I didn’t grow up eating organic food, recycling, or being mindful of my consumption of water, energy, etc. Environmental concerns, while not new, have only recently received public awareness. My hope is that my children will grow up “greener” than I was raised.
There are many ways to involve, educate, and inspire children to care for themselves and their environment. And the earlier you start instilling these principles, the more likely they will continue to practice them into adulthood.
Read a Book: Children learn a vast amount from reading. I find that books are a great way to introduce children to concepts that may be difficult to comprehend (such as global warming). Last year I reviewed The Legend of Honey Hollow, a book that was written to teach children about endangered bears. Jeanne McNaney, who authored The Legend of Honey Hollow, recently released her latest book entitled Miracle in Sumatra. In the book, “Gus, a young orangutan, discovers his parents have been trapped by hunters who have come to Sumatra to hunt the orangutan. With the help of his friends, Maya, a little girl, and Gabriella, the guardian of the jungle, Gus sets out to save his parents and teach the trappers about the importance of their natural habitat in Sumatra.” The book, which is beautifully illustrated, educates and inspires children to help preserve animals, particularly those that are endangered. I think it’s important that the story is set in Sumatra so that children understand this is not simply a story, but a real-life situation. Gus role models behaviors that I want my children to embody…behaviors like bravery, advocacy, and compassion. And it’s a child, not an adult, that plays a large role in helping to save the orangutans…a concept that parents should emphasize while reading the story with their children. The book is beautifully illustrated but a bit long, considering it’s geared towards children ages 4-8. A percentage of all profits is donated to organizations that support wildlife preservation and endangered species preservation.
Older kids will enjoy Seymour Simon’s new book entitled Global Warming. The author teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution to introduce children to the causes and effects of global warming and climate change. Some of the questions the author seeks to explore include, What do we know about global warming, What will be the impact of global warming, and What can we do about global warming. The book, geared towards children ages 5-9, is highly educational and houses some of the most spectacular, real-life photographs depicting the topic. The book is a great way to begin having these discussions with children. It’s factual (as opposed to telling a story) and includes simple explanations of terms children are likely not familiar with. The comparison photographs paint the picture of what has already ensued. The book ends with some simple ways we can all help stop or slow the effects of global warming.
Get Crafty: As you probably already know, we love to do crafts in our house. And one of my favorite go-to sites for crafts, recipes, and other activities is Disney FamilyFun. Just in time for Earth Day, you’ll find crafts that will educate and inspire kids to be mindful of the environment. Here are just a few from the site:
Jug heads: To liven up the laundry room, mount a menagerie of plastic-jug trophy heads. Our hunting grounds yielded the makings of a pig, a warthog, and an antelope, but your recycling bin may suggest a different animal collective.- Treasure-keeper frog: What tadpole wouldn’t love to fill this case with marbles, coins, or trinkets? We’ve come up with a trick for attaching the zipper in a snap.
- Soda-bottle tractor: Thanks to its jumbo rear wheels made from cardboard disks and old CDs, this green machine is surprisingly speedy. A seat cut from the corner of a soap box makes the perfect perch for toy tractor operators.
Tropical bottle fish: These bottlenose beauties make great decors indoors or out. If you plan to hang yours poolside, brush on a coat of Outdoor Mod Podge first.- Cardboard petal picture frame: This fanciful frame gets its flair from snips of painted cardboard tubes. To achieve our free-form look, we cut two petal sizes.
- Easy-weave newsprint basket: You won’t be-weave how fast this basket comes together when you work around a form. We used a roll of paper towels for ours. Clear tape keeps the strips secure.
Be a Role Model: My son knows where the trash can and recycle container are in our kitchen. He doesn’t always get it right…but he’s learning. He watches mommy and daddy separate the recyclables and will grow up with that concept instilled within him. Modeling behaviors is even more important than educating children. If children grow up going to the local farmer’s market to get fruits and vegetables, have set time limits on showers, and have the concept of flipping the switch ingrained in their minds, it’s more likely that these behaviors will be carried over into adulthood. I also think that when children (particularly young children) see people they like, admire, or look up to taking care of the environment, they want to follow suit. My son absolutely adores Dora (much more than Diego). Lately he’s been asking to watch Explore the Earth, which was just release last week by Nickelodeon. The DVD contains four Earth-themed episodes and helps children learn about the seasons and different environments and animals in various parts of the world. I’ve always liked the show because of the Spanish influence and the concept of exploration.
How do you inspire your children to be mindful of the environment?
I did not receive compensation for this post. Information and product samples were provided by Disney Family Fun, Nickelodeon, Harper Collins and Ovation Books to facilitate this article.
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