Recycle and reuse during this fun-filled Earth Day party! Make an invitation out of newspaper, craft decorations out of repurposed household objects, and play environment themed games. Create a menu of Earth inspired items, and serve the yummy munchies on washable table ware instead of paper plates and cups.

Make Recycled Invitations!

Instead of buying brand new invites, save the paper (and some extra money) by crafting your own special party notices. Look through old newspapers for kid-friendly sections such as the comics or articles on children’s events, or search for photos with an ‘Earth’ theme such as globes, plants, flowers, or nature-scapes. Additionally, you will need to help your child to collect old cardboard scraps from cereal, cracker, packing, or moving boxes and used papers with one blank side (try activity and event flyers or even old school worksheets). Cut the cardboard into approximately 5"x7" rectangles and cover with the newspaper. Simply place the rectangle in the center of a cut piece of newspaper and wrap, gift style, using a glue stick to hold in place. Turn your reused flyer, or other piece of paper, over to the blank side and cut to 4"x6" inches. Write the important party information on the paper, making sure to include the reason for the bash, date, place, time, and RSVP number. Glue the newly-made info sheet to the newspaper-covered cardboard base. Create your own envelopes by folding and taping recycled paper, or leave the invites free from a cover. Spend a sunny afternoon taking a walk around the neighborhood with your child to hand deliver the invitations, or ask her teacher if it is alright to send them in to school. Both of these options reduce the carbon emissions your local mail carrier might use to drive the invitations all across town!

Craft Recycled Party Decorations

Make an oversized picture of the Earth to decorate your house and celebrate this special day. Unfold the largest cardboard box that you can find. Try a moving box, or ask a local appliance or warehouse store if they have leftover boxes they wouldn't mind giving away. Break down the box so that it is laid out flat. Use markers to draw a circle for the globe and refer to a map for the continent placement. Turn your Earth Day masterpiece into a colorful creation with blue, brown, white, and green tempera paints and large/thick bristled brushes. Little helpers can easily create decorative garlands out of newspaper, magazine pages, or other paper strips. Cut the strips in 3"x6" inch sections, fold and curve the first one into a circle shape, and tape where the ends meet. Repeat, linking the following strips around the one before. Keep the craft going until you have a chain that measures at least a few feet long. Make a few garlands and hang the creations around the windows or ceiling of the party room. Looking for a more sturdy option? Cut strips from plastic bottles, and follow the same steps. Older kids and those with sewing skills can piece together a patchwork table cloth. Gather clean fabric scraps from old clothes, towels, and other household items. Cut and sew the pieces together to create a very special Earth Day party table covering.

Try Some Earth Friendly Games and Crafts

  • Item Sort: Ask guests to bring a bag of recyclables. Sort each into special bins to learn about the process.
  • Reused Ring Toss: Cut a large plastic juice or soda bottle into several circular rings. Set up smaller bottles at different distances and invite the guests to toss the rings onto the bottle tops.
  • Eco-Friendly Multimedia Collage: Gather old paper and cardboard and help your guests to create a special globe shaped Earth collage with scissors and glue. Add paint, glitter, or even fabric scraps for added flare.
  • Eco Frame: Pre-cut pieces of used cardboard into small frames. Make a variety of shapes such as standard rectangles, squares, triangles, or circles. Go outside and collect some natural materials such as fallen leaves or small twigs from the ground. Use clear drying, non-toxic glue to attach and seal the materials onto the frame.

Make an Earth Day Menu

Celebrate Mother Nature herself and lay out a bevy of fresh from the garden (or farm) produce for refreshments. If you don’t have your own home garden to choose from, look for locally-grown products to make a simple salad, veggie tray, or fruit bowl from. Make a sweet surprise, and design an Earth-shaped cake. Use a round cake pan to form your shape. Decorate the baked treat with blue and green icing to represent the land and water. For another activity, you can also make Earth cupcakes. Pre-bake the cakes before the guests arrive, and once the party has started, give the children blue and green icing and sprinkles. Ask each guest to make his or her own sugary version of our planet.