Fun Freetime: Earth Day Tips from National Geographic

This Earth Day, take your family on a Neighborhood Safari.   NatGeo@Home, National Geographic's free digital hub to support families and educators during COVID-19 (more info here), is hosting neighborhood safaris in the US to help bring people together (at a safe distance!) during this unprecedented time. 

To get started, invite your child to create a safari, starring their favorite animals. Let their imagination go wild either by sketching their safari on the sidewalk with chalk, drawing original artwork on paper, or coloring one of the available Nat Geo coloring pages to print from NatGeo@Home. Next, show off their creation either by hanging it from your window, attaching it to your apartment balcony, or taping it to your roadside mailbox. Invite other families to join in on the fun! 

Share your safari shots with Nat Geo using #NatGeoEarthDayatHome. On Earth Day itself, go on a neighborhood safari with your family and see what different plants and animals you can spot. We'd love it if you are interested in participating or sharing this activity with your community of followers and readers. 

And here’s a bit more about NatGeo@Home - the new boredom busting, educational resource for kids and parents.  Thanks for sharing this cool new resource with your readers!

National Geographic has just launched an all-new digital hub made just for young explorers looking for a window to the world around them, called NatGeo@Home. Created to offer practical, educational, and entertaining content. NatGeo@Home aims to help inspire young people and support caregivers by offering a one-stop destination for families looking to fill the gap. 

The new hub comes filled with lessons for parents-turned-homeschoolers, hands-on activities, games, quizzes, videos, tips for parents, and access to National Geographic Society’s Learn at Home portal, a curated collection of content for grades K-12. The resources available on the site are organized by grade and come with lessons on social studies, geography, science, reading and writing and more. 

Through the Explorer Classroom available on the hub, kids can meet face-to-face with Nat Geo Explorers through live talks, as film makers, scientists and others share their experiences from around the world. Upcoming Explorer Classrooms include a live chat with a conservationist working to protect the adorable but endangered cotton-top tamarin monkey and a conversation with the head of Nat Geo’s Shark Tales team.

Nat Geo Kids Books has created new downloadable worksheets offering learning activities, including experiments, writing prompts, and fill-in-the-blank activities.  Content from a variety of Nat Geo Kids Books series are integrated into the worksheets, including the “Weird But True” series,  the best-selling "Little Kids Big Book” series, the  "1,000 Facts" series and “Zeus the Mighty,” a middle-grade series where Greek mythology meets talking animal.