With Earth Day quickly approaching it’s important to start to teach kids how to recycle, now. It normally takes about 21 days to form a new habit, which will leave a little wiggle room in time for Earth Day. Recycling is one of the easiest ways to help reduce your impact on the Earth. It is so important teach children about recycling at an early age so they will develop lifelong habits. Here are some easy tips and tricks to get your children excited to recycle!
Craft Time! Save a large storage box and fill it with old scraps of paper, milk cartons, left over ribbon, etc. Once a month have a craft afternoon and let your children’s creativity take over! You are going to be surprised with what creative and crazy ideas they come up with!
Decorate! Have your children decorate your recycling bins. When the children have a sense of ownership, they will be more inclined to take recycling more serious than before! Also you now have a one of a kind piece of yard artwork, that is sure to brighten up the curb! (If you have a city issued recycling bin be sure to check with your local officials to make sure it’s okay.)
Compost! Create a compost bin with your children. Creating a compost bin will help your children learn the difference between what is biodegradable and what is not. You can also use your compost to start a vegetable garden! Click here for tips on creating a simple compost!
Sing Along! When we were children we were taught life lessons through songs and recycling is not any different! Find a recycling tune and sing it when taking the recycling to the curb. We are a fan of Jack Johnson’s Three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) from the Curious George’s soundtrack. Check out the song here.
Sell! Have a garage sale. Make sure to explain the reasoning behind having a garage sale to the children. Be sure to explain that you do not just throw away things. Have your children choose a couple of toys to sell at the garage sale and let them keep the profit.
Donate! After your garage sale or after cleaning out your closets, be sure to donate all unwanted items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. Don’t forget to bring the kids along to drop off the donated items. Make sure to stress to them that nothing will be thrown away and every item will have a place to go.