5 Simple Ways Kids Can Help the Environment

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Guest contributor, Amanda of High Impact Mom, weighs in on helping kids to live an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

You are never too young to be conscious about the effect your decisions make on the Earth around you and as a parent it’s never too soon to start encouraging your children to be environmentally aware.

With just a little effort, children of all ages can make a difference and make the world we live in a little greener. Studies show that children learn better when a parent gets involved. Try these ideas with your children and take the opportunity to show them that you care about the environment as well.

How to inspire your kids to go green!

• Craft time! Make and use recycling bins. Help your child make fun recycling bins out of old bins you probably already have in your garage. Just through a coat of low VOC chalkboard paint on it and then you can label them (and change the labels as many times as you want). Start with three: one for paper, one for plastics, and one for aluminum. Make sure you know your community’s recycling guidelines as well
• Take a hike. Head out to your favorite park or country (watch for cars while you’re out there) and take a walk, bring some gloves and garbage bags (better yet use your old grocery bags), so you can pick up trash and get exercise at the same time.
• Plant a tree. You don’t have to wait for Arbor Day or Earth Day to plant a tree. Try planting trees together instead of giving gifts for one holiday (you’ll be doing some extra good then too!)
• Clean up a nearby stream or creek with complete parental aid and supervision. Pick a shallow area of a stream and clear out debris and trash along the creekside and in the creek. Trash and storm debris often washes into these basins and pollutes the water and injuring the inhabitants. Now might also be a good time to stress the importance of smart water use.
• Read the Lorax. This fun and meaningful Dr. Seuss book reminds readers how important energy conservation is to our planet. This is one of our favorite stories. Will the Once-ler chop down the last Truffula Tree or will he listen to the Lorax?

 
Do you and your family recycle or do something else to help the environment? How do you educate your family on energy conservation? I hope you’ll try one of these ideas and start an energy conservation discussion in your family.
 

Bio: As Chief Executive Blogging Mama at High Impact Mom, Amanda encounters all sorts of madness as she goes to bat for education, corrals two busy daughters, manages a successful social media marketing company and co-owns IT consulting company with her husband, attends college fulltime, and occasionally even finds time for a date with her husband. Amanda is a social media addict, a compulsive volunteer, and a hard rocking-Jane Austen reading devoted mama…she might also a little bit crazy.

Image Credit: andyarthur