World Environment Day arrives on Wednesday, June 5, with a conservation advocacy mission designed to “grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soils.”
Based on Melissa & Doug’s commitment to sustainability, this is one social media holiday we wanted to elevate to our audience.
We recently partnered with the National Park Foundation to support that organization with a million-dollar minimum donation over three years. Our National Park Foundation collection is designed to inspire kids to discover the wonder of America’s national parks. Together, we’re helping protect our parks for present and future generations!
Driven by the mission behind World Environment Day, and inspired by the toys in our National Park Foundation collection, the play promoters at Melissa & Doug came up with five fun, engaging play ideas for your kids to commemorate this conservation-themed milestone day.
Play Ideas for World Environment Day
PLAYFUL INSPIRATION #1:
Yellowstone National Park Grizzly Bear Games
Discover the wonder of Yellowstone National Park and learn about grizzly bears through play! Play catching games with two bear paw gloves with self-stick hook-and-loop tabs. Plush fish, moths, and berries—some of grizzlies’ favorite snacks—also stick to the snouts of two plush strap-on grizzly bear heads for hands-free pick-up games and exciting role playing.
INSPIRING PLAYDATE:
Your kids have been introduced to the Grizzly Bear Games—now take their pretend play to the next level by conducting your very own Bear-A-Lympics at home! Kids can dress up in the bear-themed pretend play gear from our Grizzly Bear Games set, then participate in Olympics-inspired events such as the 25 meter Bear Crawl, The Plush Fish Toss, The Bear Long Jump, and whatever other friendly competitions you can put a bear-spin on.
PLAYFUL INSPIRATION #2:
National Parks Reusable Stickers – Park Animals (5 Scenes, 121 Stickers)
Take a creative storytelling journey through five national parks—Denali, Everglades, Biscayne, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon—and learn the names of the animals and plants there! Tell imaginative stories by matching 20 Denali-themed puffy stickers and 101 cling-style stickers to illustrated glossy park scenes, then peel the stickers off to rearrange again and again.
INSPIRING PLAYDATE:
Sticker storytime session: Prompt your child to tell an ongoing story using the reusable stickers from our National Parks Park Animals set. Introduce new story twists every so often to keep the action going, and engage with your kiddo to get them to add details and changes to the plot. The sticker time story fun can be as big as your imaginations…when one tale ends, just unpeel all the stickers and start again!
PLAYFUL INSPIRATION #3:
Grand Canyon National Park Hiking Gear Play Set
Take an imagination-filled hike through Grand Canyon National Park! Play hiking essentials, including a working flashlight for night hikes, store on a sturdy, adjustable belt, sized to fit kids 3 and older. Rotate four photo disks in the play binoculars to see canyon scenes and native animals and plants—five beautiful color photos per disk bring the park to life right before kids’ eyes.
INSPIRING PLAYDATE:
After the pretend Grand Canyon hike is over, inspire your kids to love the outdoors in real life: Plan a hike, nature walk, or visit to a local green space to experience the sights and sounds of nature themselves! Pack snacks, be sure to hydrate, and don’t forget sunscreen and bug repellent, especially for babies and preschoolers. The benefits of playing in and experiencing nature have been well documented for both kids and adults, so any quality outdoor fun you can plan will provide a developmental boost to your kid.
PLAYFUL INSPIRATION #4:
National Parks Picture Matching Magnetic Game
Take a magnetic matching journey through four national parks: Everglades, Arches, Acadia, Mammoth Cave! Learn and play by matching 60 shaped wooden magnets on large double-sided scene cards to pictures shown on two double-sided identification guides.
INSPIRING PLAYDATE:
Engage in a friendly family competition with a few rounds of Picture Scramble using our Picture Matching Magnetic Game. Once your kiddo has mastered rearranging the wooden magnetic scenes on their own, up the ante with a turn-based modification: Parents start by creating a wacky scene with mix-and-match magnets, then have the child recreate it as best they can without a picture! Take turns to take the lead, and watch their imaginations go wild.
PLAYFUL INSPIRATION #5:
Rocky Mountain National Park Sights & Sounds Wooden Toy Camera Play Set
Take an exciting imaginative journey through Rocky Mountain National Park and discover the animals that live there and the sounds they make! Slide a photo card into the wooden play camera, and click the shutter button to activate the flash. Press the buttons on the back to hear three nature and animal sounds per card; sounds are unique to each of the six photos.
INSPIRING PLAYDATE:
Real Life Nature Photoshoot, inspired by our Sights & Sounds Camera! Chances are, you’ve got an old smartphone, digital camera, or maybe even a classic Polaroid (or its more recent novelty cousin) laying around the house. Lend it to your toddler or preschooler, and encourage them to explore the backyard, or a local park or green space, and see what photographs they can capture on their own. You’ll be amazed at the results when you give your child the agency and space to do creative nature photography in their own way!
Want more toy content from Melissa & Doug? Click through these links:
Shop All Melissa & Doug Pretend Play
Shop All Melissa & Doug Outdoor Toys
Shop Melissa & Doug National Park Collection Toys
