Summer brings a lot of opportunities to engage your child with the natural world. If you'd like to help your youngest children appreciate nature's diversity and the importance of caring for it, here are some activities you might want to try -- all of them possible with kids as young as three.
It should go without saying that these activities need to be reinforced with behavior at home. Talking about recycling or picking up litter in the park is meaningless if parents don't practice what they preach.
Also keep in mind that these activities are definitely enhanced by reading books on environmental topics. For example, Why Should I Protect Nature? [Barron's Educational Series, February 28, 2005] and the other books in the "Why Should I" series explain some difficult ideas in language that small children can understand and provide you with things to talk about.
Litter Pick Up
Take your child for a walk in your neighborhood or a local park to pick up litter. All you need are some rubber gloves, plastic garbage bags, and hand wipes or hand sanitizer. Have your child spot pieces of litter. You can discuss reasons why people might litter, why it's not a good idea, and observe what kinds of trash you seem to be finding most often. Is some of the trash you find recyclable?
Take your child to the recycling center so he or she can see how many different items can be made into new things. At the grocery store, help the child point out items that can be recycled (like soda cans or cardboard boxes) and show him or her items that are made of recycled materials already (like paper products)
Obviously, small children need to be closely watched to make sure they don't touch glass or food waste during this activity.
The Animals in Your Backyard
In your backyard or a nearby park, try to find and count all the different animals you can see from the smallest ant to larger squirrels and birds. Even if you live in urban area there are a lot of creatures living right under your nose, and children can have fun spotting them --and, in turn, learning to respect their habitats. This activity is nicely portable since you can do it during a day at the beach or on a camping trip and see even more animals. If you have a yard or live near a park you visit frequently, get some paper and write down the animals your child sees so you can keep track when you spot new ones.
Picking Fruit and Vegetables
Small children love picking berries and apples but benefit even more when they are also learning about farming as a source of their food. Select a farm that has a farm stand so you can talk about all the different things that grow in the earth, and why they taste better when they are locally grown.
After you've picked the fruit or vegetables, take them home and incorporate them into a special snack the child can help you make, like a fruit pizza, to reinforce how food gets from the farm to the table.
Donation Day
Collect outgrown clothes and toys with your child (make sure to collect some of your own things, too) and bring them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill together when the store is open. Explain that donating things when you are finished with them means they don't end up in the trash and other people can use them. Show the child the store and explain that all of these items were used, and that buying things you need used saves money and natural resources. If you like, allow your child to pick out something small (like a book) at the store -- or discuss coming back the next time he or she needs something new.
In addition to planned outings and activities, parents who care about the environment can also help their children learn more about the world around them by incorporating a green consciousness into everyday play and regular errands like going to the grocery store.
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