The best way to teach kids about anything new is to make it a fun project. All kids soak up information best when they are simply having a great time doing something. Fortunately, there has never been a better time to implement and maintain green living, from installing eco-friendly plantation shutters to growing your own food. Whether you want to improve your home or do your bit for the planet, here are a few ideas for making eco-friendly living a reality for the whole family.
Take green outings
To make the world of nature come alive for kids, instead of just reading about it in books or watching wildlife documentaries, consider having green adventure days out. These could be anything from hiking or camping adventures to simply collecting shells on the beach. The idea is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the intimate connections between all living things.
Plant a garden
This is a great way to get kids involved with nature and watch things grow that they planted themselves. Set up a small patch in the backyard and make sure it includes some edible tidbits.
Do recycled crafts projects
It goes without saying that kids love messy arts and crafts. Fill a box full of reusable items like magazines, popsicles, toilet rolls, old buttons and egg cartons, and let them loose to create montages, awarding prizes for their efforts.
Recycling should also become a part of your family’s daily living. It should become as natural for the kids to recycle glass and cardboard, for example, as to brush their teeth every morning.
Shop organic
Take your kids along to the local co-op or farmers’ market to teach them about the advantages to the planet of buying organic produce. Explain the differences between conventional and organic farming, and maybe visit a farm to enlighten them about where their food ultimately comes from.
Power down
One of the easiest ways to encourage kids to be good to the planet and also instill good habits for their future is to show them how to save energy at home. Teach them by example to switch off electronic devices and to turn the lights off when they’re not being used. You could even dine by candlelight once a week or month to reinforce the message. This will become something they’ll look forward to and love.
Compost
This is an eco-project that’s tailor-made for teaching kids about sustainability, recycling and how everything comes full circle. They’ll see how they eat their food and then put suitable waste into the pile from which, several months later, they’ll get degraded compost to fork back in and grow more food.
To summarize
It’s increasingly important to teach our kids about green living if we’re to have a healthy planet for future generations to enjoy. There are so many great projects to choose from and they’ll have a fun time learning some of the most important lessons of their young lives.
