All of you
work hard at
instilling
positive
values in
your
children.
Fairness,
sharing and
accountability
are but a
few. With
everything
on your
plate, it is
easy to
overlook
teaching
environmentally
friendly
behaviors.
It is
important to
encourage
these
positive
behaviors as
early in
life as
possible. If
you start
instilling
green values
in your kids
when they
are young it
will
increase the
likelihood
that they
will
continue an
environmentally
friendly
lifestyle
into
adulthood.
Here are ten
easy ways to
get a
toddler or
child
interested
in
conservation
and
preservation.
(1) Teach
her respect
for animals.
Take her to
a petting
zoo for a
hands-on
experience
and
discussion.
(2) Have him
turn off the
water when
he is
brushing his
teeth and
explain why
it is
important to
conserve
water.
(3) Have her
put bottles,
aluminum
cans, etc.
in the
household
recycle bins
to get into
the habit of
sorting and
depositing
items to
recycle.
(4) Tell him
to turn off
lights when
they are not
in use.
(5)
Encourage
her to watch
nature and
discovery
shows
instead of
cartoons.
(6) Go to a
nature store
and purchase
items that
will help
him learn
about the
environment.
(7) Take him
to a
botanical
garden to
teach him to
appreciate
plants and
trees. Buy
him a plant
that doesn’t
need much
water and
have him
take care of
it and watch
it grow.
(8) Help her
choose books
on wildlife
and nature
at the
library.
(9)
Encourage
him to play
outside with
friends to
learn to
appreciate
the great
outdoors.
(If you are
concerned
about your
child’s
safety stay
outside with
him and
enjoy some
quality
time.)
(10) Try to
tie a
conservation
message to
all
activities
that you do
with your
toddler.
When
teaching
eco-friendly
behaviors,
I’ve found
that it can
be
overwhelming
for a parent
(and a
toddler) to
teach or
learn all of
these
lessons
simultaneously.
That’s why
you should
start with
something
easy (like
shutting off
the water
when
brushing
teeth) and
work from
there.
Conservation
and
protection
of the
environment
for our
little ones
begins with
families.
Share
conservation
values with
all of your
family
members and
with others
important to
you. It will
make a world
of
difference
to future
generations.
Environmental
activist
Laurie David
says it
best: "It's
not a matter
of doing
everything.
It's a
matter of
doing
something."
You don’t
have to go
totally
green to
make a
difference.
