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Happy Earth Day!
At Melissa & Doug, we take our commitment to sustainability seriously. Some highlights:
- Accelerated our commitments for sourcing wood and paper from responsibly managed forests
- Joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition
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Promised to plant 10 million trees by 2030!
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Achieved carbon neutrality in own operations by purchasing offsets for 2022 emissions
- Received 2022 FSC Leadership Award for uncommon excellence
- Partnered with PCs for People to reduce e-waste and help close digital divide
You can feel good shopping Melissa & Doug knowing we’re focused on making long lasting toys for longer lasting forests.
15 Playful Ideas for the Planet
Want to do your part at home to help protect the planet? Here are some eco-friendly activities you can take on as a family — for Earth Day and beyond.
Earth Day Play Tip #1: Develop an appreciation for nature
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Go for a nature walk. Take a walk in a green space and discuss the birds, flowers, and other natural wonders you see. Visit a national or state forest, take a hike, and climb trees together. (If you don’t live near a National Park to visit, they offer virtual tours online.) Spending time outdoors is the perfect way for kids to build appreciation for it.
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Plant something. Plant flowers (perennials), trees, plants, or a vegetable garden at home. You can always start with a play garden first that just lets kids explore and get their hands dirty!
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Get educated. Read books about nature such as the Melissa & Doug Natural Play trio of books, “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss, “Alba and The Ocean Cleanup” by Lara Hawthorne, and “10 Things I Can Do to Help My World” by Melanie Walsh.
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Clean up. Participate in a local Earth Day clean-up event as a family; visit the official website to find a local event near you. Or pick up trash at the playground, park, or around your neighborhood.
- Watch something sprout. Plant wheat or chia seeds in a jar to show kids what happens when they sprout!
Earth Day Play Tip #2: Reduce and conserve at home
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Layer up. Feeling a little chilly? Try putting on a sweatshirt instead of turning up the heat.
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Lights off. Ask kids to help turn off lights around the house when not in use.
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Get kids recycling. Sort and recycle materials as your local municipality offers; make it a game to get kids to help!
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Save water. Remind kids to turn off the water while brushing their teeth. Better yet, have kids make a sign to hang up near the faucet as a reminder. At bath time, use less water; older kids, take shorter showers. And ALL kiddos, use cooler water.
- Start composting. Create a DIY/homemade compost bin for your garden and plants; it reduces and reuses food waste, and transforms other biomatter into natural food and fertilizer. You can start with this preschooler-friendly composting activity that uses a recycled soda bottle as the composter!
Earth Day Play Tip #3: Repurpose old items to give them new life
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Spring clean the toy box… Do a toy box audit with your kids—recycle the broken and unwanted items, upcycle what you can (check out these inspiring ideas for giving longer life to Melissa & Doug wooden trays), and donate or pass along playthings they’ve outgrown.
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…And the closet, too. Turn old T-shirts into tote bags, quilts, dog toys, woven rugs, and more.Transform old socks into hand puppets.
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Get creative with cardboard. Take a cardboard box and magically create a city, castle, car, or rocket ship.
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Repurpose the plushies. Use outgrown or unwanted stuffed plush toys as filler for bean bag seating.
- Collect their crayons. Collect all their old and/or broken crayons, put them in silicon molds that go in the oven and voila—custom-made, multi-color crayons you can re-use or gift.
Earth Day Printable Activities for Kids
Let's Get Organized
Directions: Color the items and draw lines from each item to the bin that it belongs to! Be sure to recycle this piece of paper when done!
Get this printable
Earthly Activities
Directions: Color the picture and complete the word search! When you're done playing, be sure to put it in the recycle bin!
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For more great toy content from Melissa & Doug, click thru the links below:
Explore Melissa & Doug’s Living Playfully Blog
Use the Melissa & Doug Gift Finder
Melissa & Doug's Sustainability Promise
