It's Arbor Day - Plant Trees!

Happy Arbor Day everyone!

Arbor day is a holiday in which everyone is encouraged to plant new trees in yards, parks, neighborhood, and communities and to care for them. It was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton In Nebraska. Arbor day is a holiday to celebrate trees, and to plant and care for trees and educate others about the importance of trees. On the first Arbor Day, April 10, 1872, an estimated 1 million trees were planted. It is celebrated in the US on the final Friday of April and on various other dates around the world.

Arbor Day is also celebrated in other countries including Jordan where it is celebrated on January 15th. Variations of this holiday are also celebrated around the world such as: "Greening Week" of Japan, "The New Year's Day of Trees" in Israel, "The Tree-loving Week" of Korea, "The Students' Afforestation Day" of Iceland, and "The National Festival of Tree Planting" in India.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
~ Chinese ProverbImage via atlantaintownpaper

No matter where or when you celebrate this holiday, Arbor day is the time to appreciate trees both for their beauty and usefulness. Whether it is educating children about trees and what their provide (papers, furniture, oxygen...) or planting a tree in your backyard it is important to preserve and conserve our environment and world.

Here is a cool application "National Tree Benefits Calculator" that is available at arborday.org/calculator that allows you to see how your trees are impacting the environment and your wallet.

And here are two crafts for children to do on Arbor Day or any day:

Create this tree using paint and corks (you can also use q-tips or just your fingers)image via The Picky Apple

Here is also a neat way to teach kids about parts of a treeimage via A Little Learning For Two

Earth Day

The name and concept of Earth Day was done by John McConnell. He proposed March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded which is today!

April 22nd Earth Day began in the spring of 1970 by US Senator Gaylord Nelson. While this Earth Day was focused on the United States, in 1990 Denis Hayes took it international and organized events in 141 different nations.

Earth Day reminds us we all share the same planet. Sharing Earth means taking responsibility for what we use and how we use it. It is a day to think of the environmental challenges we face and how to solve them.

There are several ways to contribute to the Earth not only on Earth Day but everyday. You can recycle, plant trees, make a birdhouse or bird feeder, learn about the environment, have a garage sale or have a swap party, or even as simple as riding your bike instead of using your car.

No matter what you do on Earth Day always "Rethink,Reuse,Reduce,Recycle" everyday.