I may have mentioned this before, but planning ahead is not something I have mastered--yet. The time for celebrating Earth Day came along this year, and I realized that I had nothing planned to celebrate the event. Although my children are still quite young, I think it is important to mark the occasion with something for they will enjoy and learn from. I’ve come up with a few ideas, and I thought I’d share them with you.
1. Take Them to Outer Space
We love the Natural History Museum in New York City, where we live. The Space Exhibit provides my children with endless hours of fun, and usually a nice bench for Mom to rest. Learning about Space helps my children gain a broader understanding of the planet Earth and all of our precious resources. We have a couple of kids’ books about Space also, and my four year old is learning about energy, how important water is, and the connection between all living things.
2. Go on a Nature Walk
I still remember when I was a kid and my Grandmother would spend time walking through the woods with us. She was so good at pointing out plants, trees, and explaining how the natural world works together. But you don’t even have to be an expert to get a lot out of the most simple walk outside. When we go on our nature walks, I always bring a camera, a little book about flowers and plants, and a pen and paper. With a camera, you don’t have to collect things, which for us is good because we aren’t aloud to pick flowers or plants in our Park. I even let my kids take a few photographs of things that catch their eye. They love this.
3. Go Vegetarian
Skip the meat for one week. Your kids can help you create a meal plan that still provides the necessary nutrition—I suggest keeping the dairy for the protein kids need. Explain to them why you are doing this, and what a great change it would be if we all ate a little less meat. You might want to avoid getting too detailed about meat production process, for now anyway. Kids can become really upset once they realize the cute cows that go moo will actually become a hamburger.
4. Show Them A Flea
I am sure your kids know about donating their old stuff to Goodwill, but have you ever actually taken them shopping for second hand items? Since I am basically a Thrift Store Junkie, my kids have probably spent more time shopping for cast-offs than at Toys R Us. You would be surprised that even in the most disorganized Thrift Store or Flea Market, kids have an uncanny knack for finding things that are perfect for them. This is an excellent way to start a discussion about Stuff, where it comes from and what happens to it when we are through with it. It’s never too early to encourage creativity, inquisitiveness, and responsibility. After all, someday they will be in charge.
For more ideas about living green, check out my website, goodwithstyle.com.
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