Powerful Ways to Teach Kids About Climate Change

Children love nature. They jump at the chance to go to the park or beach in the summer and build a snowman in the winter. So how can we as parents translate that seemingly innate love of the outdoors into a life-long commitment to caring for the planet? Creating a meaningful connection between the environment and kids isn’t as hard as it may seem. 

Connecting the environment and kids works best when we start small, led by example, use hands-on activities and make it fun. So, here are the easy, everyday tips we can use to teach our kids to lighten their carbon footprint: 

1. Conserve water

• When brushing your teeth, turn off the water. 
• Teach children about water-saver gardening through plant selection. 
• Show them how to water the lawn and garden properly. 

2. Flick the switch

• Turn off the light when you leave the room. 
• Turn off the TV if no one is watching it. 
• Finally, try turning off the air conditioner if the summer’s not too hot. 

3. Close the door

• Keep the doors to the outside closed so you won’t let air conditioning or heat escape. 
• Don’t leave the refrigerator door open for too long while deciding what to eat. 

4. Start a Garden

• Start simple, with window-box herbs. 
• In addition, dedicate a section of your backyard to growing broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, and much more. 
• Finally, involve the kids in cooking the harvest. 

5. Avoid disposables

• Use recyclable containers when packing lunch boxes. 
• Also, use cloth napkins with dinner. 
• Carry a hankie instead of paper tissues. 

6. Recycle

• Teach children what can be recycled instead of becoming a household waste. 
• Have kids put old homework in the paper bin & yogurt containers in the plastic bin. 
• “Complete the circle” by buying products made with recycled ingredients such as paper. 

7. Reuse

• Clean out jam or jelly jars and reuse them as drinking glasses. 
• Use empty paper towel rolls for your kids’ next art project. 
• Turn empty plastic containers with tight-fitting lids into under-sink compost bins. 

8. Compost

• Teach kids what can and can’t be used for garden compost. 
• Have the kids sort the food waste. 
• Show them the compost process as it happens. 
• Let them use the fertilizer in their window boxes and garden. 

9. Walk or bike

• Lead by example: Not all trips need to be taken by car. 
• Go for walks together as a family after dinner. 
• And, when kids get older, let them walk or take a bike to school, to friends’ houses or to the store. 

10. Give “experience” gifts

• Toys break or kids quickly get tired of them, and they end up in the landfill. 
• Instead, take the kids rock climbing or camping. 
• Finally, museum, art institute and science center memberships make great family gifts– and future memories. 

At The EcoFairy, our goal is to help you build a more sustainable life by offering you a line of reusable products. We offer products that last and that will help you reduce the amount of plastic you use.