Today’s Eco Activity: Maritime Lanterns

Have you ever wanted your very own fishy friends at home? Or some snazzy lighting to warm up a cool fall evening? This fun DIY/upcycle craft will cross both off your list, with a nod to #WorldMaritimeDay – that’s today!

You’ll need:

• Blue tissue paper (for the water)
• Multicoloured tissue paper, or newspaper (for your fishies!)
• Fish bowls (or other glass containers – a used/clean pickle jar would work!)
• White school glue
• Water
• Glitter
• Decorative stones (optional)
• An LED candle or tealight
• Paint brush(es)

Here’s how:

1. Mix roughly 3 parts glue with 1 part warm water.
2. Cut your tissue paper into roughly 2in x 2in pieces and your chosen “fish paper” into fish shapes.
3. On the outside of your glass bowl, paint on some of your glue and water mixture, stick on your tissue paper, then paint a light layer of glue over top. Allow it to dry and add another layer or two on.
4. Once your “water” layers are set, add in your fishies! Layer on the glue in the same way that you did with your “water” paper. Allow it to fully dry (maybe overnight, depending on how messy you get!).
5. Add any finishing bedazzlement, including decorative stones inside your bowl before putting your light inside.
6. Light it up and sing a fun maritime song! There’s lots online to choose from!

Want to swim the extra mile to help aquatic animals?

For a limited time only, when you adopt a red knot, thick-billed murre, or Patagonian sea lion with one of our Plush Wildlife Adoption kits, you’ll be awarded with a limited edition marine amulet to wear and display with pride!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Today’s Eco Activity: Dead Battery Rummage

Don’t forget about this truly electric CONTEST, because it’s ending soon!! Batteries that go out with the trash end up in landfills and can be harmful to the environment. When you take used batteries to a battery drop-off location, you’re doing the planet a big favour! Properly recycling the batteries in your remote controls, toys, and other electronics can help protect animals.

For this Battery Blitz, you’ll have to collect as many dead batteries as you can, and store them in your very own homemade battery collection box!

To enter the contest, snap a pic of your battery box, fill out the official entry form and cross your fingers – just by helping properly recycle your batteries, you could WIN awesome prizes, like this epic bike adventure pack!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Today’s Eco Activity: Garbage Gobblers

This Saturday is #InternationalCoastalCleanupDay, and there is no better time than now to get out and clean up our local shorelines! Every year, hundreds of thousands of kilograms worth of garbage and fishing refuse are found washed up on the shores of Canada’s oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds and creeks, polluting important animal habitat.

Of course, it’s important that we stay safe while collecting trash, and we’ve got a great alternative to single-use plastic gloves: Garbage Gobblers! They can be made from any sturdy cardboard paper product, but one of the easiest is paper plates. Just fold two plates, cut one down the middle, attach them together, decorate, then get gobbling!

Take a #ShorelineSelfie along with your garbage gobbler and collected trash to show off your family’s hard work! Make sure you tag one of our official channels on social media so we can see your team in shoreline-saving action! Nothing inspires others like seeing their friends and family taking part in protecting our planet and the animals we love.

Want to swim the extra mile to help aquatic animals? For a limited time only, when you adopt a red knot, thick-billed murre, or Patagonian sea lion with one of our Plush Wildlife Adoption kits,​ you’ll be awarded with a limited edition marine amulet to wear and display with pride!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Today’s Eco Activity: Graduate to Green Drivers

Did you know tomorrow is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer? Without it life on earth would be virtually impossible, but as air pollution continues to increase, the ozone layer is in danger. That’s why we’re asking you and your family to do what you can to help keep the ozone layer healthy by teaching your family how to get around greener – and of course celebrating their graduation from the Earth Rangers School of Green Driving with an epic graduation ceremony!

Next, you’ll need to give your family the Eco Driving Test. Once you’ve marked the written portion using the answer key, it’s time to hit the road! Complete the driving portion of the test and then use the tips in your Mission Mailer Package to help your family get around greener! Once the driver has improved their score, hold a graduation ceremony to present them with their Green Driving License! Don’t forget to & share it (and tag us)! We would love to see some parents in green graduation caps!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Yesterday was #NationalTeddyBearDay, so we’ve been celebrating with beary cool activities! Did you know a group of bears is called a sleuth? Have you ever wished you had your own little bear family at home to hang with? You can use household items to roll some to life!

