27 Biofriendly Activities and Projects to Do With Your Kids This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to get outdoors and spend some time with the kids. Even if you don’t have kids, unplugging from your day-to-day life and spending a little time out in nature can be extremely beneficial to your health and overall well-being.

On that note, we’ve come up with 27 different biofriendly activities and projects to do with your kids (or on your own) this summer:

1. Go for a walk/hike around town or in the local hills.
2. Ride bikes around the neighborhood. This is a perfect activity for families to do as it’s good exercise, gives everyone a chance to get outdoors and can easily be done while following social distancing guidelines.
3. Simply unplug and get outdoors – sit on the patio, relax in the yard, toss a ball around, play a game, run through the sprinklers, soak up some natural Vitamin D…you get the idea.
4. Volunteer in your local community to help those in need. This can be done through local food banks, shelters, volunteer groups or non-profits. It doesn’t cost anything, but your time. It also teaches the kids about giving back and paying it forward.
5. Take the time to educate your kids and help them understand their voice matters. Whether they’re passionate about fighting against man-made climate change, racial injustice, educational inequality, or any other human rights’ or environmental issue, their voice matters. They can connect up with other like-minded youths via the Youth Activism Project, you can take them to a peaceful demonstration or participate in a march in your area. Whatever you choose to do, helping your kids learn their voices matter is good for both the future of mankind and the environment.
6. Plant a butterfly garden in the yard.
7. Do a little bird watching.
8. Make a bird house or bird feeder.
9. Build a bird bath in your yard. Get creative by repurposing items from around the house.
10. Build and tend to an organic vegetable or herb garden. Have your kids pick their favorite herbs and vegetables. This way they can plant them, harvest them and eat what they planted.
11. Make some seed balls for the kids to throw around in the yard or even gift to friends. These are great for adding native wildflowers to your area.
12. Plan a meal with your kids, then go shopping at a local farmers’ market to pick up the items you need to make a few organic dishes.
13. Have a backyard picnic (use all reusable utensils, plates, glasses, etc.)
14. Have a camp-out in the backyard – teach your kids about how to leave no trace in their outdoor adventures and why that’s important.
15. Learn about the stars, then go outside at night for a little stargazing.
16. Make a DIY fairy garden.
17. Create a rain harvesting system to help water your yard.
18. Plant a tree in the yard or local community.
19. Go swimming in your pool, at a local lake or stream, or along the coast. Be sure to use UV protection clothing or one of the safer sunscreens listed by the EWG, not environmentally damaging sunscreens.
20. Make a boat or car using recycled items and have a race with family or friends.
21. Do an arts and crafts project with recycled materials. Here are some recycled crafts ideas to give you a little inspiration.
22. Go on a scavenger hunt in nature. You can even put together a bingo-style game board with items for your kids to spot. Whoever finds five in a row wins!
23. Put together different recycling bins to have in the house and educate the family on how to use them.
24. Create a compost bin and teach the kids how to use it.
25. Make natural wreaths to hang up on the patio or front door (or to give to neighbors as gifts).
26. Make some natural dyes and use them to paint rocks or pieces of wood with inspiring messages. Then place these in the garden, leave on neighbor’s doorstep or put throughout the neighborhood to bring a smile to someone’s face.
27. Do a reuse/repurpose project with your kids – take items from your house you no longer use and figure out how to repurpose them into something useful. For example, turn an old dresser into a garden planter. Take an old stepladder and turn it into a bookshelf. Anything to turn trash to treasure.

These are, of course, only some of the biofriendly activities and projects you and your kids can do this summer. The number of things you can do is only limited by your imagination. For those of you who plan to get out on the water this summer, we’ve got a few environmentally-friendly ways to enjoy water sports.

The key is for everyone to take some time to unplug and get outdoors this summer. These biofriendly activities and projects can help you do so!