Young children are natural eco-warriors. Their interest in their environment provides a deep connection to the natural world. From there it is a hop, skip, and spring puddle jump to learning about responsible guardianship of the Earth.
Going green is a lot easier if you are born that way. Taking good care of our planet is a habit you can start from day one. Here are some of the ways that we encourage eco-friendly attitudes in our three children:
1. Enjoy the outdoors. The first step to encouraging positive behavior is to help children see the importance of their actions. Go on nature walks, swim at the beach, check out the stars at night, bird-watch, go on scavenger hunts or geocache. If you need a little help, check out these Educational Outdoor Apps for Kids. If your kids already enjoy beaches, nature trails, and the little creatures found in nature, convincing them to adopt eco-friendly habits will be much easier!
2. Take action. Kids learn best when they are doing. Even toddlers can help tend a garden or shop with you at a local organic farm. Kindergartners are old enough to participate in park, beach, or trail clean-ups. Kids of all ages can join you in counting backyard birds or turtles at a local preserve.
3. Upcycle! We strive to turn trash into treasure. Most of our crafts involve recycled materials, like cardboard toilet paper rolls, baby food jars, and coffee tins. We even use jam jars as drinking glasses and cardboard boxes as playhouses.
4. Model and discuss your choices. Carrying drinking bottles, borrowing books from the library, purchasing baby items second-hand, shutting off lights when you leave the room, turning off the water while brushing teeth, and choosing products that are free from chemicals are all concrete, eco-friendly actions that children can see and, eventually, understand. With our babies, we use Wee Gen diapers from Seventh Generation because they are free of chlorine, fragrances and latex, and petroleum-based. My older kids know that we choose products that are safer for them and easier on the environment. They were so delighted to see the Lorax, one of their favorites, on their baby brother's diapers!
5. Read books about environmentalism and the planet. When we explore a concept, we turn to quality picture books. Reading these stories weaves the ideas into our lives and gives the children language to understand and express complex concepts.
What are your tips for teaching your kids to go green?
Using eco-friendly products is an important step toward teaching my children about conservation, and Seventh Generation and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax have joined forces to inspire families to save the earth's resources with conscious consumption. Created with our little ones and the environment in mind, Seventh Generation is the natural choice for high-quality and effective products free of fragrances, latex, chlorine and other harmful chemicals. Make a difference by choosing Seventh Generation, now offering free shipping for orders over $50. As the Lorax says, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
How do you live like the Lorax? Tell Seventh Generation below and be entered to win a Green Your Home prize pack!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Seventh Generation. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.
