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Kids love to learn. And they love to be outside and play, ride their bikes and spend time with mom and dad. So why not combine all these activities into one and teach your child to love
Planet Earth at the same time? Setting kids on a path toward reducing, reusing and recycling is not only being a great, responsible parent, but also setting up your child to be a respectful, environmentally-aware adult. Now who can't be proud of that?
Some things a kid can do to save the environment start right in the home. Children don't even have to set foot outside their doorstep to make a difference. Here are some great ideas to start saving the Earth indoors:
- As The EarthWorks Group suggests in 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, you can have your child become a "water leak detective." Make it a game. Together with the child, inspect for leaky faucets in the kitchen, bathrooms and washroom. The EarthWorks Group says, "hidden water leaks in our homes waste millions of gallons of precious water every year." Send your kid on a mission to find the leaks!
- Explain to your child how heat and air conditioning escape through any openings in doors and windows. When you let hot or cool air out of your house, you are wasting an enormous amount of energy. Have your child check for any air gaps around windows or doors. Shop together to find filler materials and fill the gaps together. This is a great way for a child to complete a project from start to finish and spend quality time with you!
- As Al Gore says in An Inconvenient Truth, all it takes is shutting off one light switch to make a difference. Keeping lights on wastes energy as does keeping on appliances when not in use. Make this a fun challenge for your child. See how many unnecessary lights s/he can turn off in a day. Then the next day. The number should keep decreasing as the child remembers to switch off lights when s/he leaves the room. If the child accomplishes the goal, have a small eco-friendly prize ready. Perhaps a small tree to plant or a small indoor plant to take care of?
