How to Teach Your Children to Care for the Environment

Pay Attention to the Environment

• The earth is a wondrous place, with the moon changing phases, the tides coming and going, and seasons changing. Talk about these and other natural phenomena with your children and spend time interacting with the environment. With small children, gather autumn leaves and spring branches with buds for table centerpieces, and grow radish seeds in pots on a windowsill. With older children, stay up late once in a while to look at the stars and involve your children in creating a composting worm bin.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle at Home

• If you practice sound environmental practices and talk with your children about what you're doing, they'll learn from your words and actions. Teach kids to turn off the water when they brush their teeth and turn off lights when they leave a room. Use reusable water bottles and potable tap water; occasionally shop at thrift stores; fix broken or torn items instead of buying new things; and recycle paper, bottles and cans. Enlist your children in the recycling process.

Spend Time Outdoors

• Being outdoors teaches children the environment holds benefits for them, whether it's on a small stoop, a porch or in a huge backyard. Make the outdoors fun by devising a nature scavenger hunt, riding bikes at a local park or planting flowers and vegetables in pots or in the ground. If at all possible, sleep outdoors in a national park or in your backyard to demonstrate your appreciation for nature.

Engage With Others

• When your children see your family isn't the only one concerned about the environment, your message gains more impact. Find out if your local parks department, church or city have service projects your family can join, such as an invasive-weed-pulling Saturday or a beach or park cleanup. Participate in a community "Ride a Bike to Work Day" or create your own "Plant a Tree" day with friends to plant trees in your backyards.