Rise & Grind - Celebrating Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 We love any chance to get outside and enjoy Mother Nature!
Today on Rise & Grind, we are sharing some ways we're celebrating the great outdoors. Check out a tutorial on DIY seed bombs, ideas for getting outside daily, and an Earth Day inspired cookie recipe! 
We love the idea of getting outside with our kids and spreading some Beaty. This DIY is the perfect combo of the two! Check out this easy and fun way to spend time with your littles from Little Bins for Little Hands:

EARTH DAY SEED BOMBS

Earth Day might come once a year, but we can keep the spirit of Earth Day alive all year long. Planting seeds is a wonderful kick-off to spring and summer, and learning how to make seed bombs is a great way to get your planting started. Bonus, you can give these seed bombs as gifts!

Make these DIY seed bombs with simple materials you can pull straight from the recycling bin or use scraps of colored paper. I always save the bits and pieces of whole sheets. Here we strategically used Earth Day colors in blue, green, and white. You can use whatever is available making it even more eco-friendly!

SEED BOMB RECIPE

YOU WILL NEED:

  • 3-4 Packages of Flower Seeds
  • 3 Sheets of Construction Paper (we used blue, green, and white)
  • Food Processor
  • Scissors
  • Water
  • 3 Small Containers
  • Baking Sheet and Parchment Paper (drying seed bombs)

HOW TO MAKE SEED BOMBS

STEP 1:  Start by cutting your construction paper into one-inch squares. Place each color separately in a container.

STEP 2:  Once you have cut up all your paper squares and each container is ready, add water. Cover the paper completely and allow to soak for 20 minutes.

STEP 3:  When the 20 minutes is finished (the hardest part is always waiting), take one container and squeeze the excess water out of the paper. Place the paper in a food processor and pulse until the paper becomes pulp!

Place the pulp back into its container. Go ahead and repeat with the next two colors until you have three containers of pulp!

STEP 4:  Divide the packages of seeds between the three containers gently mixing them into the pulp.

STEP 5:  Start by taking a bit of each color from each container and forming it into a ball! We wanted these to resemble the Earth for Earth Day.  If you have chosen other colors that are great too! To make the Earth try not to mix up the colors too much.

STEP 6:  Place your homemade seed bombs on a parchment lined baking tray. You can go ahead and press a few more seeds into the balls if you think they need a few more. Let your tray dry overnight.

PLANT SEEDS WITH KIDS

Get ready! Once dry, toss your flower seed bombs into your favorite flower pot or garden plot. Still have to dig a hole first! These also make fun gifts to give to friends and family. Decorate a flower pot, add a seed bomb, and you have a sweet gift that’s Earth-friendly!

Source: All photos & recipe found here by Little Binds for Little Hands!

Sometimes all it takes is creating a new daily outdoor ritual to reap the benefits of Mother Nature all year long. We love the idea of spending a little time each day to appreciate everything we have, recenter our minds and find some inspiration. Read on to see some examples to add a little fresh air into you daily routine (feel free to mix these up to add some variety too!).

1. Outside Morning Coffee

Sometimes it's hard to find time or space to get outside, but this simple daily act can be quick and simple. Drinking Coffee or eating your breakfast outside is a great solution when you're craving some fresh air. Your porch, backyard lounge chair or even on the grass to ground you for your upcoming day. There is something very refreshing and calm about starting your day this way. 

 

2. A Walk Around The Block

A simple walk around your blog can have immense benefits! Grab your dog, kid or even just a pair of headphones and go for a stroll. This doesn't have to be intense or seen as exercise. It's getting outside, breathing fresh air, stretching your legs and enjoying your surroundings. With such a short distance and amount of time, this would be so easy to add to your daily routine. Bonus points for timing it with the sunrise or sunset!

 

3. Hammock Time

A really fun, inexpensive reading nook or nap haven is a hammock. Starting at $20 you can have a little escape place in your backyard to enjoy some time outside. No trees? No problem. There are so many creative options now, with a click of a mouse you can find something that will work for your space. Level Up - Instead of going straight to the TV after dinner, spend 20 minutes reading in the hammock instead.

 

4. Catch a Sunrise (or Sunset!)

A really inspiring friend I have, built her home around the fact that she wanted to see the sunset every single day. From the placement of windows to the design of the deck. She loves to stop and appreciate Mother Nature in this way every day. What a great lesson to stop and recognize the beauty we have. Plan your walk or coffee for this time to kill two birds with one stone.

 

5. Picnic Time

Do you eat three meals a day? What is one of those meals was spent outside? On your lunch break, find a nice spot outside and enjoy the view. Make your backyard meal-friendly and start making a habit of enjoying your space with having dinner outside occasionally, especially when grilling!

 

6. Zen in The Outdoors

What's your favorite way to unwind? If the answer is yoga or meditation, try taking your practice outside. Find a nice, quiet area in your yard and stretch out and relax. Grab your headphones to immediately transport yourself to instant zen mode.

 

7. Grow Yourself (and a plant!)

There is so much satisfaction that comes from watching something you planted grow up big! Try planting some plants in your yard to beautify your surroundings and also give yourself an excuse to spend some time outside everyday. Caring for your plant may just because your favorite part of the day.

 

8. Family Outside Time

An easy way to get some outdoor time added to your day is with your family! Schedule park play dates, outside games, or even just a set "outside time" to help keep your accountable. Not only with your family love it, but they will get all the benefits of Mother Earth as well!

 

How cute are these Earth Day cookies?! We felt inspired and giddy as these adorable cookies from Tammilee Tips's blog and had to share! Read below to learn how to make your own - so easy and so delicious!  

EARTH DAY COOKIES

Are you ready to see how dang easy these cookies are......

I have to let you in on a secret first.....I cheated when I made these cookies.

Instead of making them from scratch I used a sugar cookie mix and food coloring. Yep, that is how crazy easy these cookies are.

I used the generic cookie mix from Costco that comes in a giant bag and blue and green food coloring.

All you have to do is mix up the cookies and add in a few drops of food coloring until you get the color you want. I made one batch of green dough and one batch of blue dough.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE EARTH DAY COOKIES

Sugar cookie mix

Blue Gel Food Coloring

Green Gel Food Coloring

Disposable Gloves - If you are worried about having your hands possibly turn blue or green from the food coloring you may want to grab disposable gloves.  This is an easy way to make sure the gel food coloring doesn't get on you.

Cookie Sheets

Ingredients

    • 2 Sugar Cookie Mixes
    • 2 Eggs
    • 2 Sticks Butter
    • Blue Gel Food Coloring
    • Green Gel Food Coloring

Instructions

  • Make sugar cookies according to instructions add in green gel coloring to 1 mix and blue gel coloring to the 2nd mix
  • Combine 1 part blue and 1 part green then roll in your hands to form a circle
  • Bake according to the cookie directions.

 Source: all photos and recipe by Tammilee Tips!

We hope you have a fun day celebrating Mother Earth! Let us know on social media how you plant to celebrate the day! 🌎 

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