Getting your kids involved with the environment

The other day I, walked out of the kitchen without turning off the light. It’s something I usually do, but for some reason I was distracted and totally forgot about it. My oldest son immediately ran up to me and told me I should turn off the light because I was wasting electricity.

That’s my boy. I admit that when it comes to the environment I want to make sure my children understand not only its importance, but its beauty as well. Many parents leave teaching environmentalism to the schools, but I've always believed that it all starts at home. You can be environmentally conscious before they even reach preschool.

Show, don’t tell

As a writer, one of the first things I learned about fiction writing is that you show and don’t tell people. People don’t get anything out of it if they are told, but when you put emotion and description into it, then they’re hooked.

Environmentalism is the same way. Simply telling your child that recycling is good or that volunteering to clean up a highway is good environmentalism isn't enough. You need to be a role model for your child. When he sees you out on the street cleaning up the highway or separating the plastics from the paper, he wants to be like you. He wants to be a super envirohero.

When I was growing up, my parents didn't care too much about the environment. They threw things out the car window, and they didn't even consider recycling. It wasn't until I hit college that I began to have a better understanding of the environment and what we as a population were doing to it.

Let them see nature

One of the reason that I became interested in protecting the environment was that it was simply too beautiful to waste. I lived in the Midwest surrounded by forests and cornfields. I looked out my window and could see deer running across my backyard and more birds than I could county all vying for our tiny bird feeder.

I live near one of the most beautiful state parks in the United States, and I love taking my children up there and just hiking for hours. We sit and have lunch on picnic tables, and I talk to them about animal tracks, the different plants and why we should spend our lives protecting it from destruction.

I've also taken them to zoos in order to see all the different animals the world offers. Many of the animals are on the endangered species list and they ask me questions about why someone would kill such an animal. My children have an appreciation for nature and because of that want to do everything they can to save it.

Work with the schools

I’ll admit that I've learned just as much about environmentalism from my children as they have from me. The teachers at the schools teach my children aspects of conservation that even I never thought of. There is something so rewarding when my son comes up and tells me something about nature or the environment that I didn't know.

The truth is that teachers have access to more materials that I do. I love sitting down and talking to my kids about what they learned. It’s not always about the environment, but it’s always fun and informative. I like to expand on what they teachers have taught them. If they talk about global warming or endangered species, then I’ll follow up with some knowledge that I know or that I can find on the Internet. Too often parents create an adversarial role between parent and teacher, but there is no reason why that has to be the case.

In a world filled with video games and streaming television, it’s easy to forget about the environment. Children are the future of environmental activism, and if they aren't taught about the importance of the environment, then they might not protect it. The world is changing so fast and not always for the better. We need people out there that can understand what we’re doing to the environment and convince them that it’s not right. I’m only one man, but I know that my children will grow up not only enjoying and appreciating the environment, but will protect it as well.

Main photo courtesy of frederickcountymd.gov

Inset image courtesy of schoolsearchplus.com