Rock Reminders

As we enter 2017, many of us are busy writing New Year’s resolutions. However, all too often ways to protect the earth fail to make the list. This year, we encourage you to educated your kids about the Amazon Rainforest, the people that live there, and ways to take care of the earth.

Make a commitment to the earth this year. Create a jar of rock reminders to place somewhere in your house that you and your kids will see every day. Each time you pass the jar, remember what you have learned about the Amazon and what you can do each day to take care of the planet and people that inhabit it.

Here are a few facts about the Amazon Rainforest to share with your family:

The Amazon Rainforest is the ancestral home to one million Indigenous people
The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical ecosystem on the planet and holds 30% of the world’s flora and fauna
Nearly 80% of the food we eat originated in the Amazon, including chocolate, bananas, coffee, tomatoes, black pepper, and corn!
Over 1/4 of the medicine we use today were originally found in the Amazon!
More than 20% of the world’s oxygen comes from the Amazon. Every breath we take is a reminder of how much we need the Amazon Rainforest.

Create rock reminders to take care of the earth with your children today!

Materials:

Rocks
Paints
Brushes
Sharpies/ writing tool
Any other decorative material you might want

1. Educate

Go over some of the reasons we need the Amazon Rainforest with your kids based on the list above! Talk about it and reflect how these things impact your life and what you can do to protect the earth each and every day.

2. Brainstorm

Write a list of things you can to in your house and community to protect the earth. Here are a few ideas to spark your thinking, but be sure to make a list that fits you and your family. – Lay in the sun and say thank you for the nourishment that it provides – Make sure you turn off the water when you brush your teeth – Plant your favorite fruit or vegetable – Make an art project out of recycled materials – Look at a map of the world and point out the locations of the rainforest – Learn about indigenous people of the amazon (we will continue to provide information for you!) – Adopt a tree or Acre through Amazon Aid or make a donation to our organization

3. Collect & Decorate

Get outside and collect some rocks! Explore somewhere new! When you return, clean off the rocks and paint them in whatever way you choose!

4. Reflect

Write a few words on each rock that will remind you of a way you can take care of and honor the earth.

5. Remember

Once the rocks have dried, place them in a jar somewhere you will walk by every day. The kitchen sink or by the front door are two great places to have them sit to remind you of what you can do each and every day to take care of the earth around you.