Get Your Kids Involved With Greening the House

August 11, 2008 in Children & Babies, Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 1 comment

tree hugger

Kids can be a valuable asset when it comes to going green. Where your home is concerned, kids can be really helpful because teaching them green steps early on means they’ll be more vigilant than you even.

My son always reminds me to turn off lights, and asks about recycling, so I know first hand that teaching your kids to be eco-friendly at home works.

Here are some easy green steps your kids can take at home:

Gardening: There’s no better way to learn about conserving than actually working with resources related to gardening. Your kids can learn about growth, organics, solar topics, seed saving (instead of buying new), composting, water use and conservation, and more. If you don’t have the yard space for a garden plot, these topics can easily be taught with a container garden.

Bathroom use: Lots of green opportunities occur in the bathroom. Even little kids can learn about turning the water off while brushing their teeth, not flushing everything yellow, and reusing a towel before washing.

Recycling: Get the kids involved in your home recycling. Kids can tell the difference between the recycling bins and the garbage can. Allow them to sort recycling and if they’re confused about bins, try this trick.

Clutter: Clutter and cleaning up said clutter is actually a cool way to teach eco-friendly objectives at home. Kids can learn that broken toys can be fixed, used toys and clothing can be given away vs. tossed, and more. As you clean the house make a point of talking to kids about these landfill reducing topics.

How do you get your kids involved with greening the house?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. Deanna’s avatar

    Deanna on August 18, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    I agree that the more you keep your kids involved in greening up your own environment at home, the more they will keep those values as they become adults. One way I involve my daughter is to have her help me mix up our own green cleaning products that we use every day. She enjoys feeling like a mad scientist, and I know she learns that simple products, such as vinegar, borax, and peroxide, are great alternatives to the harsh chemicals so many other homes use. She has also learned how terrible bleach is on our environment. I’m confident she will continue to use earth-friendly cleaners as she grows into an eco-friendly adult.