Teaching your children how to take care of themselves, and take care of the environment simultaneously is essential to the future of our planet – and doing this from an early age is a great way to ensure your kids help to reduce carbon levels and greenhouse gases. Find yourself slightly unsure about what are greenhouse gases or not really certain about how we can reduce them?
Here are four ideas that can help get your kids saving the planet from as early as primary school.
Recycling
Kids are fantastic opportunists; making box-forts, toys from egg cartons and Popsicle stick people! Encouraging them to get creative and crafty, and reuse and recycle materials for multiple purposes will drill-in good habits for when they’re older. Let them loose with a box of toilet paper rolls, frayed shoestrings, cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, magazines, spare buttons, wine corks, broken crayons and even old clothes.
Gifts
When they’re old enough to get pocket money in exchange for completing chores, encourage them to purchase fair trade gifts for their brothers, sisters and friends. Online retailers, such as Traidcraft, offer a number of poverty-fighting childrens gifts that have been created especially for low budget buyers with a high conscience!
It is important to provide them with non-toxic products like bubbles (for more information, see The Best Non-Toxic Bubbles Made In USA), Mini Rubber Ducks, and wooden toys for their health safety.
Clothing and accessories
Fashion and function needn’t always come at the expense of the environment. There are many clothing and accessories stockists, such as Traidcraft, who stock everything from bracelets, knitwear and dresses, to nightwear, bags and scarves, for dressing and accessorising for every occasion.
No matter what the season, there are always a number of on-trend pieces to be found. And don’t forget that when they’ve grown out of them, they can be handed down to young brothers and sisters or donated to a local charity shop too.
Gardening
Kids of all ages love helping out in the garden. Discovering new insects and learning about different plants will hold their interest for hours. Emphasise the benefits of planting trees, and let them help you when you’re sorting out your borders for the new season. They will take pride in watching it grow; safe in the knowledge that “I did that”.
Water conservation
When Sir Francis Bacon coined “knowledge itself is power” back in 1597, it’s unlikely that he expected that the Latin-origin phrase would be just as applicable to today’s current affairs as much as those in the 16th Century.
By providing kids with a clear and simple diagram, they can see how much water they’re using, how it could be better used and they will appreciate how important it is to conserve as much water as possible. More information can be found at DCWater.com/kids.
