Earth Day Activities Paper Chain

Celebrating Earth Day isn’t something that we should do just one day a year. It’s something that we should be doing all year long. This paper chain is a great way to carry on the meaning of the holiday with Earth Day activities that can be done for as long as you want.

Once your chain is put together, remove a link at a time and follow through on an activity that helps you make our world a little bit better, whether that is planting a flower, enjoying nature together or just taking a moment to learn something about the Earth that you didn’t know before. You will love the time that you take to cherish the Earth together as a family, building bonds with each other and the world around you.

These are appropriate Earth Day activities for preschoolers or really any age, all the way up to adults. After all, we could all use a reminder to cherish the natural resources that the Earth gives us every day.

Stick around to the end for another idea for using this Earth Day paper chain that is a little less labor intensive for families with a more hectic schedule…Because I know that intentions are good and that you want to impart love for our world, but sometimes we get caught up with the every day business of life. So, I’ve got you covered.

Save these Earth Day activities for families for later. Pin to your favorite Pinterest board…

Get the printable list of Free Earth Day activities to try with this paper chain…

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SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• Construction paper (colors of your choice)
• Scissors
• Markers
• Stapler with staples (or glue stick)
• Printable Ideas for Earth Day

I love a great craft that takes just a few basic supplies, don’t you? Actually, every craft on this site is based around that concept. We stick to a finite list of just 27 inexpensive craft supplies that we use for every single creative project on this site. I am not kidding…EVERY SINGLE ONE. What that means for you is that, once you have filled your bag using our master list of craft supplies, crafting with your kids will be so simple. Trust me.

Step 1: Cut the Chain Links for Your Easy Earth Day Crafts

• Choose the colors of paper that you will use for your paper chain. I picked the colors that are on the globe, blue and green. But you should pick what you like for your chain.
• With the paper in landscape, cut the construction paper into strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide.
• Make as many strips as you want, depending on how long you want your paper chain to be. Maybe you want to do one activity a day for a month or one a week for the entire year. It is completely up to you how many links are in your chain.

*For older kids, just allow them to eyeball a straight line and cut across the paper without a guide. But for little ones who are beginning cutters, give them a line to follow to cut across the paper. It’s okay if these strips are not perfectly cut. Let them be as independent as possible.

Step 2: Write

• Start brainstorming and decide on some activities that you would like to do to celebrate the Earth.
• You can print the list of Earth Day Activities ideas to get you started.
• Write an activity to do on each strip of paper that you have cut out.

If you are doing this activity with little ones who are just learning to write, you may have them help with the writing by writing a couple of the words in highlighter and having them trace over the letters. This way they are also “writing” and learning to love the process. To make it easier, write words to be traced large and in uppercase and give verbal instruction as to where to start the letter and how to form each line.

I usually instruct in a light sing songy tone, so that the kiddo can retain the information easier when making the letter the next time. They will hear your voice singing, for example, letter ‘A’…”Start at the top and slide down one side. Jump up and slide down the other side. Add a bridge to the middle.”

Step 3: Make Your Paper Chain Craft

• Now that you have Earth Day activities written on each one of the paper strips, it is time to put it together into a paper chain.
• Take one of the strips of paper and form it into a loop, with the writing on the inside. Use the stapler or glue stick to secure the ends of the loop.
• Then take a second strip of paper and lace it through the loop that you created. Again, for that strip into a loop and secure the ends.
• Keep adding links to your paper chain until you have used up all of your paper strips or until the chain is as long as you want it to be.

Step 4: Implement the Earth Day Activities at Home

• Now to put your Earth Day paper chain into action…
• Each day (or each week…or whatever time frame you have decided upon), remove a link of the chain and do the activity that is written on it together as a family.

Step 5: Recycling Your Paper Chain (because this is all about the Earth after all)

Since this is an Earth Day activity, we don’t want to just throw the chain links in the trash once they are used. Instead, decide on what you will do with the links. You can put them in the scrap bin to be used for other crafts. Snip them up and make collage art. Or maybe you will weave them together to make a beautiful piece of art that you keep on your bulletin board.

If you are really wanting to go all out, don’t use construction paper at all but instead use paper with seeds that are imbedded that you can then plant. This one comes in a variety of colors, but I like the blue…

Try a Twist on This Earth Day Activities Paper Chain…

If you want this to be a one time activity with your family or a class of students and know that you will not be able to follow up on activity after activity, here is an alternative for making this paper chain and still using it to celebrate Earth Day this year…

Instead of writing Earth Day activities on each strip of paper, have your kiddos tell you things that they love about the Earth or things that they want to do to preserve the Earth for future generations. Make the chain as long as you want. You might consider putting the writing on the outside of the chain links. It’s a great thought experiment or mindfulness activity and a way to visual all of the good things that Earth gives us and that we have to be thankful for.

Save these Earth Day Crafts for later. Pin to your favorite Pinterest board…