Eco Kids are Vital to our Future
Today, parents know the importance of teaching their children to respect the world around them and the environment.
After all, our children are the ones who will inherit the planet – they will soon be responsible for it!
So it makes sense to start as soon as possible.
Teach them how to respect the planet that is their home and provider – particularly in view of our current problems with climate change, pollution, water issues, deforestation and other environmental concerns.
How can you teach your kids this important concept? Here are 10 ideas to turn your kids into fantastic eco kids:-
1. Home Footprint
Get the kids involved in calculating your home’s carbon footprint. In the US use this calculator, or go to your internet browser and type household carbon footprint calculator and then the name of your country or region (e.g. household carbon footprint calculator UK).
2. Eco Kids Love to Play Outside
“Disconnect” your kids from their electronics and encourage them to play outside in the fresh air. It’s not only for sports –
- Put up a tent in the back garden. Or let them build a fort from branches and an old box or sheet.
- Go for a walk with a notebook and see who can spot the most variety of plants, animals, insects and / or birds (get a free bird checklist for the US here).
- Enjoy simple pleasures such as making a daisy chain, skipping or skimming a stone, or blowing a grass whistle.
- Older kids (and adults) will enjoy geo-caching.
- Go on a photo safari in your neighbourhood – close-up photos show interesting textures – and peering through a lens gives a whole new way of looking at Nature.
- In Autumn or Fall, get the kids to help rake up the fallen leaves, and then jump in the pile!
- It’s good to get outside – even in the coldest weather – just wrap them up well.
- Eco kids are natural collectors – set aside space for their pine cones, seeds and flowers.
- Let them lie on their backs outside and see shapes in the clouds.
- Get them to make a map of your neighbourhood — using only natural landmarks. This will heighten their observation skills.
3. Take Eco Kids Camping
Taking your kids camping is a wonderful way to get them out into the natural world.
As you do, teach them about the responsibilities involved in camping, such as the proper technique for extinguishing a campfire, and how to carry trash back with you out of the wilderness area.
If you see trash lying about in the area, point it out to your kids and note how it spoils the landscape. Pick it up and dispose of it correctly.
Point out the animal, bird and insect life all around them. Show them different plant types and how they adapt to their surroundings. Share your own knowledge, and utilize the materials provided by the wilderness area.
4. Eco Kids are Fascinated by a Food Garden
Learning a bit about where food comes from is an important piece of education that too many children miss.
Gardening teaches children about the cycles and seasons of nature, the work that goes into food production, and how the environment affects your gardening efforts.
How weather affects your garden may instill a healthy respect for Mother Nature.
Show eco kids the difference between growing their own organic food, and regular produce containing pesticide residues.
5. Your Eco Kids May Love Bird Watching
If all you do is put up a bird feeder and identify the avian visitors, it’s a step in the right direction. Your children may really get into bird identification and want to read more about various species.
Look online and see if you can identify bird calls, and get a good field guide to help your kids find out which birds are visiting.
They may want to read about various birds’ migration patterns and habitats, too.
6. Natural, Clean Foods
Consider implementing a natural, clean diet in your family.
This is just another way to foster an appreciation for Nature and her gifts, and it may inspire your kids to preserve those small farms and sustainable agriculture that bring them such foods.
Fast food is very convenient as an occasional meal, but the majority of your meals should be healthy and natural.
For more information on Clean Eating and its health benefits, click here.
7. Eco Kids May Want Environmental Careers
See if you can arrange a tour of a local factory or plant, and ask them to show you all the environmental protection measures they have in place (such as reusing waste material or putting filters on smoke stacks).
This may inspire your child to go into such a career, or may simply help them appreciate what goes into caring for the environment.
8. Celebrate Earth Day
April 22 is Earth Day each year, when people from all around the globe acknowledge that the Earth needs to be protected. Visit Earth Day.org and participate.
9. Go Online
Although in general, kids spend too much time connected to their electronics, the Internet does offer great resources:-
This site by the EPA offers games, quizzes and homework
Teaching Ideas provides posters, games and inspiration
When you have a little more time, check out this great site which has some fascinating experiments that you can do with kids.
10 Show by Example
When you are green at home, you show your eco kids by example how to live a green and eco friendly life.
Start with easy tasks –
- Switch off the water while you brush your teeth or wash food or dishes in the sink.
- Turn off the lights and TV when you leave a room.
- Keep doors closed to keep the air conditioner working efficiently or keep the heat in.
- Buy only products that have minimal packaging
- Recycle everything you can, and buy goods made from recycled components.
- Avoid plastic bags in lunchboxes. Take re-usable shopping bags to the supermarket.
- If you’re buying take-out or take-away food, bring re-usable containers and refuse accessories.
- Re-use what you can – jam or jelly jars make great cups for little hands or useful candle holders or a place to store preserved foods. Empty toilet tissue cores can be used in many kids’ projects and crafts.
- Avoid single-use disposable items, and explain why.
- Walk or cycle shorter distances instead of using the car.
Give “experiences” rather than toys. Kids will remember a camping holiday or a rock-climbing outing with far more pleasure than a plastic toy that soon breaks.
These are all great – and easy – ways to make your children and grandchildren more aware of the wonderful world that surrounds them and nourishes them.
We need eco kids to protect the planet from greed and destruction – so start now!
P.S. I’ve just started a new board on Pinterest called Eco Kids – check it out here!
P.P.S Please share this useful article with your friends and family – sharing buttons below and right.
P.P.P.S. And let me know in the Comments below what you do to make your kids or grandkids more aware of the environment. I look forward to hearing from you!
Some great tips for the future of our, sorry, their, planet. I generally find that schools teach some great things about saving the environment, and kids are enthused about it. What we need to do as parents is recognise this, encourage them to continue their own studies and what actions they can take locally, and then lead by example. My kids have been on several litter picking sessions I have organised with one of my local councillors – and they love it. Just not every week – variety is key here!
Some schools are really inspired with the ways they share their environmental knowledge (sadly, there are also schools who don’t teach anything at all about it). Leading by example is a great way to show kids, and you’re right about the litter-picking sessions, weekly would become a chore, but luckily there’s so much else to do to raise environmental awareness! Thanks for your comment Paul, and I’m absolutely delighted you’re so hands-on in protecting the planet!