Make a "Save the Earth" Book

It may not be possible to save the planet in seven days, but you can certainly do your part to make a difference! Inspire your budding environmentalist to design an Earth Day book filled with things she can do to help the planet. Not only is this craft Earth-friendly, it's also inexpensive, made entirely out of recycled and reused materials you can find around the house.

What You Need:

• Thin cardboard reused from an old cereal, shoe, cracker, or packing box
• Fabric scraps torn from old clothing that no longer fits or is planned for donation
• Assorted paper from newspapers, old magazines, flyers, or even old homework
• Clear drying, non-toxic glue
• Hole punch
• Markers or crayons
• Natural materials such as fallen leaves (optional)

What You Do:

1. Start by discussing the environment with your child. Talk about real things that she can relate to, such as what happens to a plastic bottle after you throw it away.
2. Now ask her to think of seven pledges (or promises) she can make to help the planet. Encourage her to think of simple, specific things that she can easily accomplish. For example, she can pledge to turn off the lights whenever she leaves her room, use less water when she brushes her teeth, or remember to put plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the recycling.
3. Now make the book. Have her cut out eight squares from the cardboard, making sure they're all roughly the same size. One square will be the cover, and the other six will be the pages. Explain why it's good to reuse materials you already have rather than buying new ones at the store.
4. Punch two holes along the left edge of each cardboard square, making sure the holes on all the squares line up with each other.
5. Now decorate the cover. Invite her to draw an Earth Day picture on the cover using markers or crayons. Have her write a title and her name. If your child has trouble writing the letters by herself, try writing them lightly in pencil first, then asking her to trace over them with marker. For an added effect, ask your child to cut out a magazine picture or use a photograph that represents the theme.
6. Now it's time to fill up the inside pages of the book. Number the remaining cardboard squares from 1-7, counting with your child as you go along.
7. Start with page one. Help her write down one of the pledges she made in step 2. Invite her to decorate the page by drawing pictures related to her pledge with markers and creating a collage out of cut or torn pieces of recycled paper. For a special look, she can even glue natural materials like fallen leaves to her page.
8. Set the page aside to dry.
9. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for pages 2-7, making sure she writes a different pledge on each page.
10. Ask her to stack  the cardboard squares on top of each other in numerical order with the holes all lined up and the cover on the top.
11. Bind the book together by threading fabric strips through the holes and tying a knot.

Over the next week, read one page with her each morning. Encourage her to stick to her pledge for the whole day. At the end of the week, go back to pledge 1 or even make a new book filled with new pledges. As she completes her pledges, remind her that the goal of this activity is to incorporate these Earth friendly habits into everyday life.