Let’s put your identification skills to the test! Can you figure out what is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.
Ho, Ho, Hold On! Unwrap the Truth About Climate Change this Holiday Season!
Ho, Ho, Hold On! Unwrap the Truth About Climate Change this Holiday Season
Time:10 min
Difficulty:Medium
It’s the holiday season! This magical time is filled with laughter, cheer, and a lot of stories—some are true, and others, well, they’re false! Are you ready to become a holiday myth-busting champion? Let’s see how many of these holiday questions you can guess correctly.
Post your results in the comments below to let us know how you did!
Think you’ve got the facts down? Now let’s turn that knowledge into action! Go beyond the quiz—log your climate-friendly habits in the app and be part of the Myth-Buster Challenge. Let’s make a real difference this holiday season!
Become a carbon footprint-friendly gift-giving hero!
Happy holidays from me – Holly, your Earth Ranger’s gift specialist! What’s that you say? You’re not out of school yet? Well, you can still plan your winter gifts anytime, can’t you? Animals like me don’t have school, so we have all the time in the world to think up AWESOME GIFTS!
What’s all the hubbub about gifts? Simple! Earth Rangers asked me to share my gift-giving knowledge with all of you. Since it can be easy to forget about protecting the planet during the festivities, I figured why not help you find special gifts that also fight climate change? So, I’ve prepared a handy guide to help!
Holly’s Holiday Eco-Guide
Did you know that in winter plants reduce their photosynthesizing, releasing more carbon dioxide back into the air? And people also spend more carbon emissions while traveling for their holidays. Cutting back in small ways, on your car travel for example, even if it’s just a little can make a huge difference.
Shop Sustainably:
If you are a Carbon Footprint Investigator, you probably know all about ways to reduce your carbon footprint. But did you know you can also do so when shopping for gifts? Here are a few ways how:
- Buy local (support small businesses): Shopping local (like local artisans, farmers’ markets, and small businesses) helps support the local economy and has a lower carbon footprint because of the lower transport emissions.
- Pick eco-friendly & ethical gifts: Look for products made from sustainable, organic, or recycled materials.Gifts like reusable water bottles, metal straws, zero-waste starter kits, solar-powered gadgets, or eco-friendly cleaning products are a great way to encourage saving the planet. Choose fair-trade certified goods or gifts from companies that have good environmental practices.
- Make handmade or DIY items: Instead of buying new, create your own gifts! You can make homemade crafts, baked goods, or personalized items using sustainable materials. Check out Earth Ranger’s Creative Corner section in the App for some ideas
- Offer experience-based gifts: Instead of a present that’s wrapped up, why not make it a whole experience?! Gift cooking classes, adventure trips, concert tickets, or even donations to a cause that your friends or family love. Experiences create memories without the carbon footprint of physical goods.
- Buy second-hand gifts: Giving new life to older items is a great way to reduce the large carbon footprint that comes with the creation of new products. Search thrift stores, vintage shops, or online second-hand places to find something special!
- Limit travel and shipping: If possible, shop in-store or in one single online shopping order to minimize shipping emissions from transport. If you are mailing gifts to faraway loved ones, send them through carbon-neutral shipping or local online retailers to lower pollution.
See? There are a TON of ways to help the planet while spreading winter joy. Be sure to check out the Creative Corner in the Earth Rangers app where you’ll find fun ideas like how to make a Moose Card, Pine Tree Cookies, or plenty of other fun crafts and recipes to DIY your gifts.
Ready to take your gift-giving skills to the next level? Join the Carbon Footprint Investigation mission today and find even more ways to shrink your carbon footprint this winter!
Did you know you can lower your carbon footprint by making smarter choices when you shop? Learn more in the Carbon Footprint Investigation Mission in the Earth Rangers App!
Caption This: What are these two monkeys saying?
We need your help! This animal is trying to tell us something but we can’t figure it out! Do you know what these two monkeys are saying?
Post your ideas in the comment section below.
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Wonderful winter wreaths
Wonderful winter wreaths
Time:60+ min
Difficulty:Hard
A great way to add a pop of colour into wintery white scenes around your home is to hang up a wreath or two. And the best thing about them is you can make them yourself, using natural materials!
