Get The Kids Being Green

GET THE KIDS BEING GREEN:

It may be pretty cliché to say that ‘children are the future,’ but it is a fact that cannot be avoided. In order to leave something for them, it is important to remain eco-conscious and be responsible in the way that we treat the planet. And this is something that they can also get on board with.

Before school, there is one place where children are able to learn so much. Starting at home, it means that you can start to make being green part of daily life. The simplest way to incorporate this is by adding it to their list of household tasks. In the first instance, this will help to emphasise that recycling and sorting waste is just as significant as helping with the washing up. Purchasing different coloured bins is a great way of promoting the sorting of rubbish and means that the children are able to distinguish the various types of waste by association. 

The aim is to make your efforts a long-term success, but – being realistic – that’s going to take more than telling to put rubbish is more than one bin. To keep children engaged wholeheartedly, setting up mini projects lasting for as long or as little as you want means that everyone is able to be creative while doing good at the same time.

For example, depending on the space and time you have, you can create your own vegetable garden. While having a clear reward at the end and an activity that can last all year, it is also an excellent choice if you’re keen to get the children outdoors. Another option is highly reminiscent of the fairy liquid advert (where the boy waits to make a rocket out of the empty bottle) and teaches about the need to reuse objects: turning a piece of rubbish into something useful again. Incorporating arts and crafts into learning makes the whole experience a lot more engaging while highlighting that being eco-friendly is not all about doing extra chores.

When it comes to being outside of the home, creating an awareness with children doesn’t have to be put on hold. On the whole, there is one clear lesson that can be taken from schools: the key is to both educate AND entertain. Nowadays, many schools are keen to create environments that are eco-friendly, through an engaging means, done so with the aid of the students. They may do this by offering extra curricular clubs as well as integrating it into their studies and so it is worth speaking to them about the different services they offer.

Whatever you decide, the important thing is to make being eco-friendly an accessible and exciting concept. It is vital that the children understand why they are doing this and that it should be an ongoing thing. Try to avoid using confusing jargon as not to put them off. Although it is something that they need to learn about, they don’t have to be bored doing it.

Getting them involved from an early age is a great way to make being green a part of their everyday life. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be easy.  A little perseverance and repetition may be required but it will all be worth it. Soon, the response to sort rubbish, to compost and to reuse materials will become an automatic response for them.