The world — our home — seems to be suffering plenty lately. To top it all off, the reminders are constant. (Have you watched Seaspiracy already?)
It is evident that our planet and our environment need help, but how can we TRULY work towards a solution? Though there are various ways to nurture Earth, we can start by educating our kids and helping them become environmentally literate.
Raising environmentally literate kids can be quite the task. Now, we are not saying you have to go and dissect all the dangers the planet encounters in one sitting. You should start slow. Sure. It may sound tedious, but it is necessary. And if you think that what they’re being taught in school about the planet is enough, I will tell you that it is just as important to reinforce those teachings at home.
The following tips will allow you to guide your children into caring more about their home, their environment, and the world in general.
Incorporate it into their language
As soon as you can, make sure that your children understand the significance of the three pillars of recycling: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Have specified recycling bins, identified properly, in the house to allow them to put their learnings into use.
Teach them about wasteful habits
This one is probably the easiest tip. Explain to your kids why it is important to be mindful of habits detrimental to the environment, such as leaving the faucet running unnecessarily. For example, place emphasis on them turning off sinks when they are brushing their teeth or helping with the dishes (if that’s one of their chores.)
Lead by example
Children will model anything they see, so make sure you are on point. Recycle in front of them, actively look for ways to reduce waste at home. Try creating arts and crafts activities that revolve around upcycling, for instance.
Learn Together
Learn about campaigns and petitions together and discuss them among your children. Let them participate in the quest for a better world. You could even go through amazing resources readily available on the internet with your kids, so they can see how vital their actions truly are. Try going through the Climate and Environmental Literacy Campaign to start this off.