How to teach children about ecology
A cute environmental alphabet to help our Fijians take care of the planet. How to teach children about ecology from A to Z is one of the best resolutions to put into practice every day.
- A for friendly water
Tap water, in most of the country, is as healthy as or better than what we buy. Just ask your municipality of residence or the company that controls the water for a detailed analysis of its components to be safe. If your water seems to taste bad, often it depends on the tubes it passes through. If the water in your area is safe, start drinking it: you will save money and plastic. Teach your children to take a shower, and not just a bath, and to turn off the taps while brushing their teeth and immediately after washing their hands, start using a flow reducer and don't overdo it with hot water: for a tea and a baby herbal tea just heat two cups!
- B as a Bicycle
How nice to get around by bike! Teach your children the love for two wheels by using it whenever you can. First they will travel with you, then, after simple rules, you can take them on the bike paths in the city or in the countryside. Zero petrol, zero traffic, free views, well-being and fun, what more do you want?
- C as an eco-friendly dollhouse
What should a truly ecological house be like? Teach your children by playing with them. You can build a small house out of recycled paper or wood, or enter the wonderful You're a Natural Dollhouse together, the dollhouse with solar panels, recycled materials, recycling baskets and everything you need to discover - even from adults - what an environmentally friendly home should be like.
- D how to separate waste
A blue bag for plastic, a transparent one for organic waste, paper bags and cartons. Separate collection is a bit challenging - times and instructions to follow - but it really saves the environment. And it can turn into a nice game to play with your children. For example, you can name them, from time to time, super-responsible for a category of waste! They will have to check that all the family members respect the right bag and you can tell them, as in a fairy tale, where all the waste goes. You will make them feel involved in the recycling operation and they will learn the value of each material.
Read also: Nursery rhymes and green songs for Earth Day- E come Eco snack bag
The ecological snack basket? To make it, find the tutorial with explanations here. So to wrap snacks and biscuits you will do without paper and plastic packaging that are so bad for the environment.
- F like making an ecological picnic
What's more beautiful than a snack on the lawn? The important thing is to behave in an ecological way, as the Yogi Bear Ranger would do! As the 100 Ambiente website suggests: use seasonal products, if available also organic, and at zero km, buy foods to be consumed in the countryside directly on the farm, use biodegradable plates and glasses, avoiding plastic, use leftovers to produce excellent fertilizer for home plants and flowers, choose loose foods instead of packaged ones, “eliminating” products with expensive and harmful packaging.
- G as ecological games
Having fun with nature can be child's play! Buy a good book about plants, trees or birds in your area and take a Sunday for a research walk with your little explorers. You too can drive the cute recycling truck or watch the cartoon that teaches ecology together on the internet. During the winter days, build some games together, using cardboard, or draw using our drawings (printing them on recycled paper).
- H come Hotel eco-friendly
Eco-sustainable tourism means respect for nature and for the culture you are going to visit. An extra eco-friendly idea? Staying with the whole family in ecological hotels.
- I like to pollute less
Get your children used to using a little soap, a little shower gel in the bath, colored and perfumed salts instead of liquid products, solid shampoos and little foam. Never throw paper on the ground, do not throw objects out of the window or cigarette butts along the road. You must be the first good example for your budding ecologists!
Read also: How to limit the use of plastic- L for washing machine
How dirty laundry with children in the house! Yet even when we would be tempted to wash their clothes every day, it is good to learn some simple rules: use class A appliances, load the basket to the maximum, pre-wash to avoid very high temperatures, use the washing machine at night, when consumption is lower.
- M for Clean Sea
The sea excites and entertains your children, but it is important to teach them respect for this delicate ecosystem. A smart way? Follow the decalogue for the protection of the sea and beaches. The tips, simple and immediate, may seem trivial, but it is important that they become the most natural behavior: from the waste bag to respect for animals and plants!
- N as ecological grandparents
Grandparents, unwittingly, are often the best educators in terms of the environment. Accustomed to growing up with few comforts, they will be the first to suggest healthy snacks based on bread and oil, games and fairy tales instead of TV, hand washing and walking instead of household appliances and cars. Grandparents can be a real green resource, why not take advantage of them?
- Or as a conscious garden
Growing a vegetable garden is one of the most fun and constructive experiences for a child. The important thing, however, is to do it in total respect for nature. Planting a tree or growing sweet strawberries will be beautiful and healthy for nature which explains, in ten little rules, how to plant a beautiful garden, without pesticides, recycling water and using only natural fertilizers!
- P like ecological diapers
Did you know that a disposable diaper takes 500 years to dispose of? The washable nappies in cotton terry, to be washed and dried in the sun, are the answer to this useless waste. They smell like laundry, cost nothing and just require a little patience in cleaning.
Q like When conceiving an eco-child
Have you ever thought that even unbridled amorous passion can be experienced in the sign of respect for the environment? Do not miss the funny handbook on ecological Make Love written by the green warriors of GreenPeace!
- R like Recycle
Separate collection is just one of the steps in the beautiful art of recycling. Have you tried using plastic bottles with your imagination - they can become vases for beautiful flowers - and getting your little ones used to recycled paper notebooks? On the web you can find many ideas to create with straws, glasses, plastic. You will create bookmarks, hangers and even Christmas decorations, all in perfect eco-friendly style!
- S like Spend on tap
Giant distributors of good quality products - detergents, fresh milk and even candies and cereals of every taste for your little one's breakfast - are found almost in every city and tell us about a new way of shopping, respectful of nature, cheaper and practical. Get rid of containers and packaging, too, by finding the retailers of detergents on tap closest to your area and those of milk on tap.
- T like T-shirt to reuse
T shirts that are no longer used? Use old T-shirts and sweatshirts that escaped the wardrobe change by transforming them into other garments. Cut out the designed labels or prints to make beautiful bags or blankets or store them in a closet. They will be the vintage garments of the next one!
- U like Organic Eggs and other healthy foods
Choose healthy food for your children. No GMOs, no vegetables grown with fertilizers, eggs bought from your trusted farmer. You don't have to focus on organic products that are so fashionable, but rather choose healthy foods, eat less meat, less fat and teach your children the value of food, which is not a reward against whims or a punishment but a fundamental element. for their life.
V like Holidays for nature
An idea for your little ones' summer? Try one of the many nature trips organized by WWF and Legambiente. Together with their peers, in a context rich in ecological ideas (from the parks of Tuscany to marine adventures in the islands and villages) your children will learn coexistence, respect and love for the environment!
- Z like Cinderella's Pumpkin (you can make sponges on it and it's better than TV!)
Do you know how many things can be done with a pumpkin? A delicious risotto, a big face for Halloween, sweets and pancakes, beauty creams, a natural sponge for the bath and even a carriage for a princess. Rediscover the beauty of the simple things that surround us. And never forget the bedtime story. Which is so much better than TV, it does not pollute, it does not make noise and makes your children's dreams peaceful!
