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Take the Earth Day quiz for kids and families!

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A group of kids exploring nature in the woods with a magnifying glass
Jacob Lund / Canva Pro

Earth Day is on April 22 every year, and Earth Month is celebrated for the whole month of April. This Earth Day quiz will help kids think about the environment and sustainability in new ways.

Our kids are inheriting this planet, and we need to show them how to take care of it. But learning about the environment doesn’t have to be dull or depressing! This Earth Day — and every day — you can make it fun by tapping into kids’ natural curiosity and interests.

It’s important to focus on solutions when you talk about climate change with kids. So these Earth Day trivia questions for kids focus on fun facts about Earth, plus the positive actions that people are taking to make human activities more sustainable.

Earth Day quiz questions for kids and families

After answering the quiz questions, read the answers to learn even more about our amazing planet, and what scientists and others are doing to help keep it healthy. Without a doubt, you’ll be inspired to research more together as a family, and to get outside and explore!

Earth Day 2024 Quiz
1. What type of animal is the most numerous in the world?
Answer: B) In terms of both number of species and number of individuals, insects are the most populous animals in the world! More than 1 million species of insects have been studied so far, but scientists estimate that there might actually be up to 30 million species of insects living on Earth. Ants, specifically, have the greatest number of individual animals on the planet, with somewhere between 10 trillion and 100,000 trillion individuals in existence — from 10,000 different ant species. The total weight of all ants on the planet is higher than the weight of all human beings! Ants are important to the planet since they help spread seeds and they create pathways that help oxygen and water reach plants’ roots.
2. Recycling is one important way to keep waste from going into landfills and incinerators. But some materials can be recycled much more successfully than others. Which material can be recycled an infinite number of times?
Answer: A) Glass (as well as metals) can be recycled an infinite amount of times. Glass can also be washed and reused hundreds or thousands of times before it’s recycled, so it’s a very useful packaging material! Paper can only be recycled about 5-7 times before the fibers break down too much to turn it into paper again. And plastic containers can only be recycled once or twice before the material breaks into such tiny pieces that it can’t be formed into a container again. Corn-based plastics can’t be recycled, but they will break down in a natural, safe way in large composting facilities.
3. Big sporting events take a lot of energy, but many sports arenas are going solar to reduce carbon emissions! Which of the following pro teams’ home stadiums or arenas are solar powered?
Answer: D) All of the above! So far, about 30% of NFL, MLB, and NBA stadiums and arenas are solar powered. Here are just some of the pro teams that play in solar-powered venues:

  • Atlanta United FC, Falcons
  • Boston Celtics, Bruins, New England Patriots, Revolution
  • Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Sparks, Kings
  • New York Jets, Giants
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Sacramento Kings
  • Seattle Storm, ​​Seahawks, Sounders, Kraken (they also have all-electric Zambonis!)
  • Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake
  • Washington Wizards, Capitals, Commanders, Nationals, Spirit, DC United

    • 4. Most trees live longer than people and animals, so planting a tree is a great way to leave a positive impact on the planet. The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is the oldest known tree. How many years can it live?
    Answer: D) The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine is the oldest tree in the world and can live for 5,000 years or more! It’s a rare species of tree that can only be found in California, Nevada, and Utah. It grows slowly and can survive the harsh wind and cold. To find out how old a tree is without cutting it down to count its rings, scientists can use an increment borer, a tool that can be drilled into a tree to remove a cylinder from the trunk, showing all of the tree’s rings.
    5. Cows and other livestock release a polluting chemical called methane into the air, and that’s one reason why some environmentalists think people should eat less meat and dairy products. What is it that cows do daily that produces most of this methane?
    Answer: C) Cow belching or burping produces a huge amount of methane due to the way cows digest their food. Their flatulence or farts also produce a small amount of methane, and so does the process in which their manure breaks down. But scientists are working on solutions to improve cows’ digestion — such as feeding them seaweed or supplements — so that they don’t produce so much of the harmful gas.
    6. Water takes up 71 percent of the planet, but most of it is in the ocean and polar ice caps. What percentage of the planet’s water do humans actually use?
    Answer: A) Humans can only use 1 percent of the planet’s water for drinking, washing, going to the bathroom, cooking, growing food, and industry. The cool thing is that our water gets constantly recycled and reused! Water is essential to every part of our lives, and that’s why managing our water use and water infrastructure is extremely important.
    7. What is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust?
    Answer: B) Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, and the third most plentiful element on the planet. Recycled aluminum is just as high quality as new aluminum, making aluminum one of the world’s easiest materials to recycle! Recycling just one aluminum can save enough energy to power a TV for three hours.
    8. Which toy company has pledged to find a more sustainable plastic alternative for its toys by the year 2032?
    Answer: C) Danish toy company LEGO is working to find a more sustainable alternative to the plastic it uses in its iconic bricks. At first, the company planned to start making LEGO bricks out of recycled plastic bottles, but realized that that process wouldn’t help reduce its carbon emissions. So they are continuing to research and test other materials. The company is heavily investing in renewable energy and sustainable buildings in its operations, and has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 37 percent in 2032, and to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In addition, Mattel and Hasbro have pledged to reduce their plastic packaging. Mattel and Hasbro also have toy recycling programs where families can send certain toys back to be turned into new toys. Melissa & Doug has committed to planting 10 million trees by 2030.
    9. When we compost plants and food scraps instead of throwing them in the garbage, we help return nutrients to the soil, save a lot of energy, and reduce carbon emissions. What types of organisms are natural composters, helping break down food scraps and plant-based materials?
    Answer: D) All of the above! Bacteria, fungi, and insects such as ants, worms, millipedes, flies, and beetles help decompose natural materials every day just by living their regular lives.
    10. Switching to buying used clothing can help the planet! If every consumer this year bought just one secondhand garment instead of a new one, it would lower carbon emissions by more than 2 billion pounds, and it would save 23 billion __________.
    Answer: A) It would save 23 billion gallons of water and 4 billion kilowatt-hours of energy, and would be the emissions equivalent of taking 76 million cars off the road for a day, according to secondhand clothing retailer ThredUp.

    Try these other themed trivia quizzes for kids and families!

    Joanna Eng is a staff writer and digital content specialist at ParentsTogether. She lives with her wife and two kids in New York, where she loves to hike, try new foods, and check out way too many books from the library.

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