If juggling life as a parent and working remotely from home wasn’t challenging enough, let’s add ‘teacher’ to the list while we’re at it. This Earth Month, incorporate some fun activities and ideas that help teach your little ones the importance of sustainability and to create greener habits early on.
Recycle
You can turn almost any activity into a game, even recycling! Grab a few bins or cardboard boxes and label each bin: paper, glass, aluminum and plastic - you can even ask your child to decorate signs for each bin. Gather your recyclables for the week and place it into one pile and let your little ones help separate your empties. More than one kid? No problem! Turn it into a race to see how fast each one can divide their piles. Soon enough they’ll be dropping the right items directly into each bin without fail!
Energy
Having your entire family at home all day is a surefire way to see your energy usage skyrocket. Draft up a “leave the room” checklist to ensure that electronics, lights and wall switches are turned off and that windows and doors are shut when leaving the room.
Water
We use water for almost everything from cooking and cleaning to drinking and bathing so it’s no surprise that the average family of four in the U.S. uses more than 300 gallons of water a day! Encourage your kids to implement small changes that can amount to a huge impact, not just on your water bill! Each time they find a way to save water by turning off the faucet while washing their hands or brushing their teeth, limiting shower time, or spotting a leak, reward them!
Get Creative/Upcycling
Before throwing anything out, try finding new uses to turn your trash into treasures! There are tons of fun upcycling projects available online that use materials from around the house like water bottle bowling and origami using scrap paper! Our current favorite? Tie-dying old clothing with natural dyes that you can easily create from vegetable scraps, flower petals and spices!
So whether your dining table has become your new classroom or if your kiddos have become your new coworkers, we hope you are inspired to add these new activities to the curriculum.
