1. Flip some Earth Day flapjacks. Start the day off in global style with a batch of Earth Day pancakes. Mix up your favorite pancake recipe, then split the batch in two bowls. Add blue and green food coloring, then “draw” your pancakes in the shape of Mother Earth. See how it’s done at Mostly Together Mommy.
2. Gather your recycling. Do you have gently used items that need a new home? An old computer or some furniture you don’t know how to recycle? MERS Goodwill has teamed up with the Cardinals, IKEA, and area Boy Scouts to solve your spring cleaning dilemma. Bring your electronics and goods to Busch Stadium on Friday, April 21 from 7 a.m.–6 p.m. and receive a voucher for half-price Cardinal’s tickets. IKEA is accepting donations on their parking lot Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Bring a furniture donation and get a $20 IKEA coupon. And Boy Scouts troops all over the bi-state area will help you unload your car while earning badges from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. at 20 locations near you. See the MERs Goodwill website for details.
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3. Go fish. There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to spend time with your kids lakeside. Take the kids fishing at Town and Country Crossing’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, April 22 from 9–10:30 a.m. There will be prizes for smallest fish, biggest fish, first fish, and more—plus face painting, cotton candy, and activities. The derby is free, but you need to bring your own pole and bait. For kids ages 4–15. 1074 Town and Country Crossing.
4. Kick it at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival. Celebrate Earth Day all weekend in Forest Park with live music, performances, delicious foods, yoga classes, and children’s activities. Kids can learn martial arts, learn about plants, make a wolf howl kazoo, decorate a tree cookie, make an Earth bracelet, “upcycle” some crafts, and get seeds to plant their own pollinator garden at home. Event and activities are free. April 22–23. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Muny Parking Lot, Forest Park.
5. Party for the Planet at the zoo. Head over to the Saint Louis Zoo on Sunday, April 23 for live entertainment, kid activities, and keeper chats. Visit at least four of the Earth Day stations around the zoo and collect a special prize. Free. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 1 Government.
6. Prepare an Earth Day dinner. Start a family tradition and plan a special Earth Day dinner by taking the kids to pick out locally grown food from a farmers’ market near you. The markets in Kirkwood, Tower Grove, and Soulard are already open and ready with the greens (and reds and oranges). Find our list of family-friendly farmers’ markets here.
7. Make some Earth Day oobleck. DIY slime is all the rage these days, but have you tried to make oobleck? Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid—it’s both a liquid and a solid. Make a gooey blue and green batch of (totally non-toxic) oobleck from cornstarch and water, pour it in a bowl, and see who can shape the best planet Earth. You can find directions at Little Bins for Little Hands.
Denise Bertacchi is a mom on a mission to find all things fun for kids to do in St. Louis. Read more at stlmotherhood.com, or follow her at @stlmotherhood on Twitter and Instagram.
