Get Your Kids to GO GREEN!

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. – New England proverb

It’s never too early to start teaching your kids the importance of taking care of Mother Earth!  You can start by setting a good example by doing the basics. You know, things like recycling, composting, conserving water and never letting those candy wrappers fall to the ground. Sure, your kids will probably pick those habits up eventually, but I think we all know the key to getting kids to REALLY pay attention: MAKE IT FUN.  So I thought I would share 5 of my favorite ways to grab your kids attention long enough to teach them a “green” lesson.

Read “What Can you Do with an Old RedShoe” – I LOVE this green activity book about reuse by Anna Alter! The book not only teaches kids about the importance of recycling, but it also shows them how much fun it can be.

Recycling Competition – Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition? Give each of your kids their own recycling bin or bucket and let them decorate it however they choose.  At the end of every week, tally up how many recyclables each child has collected and award a prize to the child who has collected the most!

Toys and Clothes – Recycling isn’t just about trash. Get your kids involved in recycling their toys and clothes too. Let your kids help decide what toys they are no longer playing with and sell them to your local consignment shop or donate them to charity. You can also teach your kids to upcycle their outgrown clothing. I love this no sew recycled t-shirt bag idea from Better in Bulk. Super easy and cute!  Online consignment shops, like thredup.com, also make it really fun and easy to teach your kids about going green. Send in your kids’ outgrown clothing to earn credits and then let your kids pick out some new clothes in their size!

Pick Your Own! – Buying from local farmers helps preserve farming as a livelihood, which as a result, saves farmland! And to me, there is no better way to teach a child about this than letting them actually experience local farms. Get out there pick your own fruit and vegetables!  Show your child just how delicious foods taste when they are coming directly from the farm to your table.

Upcycle Recyclables – Craft time is the perfect opportunity to give your kids a little lesson about recycling. An empty milk carton can be transformed in to a school bus, tin cans can become wind chimes and an empty cereal box can be turned in to a colorful floor puzzle. The options are endless. Hands on as We Grow is a great resource for creative upcycling projects for kids.

by Carly Fauth, Chief Mom at thredUP.com

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The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.