Going Green for Kids
From LoveToKnow GreenLiving
There are as many, if not more, sites with tips on going green for kids than adults. This makes sense, because the only way the environment will really be saved and even see damage reversed is if the next generation is actively concerned and involved in its maintenance. It’s never too soon to get kids interested in a green way of life.
Ideas on Going Green for Kids
There are so many ways for kids to leave green, you may want to divide them into categories. If the whole family is just starting out living green, be sure to explain to your kids what you are doing and why. They will appreciate being made active participants and will look for more ways to go green.
Simple things, like everyone turning off lights when they leave a room and separating items for recycling, are activities that can quickly become good habits. If your kid isn’t excited about being green, these are ways for them to live green and not even know it.
Encouraging more walking and biking is great exercise and fun, also creating good lifetime habits.
Food choices are an important aspect of living green. You can get kids interested by starting a garden, or joining a community garden. When children are actively involved in growing food, they will be more excited about preparing and eating it and gradually you can explain the value of locally grown, pesticide-free fruits, vegetables and herbs. Give them kitchen tasks like taking out leavings for compost – this is fun when you have a worm bin designed especially for kids. If your family is vegetarian, be sure to explain that you’re not trying to keep the kids from anything, but that eating veggie is good for the planet and animals.
Ways to Encourage Green Living
One of the challenges parents find in going green for kids is getting kids to grasp why it’s important without boring or scaring them. For smaller children, start by relating an eco-friendly lifestyle to animals. Show kids footage of wildlife such as monkeys, tigers, polar bears and penguins. Explain that how we live can impact their homes and so we want to make choices that let animals enjoy their lives too. When we keep the thermostat low in winter and put on sweaters instead, it’s good for polar bears.
Gradually, you can introduce kids to the concept of other children around the world whose lives are impacted by our choices. If you do eat meat, choose to eat locally grown organic meat so that forests don’t have to be clear-cut in other countries. Buy toys and clothes that are responsibly made and not exploiting poor children.
Animated films are a great way to start on going green for kids. The 2008 film WALL-E showed the results of excessive consumerism in a way that even small children can grasp. Explain to children that the more we buy and throw away, the more we are creating WALL-E’s world.
Kids and Consumerism
Because advertisers target kids, it can be very difficult to teach the "reduce" aspect of "reduce, reuse, recycle". Find inventive ways of discouraging consumerism. Instead of buying a ready-made Halloween costume, have a family day where everyone makes their own costumes. Instead of showering kids in toys they don’t need, make holidays about a family adventure – perhaps everyone can go horseback riding. Or gifts can consist of swimming lessons, or even contributions to a favorite green organization.
Your kids will always want the latest electronic devices. Try to hold off getting them their own computer as long as you can. Instead, have a family computer that everyone shares. Donate used cell phones to charity and encourage electronic recycling. Your kids can be an active part of the modern world, but they don’t have to be wasteful!
Finally, ask your kids to challenge themselves and you in ways everyone can go greener. You may end up learning a thing or two from your own children!
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This page has been accessed 1,661 times. This page was last modified 15:20, 20 January 2009.
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