How to Give Your Kids a Green Education

Growing up with parents that were children of the depression, I heard a lot of energy saving techniques. It wasn't until recently that I realized that most of them were ways that I could contribute to saving the environment. When I was young I didn't understand why all those things were important. When I began paying my own bills it made some difference, but now even when I could afford higher electric bills, I understand that there is something far more important at stake.

It is important to teach our children now the importance of helping to save the earth and protect the environment. They can be involved in this by helping to reduce the family carbon footprint, saving energy and money at the same time. Here are some tips to help educate your children and make them part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Expose your children to the beauty of nature. You can do this regardless of where you live.
- spend time outdoors
- learn to identify types of plants and trees
- learn about endangered animals
- watch television shows about the environment
- keep picture books around the house appropriate to the age of your children

Do activities together that will help the environment. Start including them in these activities when they are young and still think it's fun to "work" with mom and dad.
- wash the car by hand (a little water fight never hurt anybody)
- hang out your clothes (with a little game of hide and seek behind the sheets)
- rake leaves (be sure to allow time for a little jumping in the pile)
- plant a garden (most young children like to play in the dirt)
- For older kids teach them the value of the money they save by saving energy. Let them see your electric bills and explain how saving energy saves money. If you pay them for chores reward them for their part in the savings.

Reward children for creative thinking. Encourage them to look for ways they can reduce, reuse, and recycle, or for ways to save water and energy. Be sure to congratulate them when they do and put their ideas into practice. For young kids most parents put a stool by the sink so that they can wash their hands by themselves. Put a stool under the light switch in their room as well so that they can reach to turn off the lights. Make a game of it and congratulate them when they can stretch to reach the switch.

Use educational materials to help them understand why you do things the way you do. Don't let them be just things that mom and dad insist on. Teach them the value of helping to preserve the environment. Check out the following website for ideas:

http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/ Has music, resources, worksheets, even a petition to get adults to commit to save the earth.

http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/childrenresources.htm Includes websites and resources including coloring books.

http://www.epa.gov/kids/ A site just for kids to learn about the environment

Above all lead by example. In the long run, your children will be a lot more like you than you may think. If they develop responsible habits as children, they will maintain them as young adults.

Last but not least make it fun! Preserving our earth is very serious business, but for children it can be about pleasure. Keeping the earth beautiful, with clean air and water, plenty of trees and plants and animals, is something that we can all take pleasure in.