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