4 Important Ways to Teach your Children about Looking after our Planet

As a parent it is your responsibility to teach your children about how important caring for the planet really is. However, it can be a bit of a mission to get kids interested in the subject.

Use these four tips and hopefully your children can understand why the planet needs to be loved and looked after.

     1.    Go Outside

The best possible way to get your children interested to learn and really appreciate the planet is to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Yes, we know that between work, school and other important activities it can be almost impossible to make time for the great outdoors. This is why you should make it a goal to plan something for every weekend!

Here are some great examples: Pick out a bird feeder to setup or build one together, plan a camping trip with the entire family, build a fire pit together and spend evenings roasting marshmallows under the stars.

With each new and exciting adventure, your children will grow to love and appreciate the beautiful world around them.

     2.    Make it Child-Friendly

One of the hardest things about getting your child interested in the planet is getting them to understand the importance of it. Complicated topics, like climate change and global warming can get boring for a kid, so make it kid-friendly and they will absorb the information better.

Encourage them to do a fun project like creating an ocean ecosystem, recycle used paper and make some beautiful greeting cards or make a mini terrarium garden.

When you explain a difficult concept in a fun visual way it is so much easier for a child to understand!

     3.    Grow Something

Children need to learn from a young age that the food that they eat doesn’t need to come from the grocery store. Studies show that children who are more involved in preparing, cooking and growing their own food are more willing to try new foods and less likely to become fussy eaters.

Clear out an area in your garden, or place planters outdoors and help your children to plant and grow some beautiful vegetables and herbs.

Once the plants begin to grow and it is harvest time, kids will feel a sense of accomplishment and it’ll show them that food is better when not bought in a plastic box or bag.

     4.    Recycling & Reusing

You need to make recycling a fun, friendly competition for children in order to get them involved. Take some time out to teach them how to recycle each material and separate trash together. No, it doesn’t sound like much fun, but there are ways to make it kid-friendly!

Create and decorate your own recycling bin for each different material such as glass, plastic, cardboard, paper, electrical appliances, garden waste and wood. Once some materials have been collected, get creative and see who can make the best art project with the materials that are reusable.

While these are only a few ways to get your children involved in looking after our planet they can really help our kids to show respect for the amazing world around them!

The Assisted Learning Centre is a school located in the coastal town of Fish Hoek. At ALC we try to make the world a better place by teaching all students to love and appreciate the world around them! Enroll at our learning centre today!