How to Teach Children About Living Green: Showing Kids How to Protect the Environment

It is important that today’s children learn how protect the environment by living a green life. There are several small, simple steps that parents and teachers can take to teach children how to go green and keep the planet healthy for generations to come.

Living Green By Recycling

Set up a recycling station by taking bins and labeling them “paper,” “plastic,” “paper,” and “cans.” Every time one of these recyclable materials is used, ask the child to place it in the appropriate bin. Explain how the used item can be made into something new. Let them watch a video on recycling or show them websites that show how recycling works to reinforce the idea.

Recycle items in the home by turning them into something new. Old milk jugs can become piggy banks, empty wrapping paper rolls can be made into swords, and so on.

Living Green by Saving Energy

Show children simple things that they can do to save energy to live green. Let the child help to replace old incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Take all electronics at use a power strip to plug them into the wall. When the electronics are not being used, have the child turn off the power to the power strip to save energy.

Try to buy Energy Star appliances and electronics. Show the child the energy star symbol and explain that these products use less energy and that helps the environment. Teach them to turn off lights when they are leaving a room. When doing these things, explain how each one can cut back on energy use and therefor help the environment.

Living Green by Saving Water

Teach children that a bathtub does not have to be filled all the way to the top in order to take a bath. If the child prefers showers, encourage them to take shorter ones to cut back on water use. Encourage children to save water by not leaving the faucet on while brushing teeth or scrubbing their face.

When it comes to drinking water, don’t buy bottled water, instead have your child pick out a BPA free bottle or a stainless steel bottle and fill it with purified water from home. These small steps can go a long way towards living green and saving money on the monthly water bill.

Living Green by Helping Others

Don’t let a child throw away old clothes, toys, and books that can still be used. Do a double lesson on helping others and helping the environment at the same time. Have the child help take those items to a charity such as Goodwill or a Shelter. There those items can be used by people who really need them and not waste away in a landfill.

Live Green By Buying Green

Buy products made from recycled materials. Show the child where on the label it says that the product was made from recycled materials. This will reinforce the importance of recycling and show them how it really works. Buy green cleaning products such as dish washing soap, laundry detergent, and household cleaners that will get the job done without putting harmful chemicals into the environment.

If possible, by locally grown or organic produce. Explain how the local produce saves gas since the food did not have to be shipped far and how the organic produce is grown without harsh pesticides and chemical that are not good for the planet. Sometimes these products can be found at a local grocery store. If not, look for a farmer’s market or a farmer’s co-op where these items can be bought and take the child along on the shopping trip so they can help to buy the food.

Try to by the before mentioned energy star products, and, when purchasing the next car, consider a hybrid. At every shopping trip, point out the green products that are being bought.

Teaching children how to live green buy using these simple steps can go a long way towards helping the environment. This next generation is responsible for the health of the planet, and, if they learn at a young age how to be green, the Earth will be a much healthier place for them to live.