Earth Hour party

On Saturday, March 31, at 8:30 p.m., lights across the country and the world are supposed to be turned off for one hour in recognition of the need for action on climate change and sustainability issues. Canadians in 420 towns and municipalities participated in Earth Hour 2011, joining the 134 countries that took part. On a smaller scale, Earth Hour is a great way to teach kids about environmental concerns and the little things they can do to make change.

One hour in the dark with kids can be an eternity or it can be an excuse to have a party. A party in the dark? With kids? We aren’t kidding. We love hosting Earth Hour parties — they are a great excuse to have neighbours over and, since it’s a new holiday, it gives your brood a chance to come up with brand new family traditions. Go through your stores of candles and flashlights at the beginning of the week to make sure you have enough to light up the house. If you need to stock up, consider choosing the more environmentally friendly beeswax candles. Before the festivities begin, give all the kids a quick chat about safety around open flames.

There are so many fun things to do during Earth Hour, you might just want to keep the lights off a little longer. Check out wwf.ca/earthhour the next day to see the beautiful photos of each city going dark, and remind your kids that they can create change every day, not just once a year.

Activities

Earth Hour fondue dinner party: Get the party started with this delicious and fun fondue.

Band: Set up a singalong with spoons and other noisemakers from around the house, or plan ahead and have your kids make instruments as a craft project earlier in the week.

Hide-and-seek with flashlights: A spooky hide-and-seek game could keep the kids thrilled for much longer than 60 minutes. Pair up the wee ones with older kids to keep the fear factor low. You can also try making your own firefly with this fun craft idea!