The go green movement has gathered a lot of momentum over the years and you’ve been an active participant. Your children are finally old enough to start learning more about your passion for helping the environment, but you’re not sure how to get them involved. Don’t worry. We’ve taken the liberty of coming up with a few fun ways to introduce the idea of recycling to your kids.
Visit a Local Recycling Center
Locate your nearest recycling center by using Earth911. You just type in your zip code, what you want to recycle, and it locates the nearest recycling facility accepting the items you’ve specified. It’s pretty handy! Go on a recycling adventure with your kids by scheduling a visit at the nearest recycling center. If a tour is available, then they’ll be able to see the process of recycling first hand.
Start a Compost Pile
Composting is an easy way to show your kids how recycling can become an everyday part of life. Learn how easy it is to create your own outdoor compost pile here (link to our blog post). If your kids are interested in science and bugs, then you might want to consider creating your own indoor composting worm bin. Watch this cute video of a four-year-old explaining how a worm bin works. As you can tell, it’s obvious kids will have fun learning about composting and the importance of worms. You can make a worm bin from plastic bins or if you’re feeling crafty create a worm composting bag.
Recycling-related websites, games and apps
Kids love games, so why not allow them to play a game that’s both educational and fun? We’ve browsed the web and gathered a list of educational websites your kids are sure to enjoy!
The GREENS is a PBS Kids website dedicated to teaching kids about green living and sustainability. The goal of The GREENS is to try and get kids to think about the world and the impact their choices have on the environment. Click here if you’d like to learn more about The Greens. Their interactive games are easy to play and teach kids about “green living, sustainability, ecology, environmental care, and social equity.” Check out their website and start teaching your kids how to recycle!
National Geographic Kids has a game titled “Recycle Roundup.” The object of the game is to help Gus the Gorilla clean up a park by sorting through trash and disposing it in the correct receptacle. This game is a little confusing at first, so it might be better suited for older children.
Another great resource is “My Garbology”. Older children learn how to properly dispose of their waste while participating in a fun, interactive online game. The game teaches kids fun facts on items they place in the appropriate waste or recycling bins. Garbology answers the question, “Where does all of the stuff we throw away each day end up?” Your kids learn why it’s so important for us to reduce the amount of waste we put in landfills.
Show How Them Recycling Makes a Difference
Children are very visual. Show them an aluminum can and tell them when they recycle just one can it “saves enough energy to run a television for three hours.” Another way you can emphasize how important it is to recycle is by letting your children watch one of their favorite television episodes that features recycling. For example, you can pull up a YouTube episode of Peppa Pig recycling. It’s both informative and fun! If your kids are a little older, then they might enjoy PBS Kids The GREENS. They have free episodes online, which is awesome!
What is your favorite way to teach kids how to recycle? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.
