Environmentalism isn’t really an optional extra for kids anymore. We have reached a tipping point where our actions now could halt the worst irreversible consequences of climate change. Everyone has a responsibility to adopt a lifestyle that doesn’t perpetuate environmental damage. As such, teaching children about environmentalism has to be treated as a key skill.
This doesn’t mean to say you need to approach the subject dully, though. Indeed, simply emphasizing the consequences of climate change could elicit anxiety in your kids. It’s more empowering to help them to develop a positive and active relationship with the concept of sustainability. This can spur their curiosity, enthusiasm, and creativity in ways that are good for them and help the planet.
We’re going to explore a handful of fun ways to introduce environmentalism into your kids’ lives.
Bringing the Outdoors Indoors
Environmentalism for kids often suffers from a lack of relatability. Not all children have the luxury of living in or near areas of outstanding natural beauty. If children can’t relate to how they are a part of the ecosystem and how it fits into their lives, it can be difficult to engage them in meaningful environmentalism. As such, it’s worth taking steps to help them make daily connections with nature and the need to protect it. Bringing a little of the outside world into your home is a fascinating and fun way to approach this.
Having plants is an accessible way to achieve this for all families. You don’t need a huge house with a garden, either. Plants can still thrive in an apartment. Alongside teaching your kids about the environment, bringing plants into your home can have a range of benefits for your mental wellness. One of the important things to discuss with your kids is how the plants you’re growing together oxygenate the room. Talk about how the nurturing of the various plants in your home is much like the responsibility to protect the environment. There’s a mutually beneficial relationship involved.
You can boost the fun element of this by introducing a greater variety of outdoor life into your home. Choose plants with interesting flowers. Carnivorous varieties can be especially engaging for kids. Growing mushrooms from different spores and substrates can also be an interesting process to witness, particularly by examining some mycelium samples under a microscope. This can also be an opportunity to teach your kids about how mycelium is being used as a more sustainable alternative to leather.
Demonstrating Theory with Projects
Environmentalism often involves addressing some quite intense and complex topics. While many of these aren’t entirely out of most childrens’ grasp, pure theory can get dry pretty quickly. The last thing you want is for your kids to lose interest in an important ecological issue because the theory behind it is dull. You need to support and demonstrate the theory with fun projects.
This could include replicating the function of our ecosystem in miniature. Building your own glass terrarium is relatively straightforward and can be a fun way to approach understanding the environment. With a transparent bowl, soil, stones, plants, and even a few bugs, your kids can develop an enclosed natural world. Together, you can witness how the addition or subtraction of different elements affects the health of the ecosystem.
You can also create different types of contained environments, from deserts to wetlands. This is not just a fascinating way to nurture small ecosystems in the home. Children may be more likely to make what seem to be small sustainable adjustments in their lives if they can understand why they can have a significant impact.
It can also be both practical and fun to engage in home recycling projects. With some household materials such as a cake tin, wire mesh, a rolling pin, and a mixing bowl, you can teach your kids about the paper recycling process. You can also create new pieces of furniture or decorations from used materials. Use these projects to highlight how the waste you’re reusing would otherwise put additional pressure on landfills. These activities can also form discussion points for the non-renewable resources that went into creating the waste items in the first place.
Exploring the Ecosystem
One of the most important things to understand about environmentalism is that it isn’t just about protecting areas of obvious natural beauty. It’s a holistic issue and opportunities for making a difference exist wherever you live. A fun way to help your kids better understand the environment is by helping them to explore the ecosystem of their backyard.
This can include observing the local wildlife in your community. Even suburban and city environments are teeming with life if you know where to look. Foxes, mice, squirrels, and crows are often constant features in urban areas. Encourage your kids to start creative diaries of the comings and goings of these animals. Importantly, direct your kids to observe what aspects of the local neighborhood affect these animals’ lives. You can discuss together what local fauna needs to thrive in their environment and how human actions can disrupt them.
You can also extend these local ecosystem observations to starting projects designed to enhance the sustainability of your community. Beekeeping is an increasingly accessible way to improve the biodiversity of the area. Younger children can create bee hotels for the backyard. They could also lead campaigns for your neighbors to cultivate plants that are attractive to pollinators. This can be a powerful way to show your children they and their community can always make positive and practical improvements.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter how young your kids are, there are always ways to help them engage with environmentalism. Nevertheless, it’s usually more effective if you make sure these activities are fun, too. Introduce your children to our close mutual relationships with the environment by cultivating plants. Use enjoyable projects to help them to better understand important ecological concepts. Remember, your local neighborhood holds great opportunities to learn about nature and make improvements.
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