Green Mondays with The Wine Mom – Raise Green Kids

The Wine Mom  Monday, September 14, 2009

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I think that sometimes we put too much effort into thinking of things that we can do with our kids to save the environment. There are many things right at home that can help our kids to understand the importance of taking care of the environment and appreciating what we have around us. Below is a list of child friendly activities that help them lead a greener life.

1. Kids love to rake and jump in leaves, but they can also participate in the cleanup process. You can add some leaves to compost bins and place leaves under mulch to decompose naturally and add nutrients back to the soil. These are all things that kids can help with and you can explain the importance of using the leaves as nutrients. If you have to dispose of the leaves, make sure that you throw leaves away in biodegradable bags.

2. Pick up trash. It isn’t uncommon for us to find some trash and debris in our yards. Kids can wear gloves and pick up some trash to be thrown out or recycled. You can do the street or neighborhood as a good deed for the community too. Remember to explain that garbage can potentially hurt your local wildlife.

3. Plant a new tree. Fall is a good time to plant trees, bushes, and other plants. This is a good way to have your kids help dig in the dirt, learn about planting, and watching it grow. They can even partake in watering – which can be an activity all on its own.

4. Help a neighbor. Depending on the age of your children, they can help a neighbor in need with their yard. We all know someone that can use some additional help over time; maybe some weeding, yard work and overall yard clean up is needed. Not only does it help the environment but helping others is a valuable lesson on its own.

5. Turn off the water. Teach the kids to turn the water off when they aren’t using it (for example while they are brushing their teeth or overdoing it in the shower or bath tub). Teach them that it is important to conserve our resources.

6. Don’t always buy new. Take the kids to the library instead of buying new books, do a toy trade and exchange outgrown clothes with friends. All of these things eventually end up in landfills, so let’s share!

7. Always recycle. Teach your kids to recycle. If you don’t have recycling pick up, look into taking recyclable goods directly to a center. Buy reusable products whenever possible and avoid disposable dishes, silverware, bags, and plastic water bottles.

8. Open the windows and turn off the lights. As the temps cool, you can often open the windows to get some fresh cool air without having to run your air conditioning. Talk to your children about conserving electricity as it saves resources (and money).

It really is easy being green!