Green Family Activities

[sillylucy]

What are some of yoru favorirte green activities that you do with small children? I am going to be babysitting my younger cousin who is 4 years old and am thinking of trying to teach her how to be green. I have taught her how to recycle and she loves it when we clean up in the park.

[Isabellas2007]

I have to say one of my favorite activities is when my kids and I go biking up to the local park. WE do not drive because it is only a mile, but we get some weird looks. Not only are we not driving, but getting in our exercise at the same time. Heck, we even have a pull behind trailer for the bikes so we can go fishing and that if we want to.

[sillylucy]

That is a great way to spend time with the family and teach your kids the importance of biking. I like that you guys bike the mile instead of driving. Very green of you. I bet your family looks delightful on the road.

[FirstBaby2011]

_{Another fun activity could be planting a small garden. If you have limited space, container gardening could work just as well. When I was a pre-k teacher, our team helped students plant, water, and weed a small vegetable garden. The children really enjoyed helping and they were always wanting to pull weeds and check for ripe vegetables. Their absolute favorite part was having the opportunity to pick the vegetables. I only wish that we would have yielded enough of the tomatoes or squash to actually make a dish for the students to taste.}

[kulisap]

I have planted a couple of vegetables and herbs in my garden with my nephews and niece. They enjoyed the whole process of it. I let them plow, plant, and water. If you're with much younger kids, then you can just let them water once you planted the seeds. We're about ready to harvest some of the vegetables next week.

[oraclemay]

Planting a tree or a small garden is always an entertaining way to keep small children busy. By explaining the process to them as you go along, you teach them the importance of planting and nurturing our vegetation. It is always wonderful to see their amazement as they watch the plants grow!

[shilpa]

A few of the things that we teach young children are what we learn from our elders. For instance, always switch off lights, fan and other electronic gadgets that are not currently in use. Turn off water taps to save water when they are not in use. Never waste food and use all your resources very judiciously. These are a few basic things that I would teach a child. 

Once the base is strong enough any kind of building can be built upon it. Hence, when they learn the basic values quite well, you can easily teach them greater things. 

[Rosyrain]

We teach our kids to conserve and respect resources. We walk whenever we can and save energy. I am also starting to teach my daughter to repurpose things she thinks she does not want anymore. I also ask my kids not to throw garbage on the ground or litter.

[MindyT]

I also say to plant a garden.  If not a full garden, then plant a few flowers, herbs, or a tree.  Teach the basic conservation rules first.  I would teach the child to turn off the lights when not in use, turning off the water while brushing teeth, and recycle.  Make the activities fun.  Maybe write a song or play about helping to take care of the earth.  Make crafts with leftover materials like boxes, egg cartons, and scraps of used paper or newspaper.