Teach Them Young - Waste Not Want Not - Earth Deeds

in #ecotrain5 years ago

I work with young kids and a big thing to teach them is not to waste.
Start them young.
You can teach them in more ways then just telling them not to waste. Give them some experiences that will help them appreciation what they have and they will not want to waste it. A win, win - cuts down on wastage and things go further.

How would you go about doing that?

tree in broken glass ball environmental protection.jpg

Take paper as an example.
You can say (probably over and over again) "Don't use too much" and set up recycling bins, but what if you were to give them the experience of going to the source of the paper?

DSC_0726-698.jpg

Let them be amongst the trees, in a natural setting, breathing in the fresh air. Connecting with nature, knowing that trees and such are part of our ecosystem, seeing them as living things that are cut down to produce lumber and paper.
Children can easily build an affinity with living things and this will foster appreciation for what they have. Heck! It's a good lesson for adults too, getting out into nature, the forests, it helps to awaken that sense of appreciation in everyone.
Let the children know that cutting down on the amount of paper products we use, is helping to to preserve the forests, a vital part of our ecosystem.

Teach them not to waste food.

girls picking cucumbers from garden.jpg

Take them out in the garden and let them help in the growing and harvesting of their food.
Gardening and bringing a small seed into a food producing plant can be a wondrous thing!
You may be surprised to find that if they grew it they are more likely to eat it. They will get a sense of what it takes to produce that food and thus not want to waste it.

Growing your own food or buying local (lets the kids see where their food comes from) also reduces the carbon footprint of the food grown as it isn't being transported from any great distance.

If you can teach the children young not to waste and to appreciate what they have, it is more likely to become a habit, part of their normal behavior. Heck! If they are wasting less, they will want less, which is a good thing!

All images were from Pixabay.com or purchased through Graphicstock or Dreamstime.

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I love engaging with folks here so please feel free to leave any comments or questions,
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Great points about showing the kids what's up with eco-conscious living first hand. Most children learn better through practice than being shown - their attention spans dictate as such, you just have to persistantly keep them on task and keep learning about these kinds of things fun. Great post.

Thanks! I have the privileged of working with young kids and I try to make strong bonds to the natural world, which will hopefully make them better stewards in the future.

So vital to our world's future. Make sure to hmu on Discord with your shirt size and so we can work out shipping details.

Awesome! Will do and thank-you very much!

No problem. Let me know when you receive it.

yes this is so important, children need to know where things come from, to understand and maintain their connection with the earth and then they would not be so wasteful, great post @porters xxx

I love what you said here @Porters. It is true that children who have cteated a direct link with where their food comes from helps them appreciate it so much more!

I would like to have the experience of going to a paper mill myself actually, thanks for the idea for a family field trip.

Awesome post!

Thanks for sharing... resteeming!

Happy I could give you some ideas. Hope you have a wonderful family field trip!

Thank you... I'm sure it will be wonderful!

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