family

Children make good cycling companions because they're adaptable, energetic and want to have fun. However, cycling with kids is not as easy as hopping on your bike and taking off. Here are some saddle-savvy tips.

Author

Excerpts reprinted from REI.com

"How do I get my child started in cycling?" It's one of the first questions bike-riding parents ask. Happily, kids and bikes seem to be drawn together by a natural kind of magnetism. By following the tips we outline here, you can quickly strengthen that attraction.

A Child's Bike Progression

Author

Katrina Edenfeld

Do It Green! Minnesota

Home-packed lunches can be fun, healthy, and green, with very little time or money required. I calculated that my child's lunch, including organic fruit, required less than five minutes on average and $1.00 per day last year - compared to over $2.25 for school lunch. Try these suggestions to green your packed lunches, whether for children, adults, or picnics!

Resources

On the Web!: 

Waste Free Lunches, wastefreelunches.org/HowTo.html

Creating Less Trash at School, pca.state.mn.us/index.php/download-document.html?gid=11345

Read Up!: 

Vegan Lunch Box: 130 Amazing, Animal-Free Lunches Kids and Grown-Ups Will Love!, by Jennifer McCann, DaCapo Press, 2008.

Lunch Boxes and Snacks: Over 120 Healthy Recipes from Delicious Sandwiches and Salads to Hot Soups and Sweet Treats, by Annabel Karmel, Atria, 2007.

Act Locally!: 

Wedge Community Co-op Minneapolis, MN 612-871-3993 wedge.coop/recipes/whats-in-lunch -box

Linden Hills Natural Home Minneapolis, MN 612-279-2479 lindenhills.coop/naturalhome

Lands End  Not-Quite-Perfect Store, Roseville, MN 651-633-7004 Lunch boxes, food jars

Lands End Inlet, Woodbury, MN 651-714-9000 landsend.com

Author

SEAN GOSIEWSKI

Alliance for Sustainability

Minnesota has some of the highest levels of social capital and volunteerism in the US However, community ties in the US have been declining for decades. With most households needing two incomes and many people working longer hours, time for neighborly pursuits can seem scarce. Perception of danger on the streets keeps many indoors. Television and other indoor pursuits are replacing face-to-face time with family and friends.

Author

SEAN GOSIEWSKI

Alliance for Sustainability

Enjoy time with your family outside. Fresh air, sunlight, and the elements help quiet the mind and bring joy with loved ones.

Stay in touch with friends. Bless your house (or your local spot) with the sound of laughter.

Host a gathering. Block club parties bring surprising conversations. Try a local food potluck, eatlocalamerica.coop.

Join a Committee. Volunteer with your congregation, school, political campaign, or environmental club and meet new friends.

Author

SARA GROCHOWSKI

Do It Green! Minnesota

Most of my memories growing up revolved around being outside-running, playing, and exploring from dusk until dawn. We spent our weekends at my grandparents' lake cabin. I have vivid memories of my grandfather crushing hundreds of aluminum cans and loading them in his car each Sunday to bring them into the aluminum recycling plant for what was probably pennies in return. Recycling was not the buzz word it is today. However, in our family we knew not to throw cans or bottles in the trash. Now with curbside recycling

Author

COLLETTE MORGAN

Wild Rumpus Books

The key to getting young people fired up about environmentalism is to present them with a balance of information and plausible solutions. This fresh crop of books is intended to give kids clear and achievable ways to contribute to saving the world.

 

Eco Babies Wear Green by Michelle Sinclair Colman, illustrated by Nathalie Dion, shows savvy newborns composting their cheerios, running on solar energy, and carpooling on the back of mama's bike. A witty primer for the very youngest eco-warriors.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Act Locally!

Wild Rumpus Books
Minneapolis, MN, 612-920-5005
wildrumpusbooks.com

Author

ELIZABETH K. ANDRE

Education Consultant, Will Steger Foundation

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

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

Author

NICOLE ROM

Executive Director, Will Steger Foundation

Many researchers and educators argue that young children are not mature enough to handle the reality of climate change, and parents are often understandably overwhelmed by the task of translating the technicalities of climate change to so young an audience. Yet young people are asking about climate change because they hear about it every day. It is an issue that not only scientists are talking about, but mainstream media is covering as well. Because climate change is a problem with clearly alarming consequences for our

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

National Wildlife Federation's Climate Classroom, nwf.org/site
/PageNavigator/ClimateClassroom
/cc_parents_guidelines

Will Steger Foundation Global Warming 101 Curriculum for grades 4-5. Focuses on language arts and communicating climate change to young audiences. Available free for download at: globalwarming101.com

Read Up!

The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming, by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon. Orchid Books/Scholastic, 2007.

How We Know What We Know about Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming, by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch, Dawn Publications, 2008.

Act Locally!

The Will Steger Foundation,
612-278-7147
willstegerfoundation.org
globalwarming101.com

Minnesota Energy Challenge
mnenergychallenge.org

Photo by Will Steger Foundation