- Evergreen branches (birch, pine, etc…)
- Floral wire
- Paper, foam or felt sheets
Tip: Upcycle an old piece of paper or newspaper instead of using something new - Natural materials to decorate (Pinecones, dried leaves, flowers, sprig of berries, etc…)
- Optional: Bows and ribbons
- Optional: Battery-operated string lights
- Help from an adult
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: Collect branches from the forest floor, or cut some branches from the trees on your property for fresh scents – they can be from evergreens with lots of needles, birch trees for different colours, or really any other tree! The best branches are ones that are skinny and easily bend without snapping.
Step 2: Bunch together several sticks at the base of the branch and use floral wire to secure them to a circle of sturdier wire or a wreathe form (easily found at a local craft or dollar store).
Step 3: Continue this process until you’ve filled your circle, making sure to use the “fluffy” tail end of each bundle to hide the wiring of the previous one.
Step 4: Now decorate it! Here are some ideas to weave through the branches and make it truly your own:
- Cut snowflakes out using newspaper or scrap paper
- Collect some pinecones and add them as-is, or add glitter or paint to give them extra personality
- A sprig of berries or slices of dried fruit can add a pop of colour
- Make bows and ribbons out of worn-out clothing by cutting long strips of fabric and weaving them through your branches
- Add battery-operated string lights to give it some self-powered twinkle at night
TIP: Remember to reuse! If you’re using lots of fresh evergreen sprigs, even if they do dry out before next year, you can always replace what doesn’t keep for another year of proudly displaying your sustainable creation!
Enjoy the beauty that that comes with a fresh nip in the air!
Congratulations to the Winners of the Christmas in July Contest!
Back in July, we asked Earth Rangers across Canada to celebrate Christmas a little early. We challenged all you budding artists to design a holiday card that celebrates the beauty of trees in wintertime. As a bonus, we asked you to use earth-friendly materials–recycled paper, found forest materials, or magazines cut up and collaged.
And wow, did you deliver! The winner of this year’s contest is… festive drumroll, please…
Grand Prize: Sera – Edmonton, AB
Sera’s beautiful painting of a lone tree against a gorgeous wintertime sky (look at that beautiful aurora borealis!) won this year’s grand prize. Her artwork will be featured on FPAC’s holiday card this year!
Sera also won a gift bag full to the brim with artistic goodies: a painting set, a cedar pencil, a notebook, and more! Our two runners-up also took home a prize pack! Check our their beautiful artwork below.
Runner Up: Clare – Ontario
Runner Up: Jaya – British Columbia
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s contest, and big thanks to everyone who submitted their beautiful artwork!
Missed your chance to enter? Don’t worry! You can always find fun contests, activities, and eco-challenges in the Earth Rangers App!
The Christmas in July Contest is generously supported by:
Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #39
What did the duck say when paying at a restaurant?
Put it on my bill.
Pixel Puzzler #54: The Great Reveal
We got tons of great guesses on Part 1 of this Pixel Puzzler and now it’s time for the answer. Are you ready for the great reveal? Find out if you got it right!
The answer to this Pixel Puzzler is (drum roll please) An antelope! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
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Helpful Bird Homework Organizer
Helpful Bird Homework Organizer
Time:60 min
Difficulty:Medium
Your homework will be im-peck-ably organized!
Here’s what you need:
- An empty cereal box
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Pen
- Acrylic paint in blue, green and white
- Paintbrush
- Cardstock or construction paper scraps in a variety of colors
- Glue stick or white glue
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: On the wide side of the cereal box, measure 15 cm from the bottom of the box. Make a mark with your pen. Turn your box around to the other wide side and do the same thing.
Step 2: Use your ruler to draw a line from the top of your cereal box on an angle down to the mark you made. Do this on both sides. Draw a line across the short side of the box connecting the marks.
Step 3: Cut along all the lines. You should now have a box that looks like this:
Step 4: Paint your box so that the bottom half is the ground (in green) and the top half is the sky (in blue). Use the white paint to add clouds. Let it dry.
Step 5: Cut out birds from your scraps of paper. Glue them all over your box! Need some feathery inspo? Check out this excellent blog entry!
Step 5: Whenever you get homework, put it in the organizer. That way, you’ll always know where your assignments are!
