Tips for Teaching Kids to Go Green
 (ARA) – When you were a kid, did the word “green” conjure images of
Kermit sitting on a log singing about the difficulties of fitting
in? Or perhaps it brought to mind Dr. Seuss’s timeless classic about
the questionably colored eggs and ham.
Chances are if you ask your child what he thinks of the “green”
movement, he’ll surprise you with his knowledge of – and passion for
– the topic. Like any other major media message, kids are being
inundated with information on the need to protect the environment.
“It’s important for parents to help kids sift through all the
information to find real ways they can make a difference, even at a
very tender age,” says Karen Farmer, a children’s book author and
environmentalist. “Kids can really feel empowered by participating
in the green movement, and they’ll be establishing environmentally
conscious habits that will sustain them their whole lives.”
With the approach of Earth Day 2008 on April 22, many parents are
wondering how they can nurture the budding environmentalist in their
children. Here are some practical tips:
* Bag it. From Beijing to Annapolis, Md., communities around the
world are banning the use of plastic shopping bags, which take
approximately 1,000 years to decompose. Each year 500 billion
plastic bags are used around the world, and the costs of bags given
away “free” by retailers can top $4 billion annually.
Teaching youngsters to choose reusable cloth bags for shopping not
only makes environmental sense, it could be preparing them for a
world in which plastic shopping bags are no more.
“Choosing reusable, environmentally friendly bags versus plastic
shopping bags, is an easy step even the youngest shoppers can take,”
says Farmer, who authored “My Bag and Me!” The book, for children 3
to 9 years old, tells the story of a little boy who always takes his
own reusable bag to the grocery store when he shops with his mother.
The sturdy, brightly colored board book illustrated by Gary Currant
also includes a child-sized reusable bag that reads “I Love Earth.”
The bag is made of Tyvek, the same durable, recyclable material
often used to insulate the exterior walls of new houses.
The book and the bag encourage children to make this environmentally
sensible step an integral part of their daily lives. Children get
the message that learning about and being environmentally conscious
can be fun.
Published by Penton Overseas, “My Bag and Me!” is available at
Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble, and online at www.pentonoverseas.com
or call (800) 748-5804.
* Teach conservation. “If they’re old enough to wash their hands on
their own, kids are old enough to learn how to conserve water,” says
Farmer.
Parents should teach children to turn off the tap while brushing
their teeth, and keep the water flow to a pencil-thin stream when
washing their hands. As soon as they’re old enough to safely stand
in a shower stall and lather up on their own, toddlers transition
from baths to showers. If your family doesn’t have low-flow shower
heads yet, engage older children in helping out with the very easy
home improvement project of installing one.
* Reach for recycling perfection. “Recycling is one earth-friendly
activity kids of all ages can get involved in,” Farmer says.
Children can learn what items regularly used in their homes can be
recycled, from soft drink cans and milk bottles to detergent jugs
and spaghetti sauce jars. Toddlers and preschoolers can participate
in separating and grouping recyclables. Elementary school children
can help with washing items and removing labels. Older kids can even
get involved with volunteer groups that clean litter throughout the
community and recycle trash found on the roadside.
To learn more about Earth Day and how your family can make a
difference in the green movement, visit
www.epa.gov/earthday.
Courtesy of ARAcontents 
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