For those who don’t know today is Earth Day. A fairly new holiday in the scope of things, Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 as a way to celebrate the birth of the modern environmental movement. Here’s a few other facts about the history of the day:
- In 1962, Rachel Carson’s New York Times best seller, Silent Spring, sparked the change for what we consider to be the modern environmental movement, as it was really the first public piece to raise concern for living organisms, the environment and public health.
- Earth Day as we know it was created by Gaylord Nelson, the U.S. Senator from Wisconsin – he publicized it as a “national teach-in about the environment” and over 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day.
- Throughout the years, Earth Day has become a platform to voice environmental concerns to policy makers and every year, The Earth Day Network encourages all people to speak out about our environmental issues.
As you know, I love holidays of all kinds, and Earth Day is no different. But I don’t just love this day because of its initiative to better the environment. No, I love Earth Day because it (more than many other small holidays) reminds me of my childhood. When I was in elementary school, every year on Earth Day we would spend our Science class learning about the day’s origins and what we could do to make the world a better place. Then, we would make one of my favorite childhood desserts – Dirt and Worms. Dirt and Worms is an incredibly easy snack for kids (or grownups) and fits perfectly with today’s theme:
Dirt and Worms (photo via Delightful Dessert blog).
You will need:
- 1 package (4 serving size) Jello chocolate instant pudding
- 20 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
- 2 cups of cold milk
- 1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip
- Gummy Worms
To Make:
- Beat pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with whisk for appx. 2 minutes
- Let mixture stand for about 5 minutes then stir in Cool Whip and 1/2 of the cookie crumbs
- Spoon into paper or plastic cups*
- Stick some gummy worms in the pudding mixture and top with remaining cookie crumbs. For an even better look, have a worm sticking out of the cookie crumbs
- Refrigerate for about 30-minutes to an hour and enjoy!
*Don’t forget to recycle your cups after using them (this is Earth Day after all)
I haven’t eaten Dirt and Worms since elementary school, but I think today might be the day to do it. I mean, who doesn’t like a trip down memory lane every once in awhile? I hope that you will all be able to join me, readers! Happy Earth Day and Happy eating!
Is there a holiday that brings back memories for you? I love to hear about it – just share in the comments section.
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