Looking through my inbox, I found some ideas on what to read, watch, and buy today!

BOOKS:

Go to the library today and pick up a few books! Some ideas:

Elementary School:

• The Berenstain Bears Don’t Pollute (Anymore) by Stan & Jan Berenstain
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Middle School:

• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• There’s a Hair in My Dirt by Gary Larson

High School:

• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau

This Green Reading List was created by Lockheed Martin to encourage its 140,000 employees to read to their children at home during last week’s Environmental Education Week. It includes a fantastic selection of new and classic books for all ages with pro-environment messages.

TV:

• Oprah hosts an Earth Day Mom Swap on her show today. One family wastes and wastes…another lives green to the extreme. See what happens when they make an Earth Day switch-a-roo!
• Nickelodeon premieres an environmentally conscious SpongeBob SquarePants special, “SpongeBob’s Last Stand” at 8:00 pm ET/PT. A corresponding SpongeBob online game allows kids to learn about the environment through different levels at different bikini bottom locales.
• In its largest celebration of Earth Day, PBS KIDS will air 15 different eco-friendly themed episodes of favorite shows such as Curious George, Barney, Sesame Street, DInosaur Train, Super Why!, and more! Check your local listings for times. PBS KIDS will also feature an Earth Day-specific channel on the online PBS KIDS Video Player. In addition, PBS KIDS GO launches new content on EekoWorld, an interactive website designed to introduce children to the basics of ecosystems, conservation and pollution.

MOVIES:

• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing the film AVATAR on Blu-ray Disc and DVD today! A fitting day to release a film with such an eco-friendly theme. AVATAR grossed over $2.6 billion dollars theatrically worldwide, making it the biggest film of all time. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has teamed up with the Earth Day Network to plant 1,000,000 trees worldwide in celebration of the release of the film. People who purchase the film will be given a unique access code that allows them to go online and actually adopt one of the million trees being planted, charting its location and progress. How cool is that? I just got AVATAR in the mail this morning, and will have a review of it up soon!
• Disney’s “OCEANS” opens today! 400,000 advanced tickets for OCEANS have already been sold, meaning that Disneynature’s pledge to make a contribution in honor of everyone who sees the film between April 22-28 has already translated to more than 790 acres of marine protected area in The Bahamas. More information about this can be found here: https://bit.ly/biTym3.

SHOPPING:

• 77kids by American Eagle will plant a tree for every order placed today.
• Today ONLY, you can save up to 75% on Life, Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and more! Lowest prices ever on Discovery Channel’s top 3 DVD sets.

PLAY OUTDOORS TODAY!

Toys”R”Us and Roots & Shoots have developed this list of activities to help families appreciate the outdoors:

• Jump! Whether you call it skipping rope or jump roping, it’s a great activity to improve strength and fitness and can be performed on grass or pavement.
• Retreat to the Beach. Instead of driving to the beach, recreate a piece of the coast’s serene atmosphere with a sandbox in the yard.
• Be Farm and Garden Fresh. Get to know your local farmer and enlist the kids to join you at the local farmers’ markets. Better yet, plant your own garden that everyone can care for and enjoy all season long.
• Let’s Go Fly a Kite! Show the kids how to soar into a colorful sky with only the force of nature to power your kite. A centuries-old activity, kite flying can be enjoyed at any age—with a little wind, of course!
• Give Back. Gather the family for a volunteer day dedicated to beautifying the earth. Many communities have organizations that champion environmental protection and regularly organize events like stream and trail clean-ups.
• Be Bubbly! Invite the neighbors to create bubble wands out of objects found around the house like straws, pipe cleaners, strawberry baskets and coat hangers. Take the kids outside and have your own bubble party!
• Take a Hike. Locate a nature trail near you and take the kids on a woodsy adventure. Hiking is a group activity that provides great exercise and hands-on experiences with the natural world.
• Start a Kickball Game. All it takes is a rubber playground ball, make-shift bases and some friends to start a kickball game. Create a neighborhood tournament and coach the kids though innings of bouncing fun.
• Catch and Release. Butterflies are some of nature’s most beautiful creatures, although they aren’t easy to observe when they flutter in the sky. Using an insect or butterfly net, capture them and show the kids how to appreciate their beauty up close. Then let them loose.

Happy Earth Day!