As a mother who advocates green living, I try my best to get my kids involved and help them understand how important it is for each person to have a share in preserving our planet. When it comes to going green, age doesn’t matter. Both young and old can take one green step after another.
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Going green doesn’t need to be completely an adult-thing. There are a lot of environmentally-friendly steps that can be very simple even for kids to do. Let us do our role as parents to encourage our children to start the green lifestyle at an early age. Consider these easy steps:
1. Use paper sparingly : Teach your kids not to waste the pages of their notebooks and writing pads. A green board or a white board is the perfect tool for doodling and practice their writing skills. Before buying new notebooks at the beginning of each school season, ask your kids to check if there are unused pages from the ones they used last year. These pages can still be compiled and recycled.
2. Take care of a plant: I personally love to take care of plants and I grow my own small garden. However, my daughter has her own little flowering plant to take care of. She’s the one in charge to water it every morning, making sure that the little flower is nurtured well until it blooms with pretty flowers. Let your kids discover the joys in caring for living things like plants and animals.
3. Turn off the lights and appliances when not in use: In our house, my kids would often be the ones to remind me to turn off the lights whenever we leave a room. That’s because they got so used to this practice that they have become very conscious about saving electricity.
4. Recycle used things:
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Kids have wonderful imaginations. They can often think of cool new uses for things that adults may just throw away. Recycling or finding new purpose for old things is a great way to develop your child’s creativity and skills. More importantly, it is a huge help in reducing the wastes that end up in landfills. I often try to find recycling projects that I can do with my kids during the weekends. It’s a great way for us to keep up with the green lifestyle and bond at the same time. My kids are always thrilled when we do projects and art crafts together.
5. Limit the use of computer: There is a proper time and place for everything. While most kids would spend hours playing online, we try to limit playing time in our home especially during school days. My children can use the computer to do their assignments and school project. However, there is a limit when it comes to playing computer games. Thus, we encourage our kids to focus on more important activities such as studying, helping with the house chores, talking to each other, and being physically active. As an added bonus, we also cut down our energy consumption.
6. Don’t leave the faucet running while taking a shower:
Kids should understand that water is a precious natural resource which should not be taken for granted. I tell my kids to turn off the faucet while they scrub their bodies instead of letting it run the whole time. When they’re ready to rinse, they can turn the faucet on but they should still limit their shower time to save water.
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7. Use a tumbler when brushing teeth: Instead of letting the faucet run while brushing teeth, my kids fill up their tumbler with water which they can use to gurgle and wash their tooth brush with.
Children are very eager to discover new things. They are very inquisitive and they look up to their parents for answers. Furthermore, they get pleasure knowing that they are able to make a valuable contribution to the family. Each day, I take it as an opportunity for me to teach my kids a valuable lesson which they can remember and benefit from throughout their lives. I believe that teaching our children about caring for the environment is an essential step to protect their future.
