It is important to make sure children from an early age are educated in regards to the importance of the environment. You want them to grow into respectful and responsible citizens especially in regards to caring for the earth. Mother Earth is facing decline with each passing day. Temperatures are soaring high. The seasons are altering their natural courses and there is an unaltered increase in the sea level as a result of Global Warming. Children are the future of our country. If they are instilled with certain values and practices, they can maintain them for the rest of their lives. Here are seven tips you can teach your child about how to preserve the environment.
- Start sowing seeds of love for nature
Respect for our land should come naturally in a child when they are raised early to do so. You can start by giving them reasons to love nature; show them how beautifully the rivers flow and how majestic and tall trees and dense forests are. Teach them how a man can derive tranquil peace by being close to nature and not always depending on artificial utilities. Also, to strengthen this love you can talk to them about how the beauty can be ruined if they are littered and polluted with harmful elements. Doing so allows them to see the importance of the situation and take steps accordingly.
- Encourage gardening
Teach your child how to garden. Once a child has their own garden and gets to cultivate flowers and vegetables on their own, he will automatically grow and become compassionate towards it. He will cherish something that he developed with his own hands and efforts and that will hold a lot of significance.
- Teach them not to pollute
A child must always throw wrappers, empty bottles or paper in trash cans and not litter anywhere on the roads. They must know that throwing plastic anywhere on the road will be harmful to both the environment and the animals. Advise them to be sympathetic towards animals and teach them to protect them. Let them know trash can easily be mistaken for food and harm the species.
- Talk to them about climate change
Talk to your child and show them the news and facts about climate change. Tell them to closely take a look at the pattern of seasons and how they are changing with the increase of global warming. You can tell them how little steps make a huge difference such as not using air conditioners as much or something as simple as availing public transport or walking once in a while. When children see you do these things, they will begin to participate as well.
- Instruct them on how the environment has a life of its own
Tell your children how every beautiful thing in nature has a life of its own; the trees and the animals mimic our ecosystem to a degree. Just like we encounter pain when we are hurt, they too feel the same when the trees are cut down and the water bodies are used as sewage and landfills are burdened with more waste than it can contain.
- Encourage the use of organic materials
Children must learn to appreciate the use of organic over synthetic materials from an early age. Tell them this method to safeguard the environment stems from the toxic greenhouse effect, CFCs and pollution. Organic protects the earth and heals the body.
- Encourage participation in environmental projects
In order for children to have a positive outlook towards nature, a child must have the awareness and also learn to put into practice the things they have been taught. A great way to do so is by participating in environmental projects such as trash pickup and recycling products. When they see their parents, friends and neighbors working along with them, it becomes a source of encouragement for them and they can see the big picture.