To celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 2021, the YMCA of Metro Denver is distributing seed packets to all members who visit our five YMCA locations – Arvada, Downtown, Littleton, Southwest and University Hills.
Your Seed Packet
The seed packets contain wildflower seeds. We encourage you to sow your seeds when the danger deep of frost has passed, usually around May 15.
Cover seeds in 1/4 deep prepared soil. Full sun is best. Water during dry periods.
Read on for some history of Earth Day, how climate change affects people of color and some recommended reading.
The First Earth Day – April 22, 1970
Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environment movement and gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet. Read the history.
How Climate Change Affects People of Color
People of color are more likely to die of environmental causes, and more than half of the people who live close to hazardous waste are people of color. Climate change disproportionately affects those who suffer from socioeconomic inequalities. As the United States becomes increasingly diverse, understanding how the current crisis impacts people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds is imperative. Read more in this Princeton Student Climate Initiative article.
Also read about People on the Front Lines of the Climate Crisis.
Recommended Reading – Young Readers:
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Greta Thunberg (Little People, BIG DREAMS) by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
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We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
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Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter
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The Wolves are Back by Jean Craighead George
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Our Community Garden by Barbara Pollak
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One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul, Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon
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Our Big Home: An Earth Poem by Linda Glaser
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A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney
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Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling
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We are the Weather Makers: The History of Climate Change by Tim Flannery
Activities for Kids and Additional Resources
Looking for some Earth Day activities to do with your kids? Try these Earth Day Challenges - how saving energy helps the environment and ideas for saving energy and reducing, reusing and recycling; activities for observing and exploring nature; and other hands-on activities.
Additional Resources:
https://tinkerlab.com/fifty-earth-day-activities/
https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/hands-on-earth-day-activities-for-kids/
https://thekindergartenconnection.com/engaging-earth-day-activities-kids/