1. Grab a rectangular towel, 3 elastics, and a ribbon (optional).
2. Place your towel lengthwise and roll the top and bottom sides inwards equally.
3. Fold it in almost half, leaving the legs free at the bottom, and turn it over, while twisting the top part to make the head.
4. Decide where the neck will be and use a larger rubber band to secure the towel at this point.
5. Puff up the ears a bit and secure each with small elastics.
6. Tie a ribbon on top of the neck to give your teddy some style.

Share a pic of with your new fuzzy friends and tag our official page so we can see how they turned out!

National Teddy Bear Day honours the history of one of childhood’s favourite toys, and to celebrate we’re giving you a special bonus item when you adopt a Grizzly Bear! With each purchase of a Grizzly Bear Plush Adoption Kit, not only will you get your very own adorable teddy bear, you’ll also be helping make a difference with a real-life grizzly conservation project, AND for a limited time only you’ll receive a limited edition bear amulet necklace as a special bonus gift!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Tomorrow is #NationalTeddyBearDay! We’ve come up with a delicious meal to celebrate early if you’re already feeling a rumbly in your tumbly. Even the littlest cubs at home can help make this with their bear hands! Don’t forget to wash ’em before doing this creative culinary activity.

Let’s get cooking!

1. Mix up your favorite pancake batter. Feel free to add in some cooked oatmeal for an added nutritional boost like we did!
2. Make one large and two small pancakes for each teddy bear you are making.
3. Place large pancake in the middle of a plate and cut one of the small pancakes in half to use for the ears.
4. Place the other small pancake on top of the big one for the snout.
5. Add bananas, berries, raisins, or chocolate chips for the nose, eyes and mouth and your teddy bear is complete and ready to enjoy.
6. Share a pic of your Earth Ranger with your beary delicious brekkie and tag our official page so we can see how it turned out!

Bonus: Collect teddy bears you have at home and invite them to join you for a teddy bear picnic indoors or in your yard.

National Teddy Bear Day honours the history of one of childhood’s favourite toys, and to celebrate we’re giving you a special bonus item when you adopt a Grizzly Bear! With each purchase of a Grizzly Bear Plush Adoption Kit, not only will you get your very own adorable teddy bear, you’ll also be helping make a difference with a real-life grizzly conservation project, AND for a limited time only you’ll receive a limited edition bear amulet necklace as a special bonus gift!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!

Beginning next week, Earth Rangers will be reducing the frequency of our eco-activities emails from daily to twice weekly. We have loved being part of your everyday lives for the past few months and can’t wait to bring you more fun seasonal activities throughout the summer!

Don’t forget to snap a pic of your kids completing their eco activities and tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We LOVE seeing our Earth Rangers in animal-saving action!

Today’s Eco Activity: Arborist for an Hour

A huge part of environmental research can be quite literally as slow as watching grass grow, but arborists LOVE when they get to take the time to chill out and really take in all of the beauty that work in the field has to offer! An arborist is someone who cares for and studies individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other woody plants!

Sometimes, they sit for hours upon hours to watch the happenings of a particular habitat they are studying, or even a single tree! You can learn so much about trees by taking a LEAF of absence from a busy day and looking closely. It’s also a great way to practice focused meditation and can be quite calming to take your mind off other things going on in a busy world!

Have you ever just stopped (and we mean REALLY stopped) to examine the details of a tree? Today you can try being an investigative arborist! Spend an hour just hanging out with a tree of your choice to get to know them and how they impact the habitat they are a part of.

It is important for arborists to LOG their evidence! Bring a notebook (bonus points if it’s made from recycled paper products!) with you so you can sketch your leafy companion and jot down your findings.

Feel like an avid arborist now? Curious about how trees help provide habitat for animals in places like the Ontario Greenbelt? How about learning about some of the lesser-known organisms that rely on trees (like friendly fungus!!) to survive and thrive? Check out this cool case study on Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve on the Wild Wire, and accept the Just 1 Tree Mission today to learn all about fantastic forests and the difference one tree can make!

The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog. Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!