“Can you please throw this away for me?” I said to my 10-year-old daughter just last weekend, absently waving a stack of junk mail in her direction as she walked by.

“Excuse me?” she replied with eyebrows raised and little hands on little hips.  “I hope you meant ‘recycle’.”

“Yes, of course,” I backpedaled, as she snatched the mail from my hand, turned off the light over my head and stalked from the room.

When you’re raising young children in the 21st century, every day is Earth Day.  April 22, 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the real Earth Day, however.  Want to celebrate with your kids?  Here are five easy, local things you and your family can do together to take care of the planet.

1.  Go to the zoo

If your kids are school-aged, chances are it’s been awhile since you’ve taken them to the zoo.  There is no better way to get your kids to care about endangered species (and the systematic destruction of their habitats) than getting up close and personal with them.

2.  Plant something

One of the most satisfying ways for kids to feel close to the earth is to actually get their hands in the dirt.  You don’t need a garden of your own either since many towns and cities have community planting events in honor of Earth Day.  If a tree is too much of a commitment in your own yard, plant flowers!  The bees will thank you.

3.  Ride your bikes

The majority of global warming pollution comes from cars, so why not celebrate Earth Day by parking your car and leaving it?  If your kids are young, choose a relatively car-free route and a not-too-distant destination.  Don’t be surprised if their stamina lasts longer than yours though.

4.  Clean a beach

Bring your own gloves and bags and spend the day beautifying your local beach.  Any river, lake, or coastline that sees heavy recreational use could probably use a little TLC, and not just once a year.  As an added benefit, you get to spend the day at the beach!

5.  Go on a (trash-free) picnic

Recycling is all well and good, but it’s better not to use resources at all than to re-use them.  If you don’t have any BPA-free water bottles and re-usable lunch bags, it’s time to get some.  Fill them with fresh, local food from a farmer’s market and—if the weather is nice—find a leafy, green place to eat your earth-friendly picnic.  Bon Apétit!