Getting your kids involved in a green lifestyle
These days, a lot of people want to get greener, reduce their carbon footprint, and just generally be more efficient. It’s not just good for the environment, it’s often good for their wallets. And when you have a family to look after and take care of, the impact of your green efforts multiplies. As the Mom, you often guide the habits of all the other people in the house. But how do you teach your family to enjoy and appreciate these green habits? Here are a few ways.
Let your kids do the recycling, and keep the money. Kids don’t always appreciate the need for recycling bottles and cans, but they do like having pocket money. If getting them to use the recycling bin seems like a chore, change the game. Let them return bottles and cans to the local grocery store and keep the money they get back. For younger children, even a few dollars can seem like a great reward for the small effort of recycling.
Make outdoor activities part of your lifestyle. Your children will be more grateful for a clean environment if they spend time enjoying one. Go on camping trips, take bike rides, simply take a stroll around the block. Introduce your child to the great outdoors and taking care of it will naturally become important to him/her.
Don’t mention it. Your whole family sits down to eat the delicious dinner you made them, all of it sourced locally and grown organically. You bring the chicken to the table, and start telling everyone about the great farm it came from. You do the same with the vegetables, and pretty soon your family isn’t just hungry, they’re bored too. Sometimes in our eagerness to talk about how green we are, we take the basic fun out of the activities. Let your family enjoy their dinner and then tell them about how it all came from farms within fifty miles.
Use public transportation. If you live in an urban area with suitable public transportation, use it! Taking the train or the bus can be an adventure of its own. If your child grows up enjoying public transportation, that behavior will likely persist into adulthood.
Plant a family garden. There are so many joys in gardening, and your family can participate in all of them. It’s a built-in weekend activity and will introduce your child to important scientific principles, not to mention – dirt! What’s more fun than that?
Teach your kids to conserve. Don’t forget to go over the basics with your children. Always turn off the light when you leave a room. Turn off the water when brushing their teeth. Don’t play with your food if you don’t want to eat it – put it in the fridge for later. Set a good example and increase your own conservations as well.
Visit local farms. There’s no better way to get your kids excited than to bring them to meet some chickens and cows. Well, maybe that is an overstatement – but a trip to a local farm provides a wonderful experience for children filled with new sights, tastes, sounds, smells, and touches.
The best way, of course, for any parent to teach their kids to live green is to set a good example. Your children are probably smarter than you give them credit for and will be quick to follow your example – and maybe even call out your inconsistencies. Give them time, and soon your kids will be telling you how to go more green!
About the Author: Karen Miller has been writing about everything green for over a decade. When she is not writing, you can find her working on green and natural methods for pest control services, or spending time at home with her family.
