall, Mobilize the Earth! 

Whoosh, I am totally exhausted just writing it all down. Big plans!  We'll report on how it goes... wish us lots of luck!

We will keep on kaleidoscoping that chaos... you do the same...

poster from The Earth Book

Coffee Filter food coloring painting!

earth garland!

playing with water!  Whoop! Whoop!

I've got a green thumb!!  What about you!

They are very pretty mommy!  I like them!

But I am all dressed up and not helping to plant them... go ask Jonah...

We found Mr Earthworm!

Mom!  This is super cool!

Yeaah, this is super cool!  Can I touch him??

We planted less then 3/4 of what I bought...

I can not stop giggling!  The paint tickles my toes!!

future continents