Teaching children about the environment
As the cliché goes, the future belongs to the children.
However, they should begin owning it today. As their guardians, we should be actively training them to become the new guardians of the earth. And it's monkey see monkey do (just remembering the show we saw over the weekend "Let the River Flow"). So not only do we have to teach them to be environmentally friendly, we have to walk the talk and be a friend of the earth too.
What I do, for a start, is instill the word "recycle" in their minds as a replacement for "throw away". Each day, when we get junk mail, and other non-useful pieces of paper, I tell them to help daddy "put this in the recycle bag", even Amber can do this now. And when we have things outside which can be easily thrown away, I try to make it a point to get them to look for a recycle bin or bring it home to recycle. It's extra effort, yes, but I think that is the whole point - that we are willing to go out of our way.
Animals are cute, furry and funny and they make for good discussion topics that can be easily grasped by the young ones. They definitely do not want to see these little creatures get hurt or lose their homes. The children might get emotional over this, but in my opinion, it's a good thing. The zoo, bird-park and so on continuously try to drive the conservation message, and as the kids sit around us during the shows, we add in our 2-cents to make sure the point is remembered. A good point about recycling was made at the bird-park show - paper comes from trees and birds stay in trees, hence recycle so that the birds don't lose their homes. Simple enough for any child to understand :)
Toys these days are cheap, but also of very low quality. Remote controlled cars are almost a "play once and throw, then buy a new one" type of thing and it is hard to talk about "reuse and reduce" while we are surrounded by such products. But after several times, we can try to convince and remind them that it is a waste of money buying such items as they don't last long and the fun they provide is very short-lived. Of course, this is difficult to explain, and even Nigel doesn't get it some times. Actually, if you try, some of the "broken" toys can actually be repaired - they might not work as well as brand new ones, but if you don't say anything, kids actually don't mind.
Lastly, let them walk, skate, cycle. Too often, we spoil them with automatic comfortable car-rides, even for short distances. I say, challenge their stamina, their little legs - make them sweat a little, train their muscles. It will do them good and reduce their (and your) carbon footprint. Public transport isn't too bad as well, and you're probably not going to be driving them to school everyday, so let them get used to it. I take Nigel and Shannon on short walks when I can - around the neighbourhood, to the post box, for dinner at the coffeeshop - there's always a good reason to stretch your legs in the outdoors. Too bad we don't have any hiking trails nearby.
The future indeed belongs to the children. But it doesn't come with an instruction guide. All they have is us, to show them the way and give them lessons to ensure that our green and blue planet continues to thrive.
However, they should begin owning it today. As their guardians, we should be actively training them to become the new guardians of the earth. And it's monkey see monkey do (just remembering the show we saw over the weekend "Let the River Flow"). So not only do we have to teach them to be environmentally friendly, we have to walk the talk and be a friend of the earth too.
What I do, for a start, is instill the word "recycle" in their minds as a replacement for "throw away". Each day, when we get junk mail, and other non-useful pieces of paper, I tell them to help daddy "put this in the recycle bag", even Amber can do this now. And when we have things outside which can be easily thrown away, I try to make it a point to get them to look for a recycle bin or bring it home to recycle. It's extra effort, yes, but I think that is the whole point - that we are willing to go out of our way.
Animals are cute, furry and funny and they make for good discussion topics that can be easily grasped by the young ones. They definitely do not want to see these little creatures get hurt or lose their homes. The children might get emotional over this, but in my opinion, it's a good thing. The zoo, bird-park and so on continuously try to drive the conservation message, and as the kids sit around us during the shows, we add in our 2-cents to make sure the point is remembered. A good point about recycling was made at the bird-park show - paper comes from trees and birds stay in trees, hence recycle so that the birds don't lose their homes. Simple enough for any child to understand :)
Toys these days are cheap, but also of very low quality. Remote controlled cars are almost a "play once and throw, then buy a new one" type of thing and it is hard to talk about "reuse and reduce" while we are surrounded by such products. But after several times, we can try to convince and remind them that it is a waste of money buying such items as they don't last long and the fun they provide is very short-lived. Of course, this is difficult to explain, and even Nigel doesn't get it some times. Actually, if you try, some of the "broken" toys can actually be repaired - they might not work as well as brand new ones, but if you don't say anything, kids actually don't mind.
Lastly, let them walk, skate, cycle. Too often, we spoil them with automatic comfortable car-rides, even for short distances. I say, challenge their stamina, their little legs - make them sweat a little, train their muscles. It will do them good and reduce their (and your) carbon footprint. Public transport isn't too bad as well, and you're probably not going to be driving them to school everyday, so let them get used to it. I take Nigel and Shannon on short walks when I can - around the neighbourhood, to the post box, for dinner at the coffeeshop - there's always a good reason to stretch your legs in the outdoors. Too bad we don't have any hiking trails nearby.
The future indeed belongs to the children. But it doesn't come with an instruction guide. All they have is us, to show them the way and give them lessons to ensure that our green and blue planet continues to thrive.