Raising Green Kids

Any parent whose child has surprised them by echoing their speech knows that kids emulate the adults around them. Simply by modeling responsible behavior, adults can inspire children to take green action. In addition, we can engage children in active participation by encouraging them to help with tasks that adults may find routine or tiresome. Sorting cans and bottles or collapsing cardboard boxes becomes fun for both adult and child when done as a team.

Parents can also give children responsibility for household leadership over certain green tasks. A child who is put in charge of turning off lights and unplugging appliances, or bringing canvas bags to the store, will feel like a contributing member of the family.

Curiosity and creativity can also find green expression. For example, an "art box" makes use of colorful pieces of paper, plastic, string, bottle caps, and other would-be trash. A worm farm recycles kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich castings while at the same time it provides kids with inexpensive and low-maintenance pets. A garden or compost pile offers budding naturalists a backyard setting for exploration and discovery as exciting and mysterious as any safari.

Since outdoor play can lay the foundation for responsibility toward the environment, taking the kids into the wider natural world-by visiting city parks, urban waterways, or more distant wilderness areas-is both important for nurturing environmental awareness and fun for everybody.

Child-centered programs and events at natural history museums, state parks, and community nature centers teach children the basic concepts of ecology and environmental stewardship and help them gain a sense of place. Another option would be to research how to protect animals natural habitats and look for ways to do so in the backyard or nearby parks or nature reserves. Children have a natural connection to animals and natures and adults who attend these events with their kids can continue to encourage learning through conversations at home.

We may do well to remember that talking about environmental catastrophes can scare or depress children. Young people find wonder in their exploration of the natural world, and joy in their actions to protect it. Encouraging positive childhood experiences with environmental stewardship can engender continued stewardship into adulthood.

Elizabeth K. Andre is a University of Minnesota doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction of Environmental Education. She is also an education consultant for the Will Steger Foundation and an instructor for Outward Bound. 

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Eco Education,
ecoeducation.org

International Wolf Center,
wolf.org

act locally!

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Chaska, MN
952-443-1400
arboretum.umn.edu

Bell Museum of Natural History
Minneapolis, MN
612-624-7083
bellmuseum.org