Teaching kids to care about and preserve the earth – in a productive & positive way – is an important task of modern-day parents. I’m always seeking opportunities to show Lucy that resources are not unlimited, and that our daily choices can really help protect our planet.
One of the best places I’ve found to do this in the kitchen. When Lucy is helping me choose or prepare our food, we have all sorts of opportunities to talk about the health of our bodies and the environment. She also learns simply by what we buy, make and eat together, which is probably even more effective than any conversation we have.
On Earth Day last week, Lucy and I made our own “snack mix” using Envirokiz cereal, nuts, dried fruit, Annie’s graham bunnies, coconut flakes and plantain chips.
The snack mixes were intended for Lucy, but are so irresistible that Tyler and I have eaten more than we’d like to admit 🙂
Though the Envirokidz cereals have a little more sugar per serving than I normally recommend, they make the perfect sweet addition to any homemade snack or trail mix. Plus, they are organic (good for the planet) and 1% of all their profits helps to save endangered wildlife and habitats through the Jane Goodall Institute and Fauna & Flora International.
Lucy loved participating in this simple project, and I loved talking with her about the animals on the boxes and how these organizations are helping them.
GIVEAWAY ENDED
Win a Month’s Supply of Envirokidz products!
Nature’s Path has kindly offered one lucky reader a month’s supply of Envirokids products, in honor of Earth Month.
To enter, simply leave a comment about how you teach your kids to protect our planet OR any planet-preserving habit you yourself practice. Winner will receive a package of the following Envirokidz products:
1 box Jungle Munch
1 box Choco Chimps
1 box Gorilla Munch
1 box Koala Crisp cereal
1 box Koala Crispy rice bars
1 box Cheetah Berry rice bars
Winner will be randomly selected on Thursday evening, May 1st. Good luck!
34 Comments
Amy (Super Healthy Kids)
April 28, 2014 at 10:44 amWe start simple and just try to get them to turn of lights or devices! A few years ago when we were at the zoo we listened to a lecture about how keeping our lights off save the polar bears 🙂 my kids are still reminding each other of that- “Turn the lights off for the polar bears!” lol
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:36 amConnecting these behaviors to real animals or things in the environment makes the messages so much more effective, right? I love this tip!
Jill
April 28, 2014 at 10:45 amWe model by composting and recycling!
Susie
April 28, 2014 at 10:49 amIt’s so important for kids to understand where their food comes from. It’s often the most direct and frequent contact they have with the natural world. Right now, the kids are working on a Bee Garden and learning about how important Bees are to vegetation.
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:38 amI so agree, Susie. Modern kids often have little interaction with the (non-man-made) environment and knowing where food comes from is a way to connect a few times everyday. I love what you’re doing with the bee education – great idea.
Tracy
April 28, 2014 at 11:09 amWe started by teaching our boys to recycle. We also plant a garden every year.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
April 28, 2014 at 12:50 pmThis is so cute! She’s such a doll!
Amelia Winslow
April 28, 2014 at 1:30 pmThank you, Liz!
Julie
April 28, 2014 at 1:59 pmI encourage my nephew to recycle and to reuse plastic bags and “disposable” containers.
Amy
April 28, 2014 at 3:09 pmI save electricity by turning off unnecessary lights and appliances. I also bring my own reusable cloth bags to the grocery store. I have my first baby on the way and hope to teach him or her to respect the environment.
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:38 amCongratulations, Amy! I’m sure your child will grow up and do the same things his/her mom did 🙂
Kaylin @ Enticing Healthy Eating
April 28, 2014 at 3:31 pmI always make sure to recycle anything we can from our house. Plus we like to use shopping bags we bring to the stores rather than plastic bags.
christa
April 28, 2014 at 3:58 pmi’ve have not always been good about recycling, but my friends and boyfriend have really taught me about the significance of recycling and taking care of the earth. i put things in tupperware intead of using foil. i bring bags to the grocery stores, even bags for my produce. and i compost – even though this is my least favorite of the eco-friendly things we do! i also try to buy products with less packaging. it’s kind of fun to be honest. to see how earth-friendly we can be. oh, and my nephew – cohen, he’s on the green team at school (supports/encourages recycling – isn’t that cute?!?).
Amelia Winslow
April 28, 2014 at 5:22 pmA Green Team is definitely cute! And so useful!
Ellen S
April 28, 2014 at 5:04 pmI make sure to always bring my re-fillable water bottle with me, so I never have to use bottled waters!
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:39 amIt’s amazing how much this small step can save! Hundreds (if not more) of water bottles a year!
Cori
April 28, 2014 at 7:01 pmRecycling and conserving power,water, etc.
Waheeda
April 28, 2014 at 8:58 pmI recently stopped using disposable water bottles and just refill a water bottle to take with me on the go
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:39 amA small but super effective change, Waheeda!
Sorayya
April 29, 2014 at 1:32 amI am vegan – helps me, the planet, and the animals! And tastes amazing!
Meg N
April 29, 2014 at 8:41 amI’ve stopped using disposable plates and cups. I’ve also encouraged my roommate to stop using them as well. Recycling is a now a regular ritual. My water bottle is reusable too! 🙂
Anu
April 29, 2014 at 10:12 amMy daughter is an infant (we try to purchase earth friendly baby items, toys, clothes). I teach 2nd grade and my students have learned many ways to be more earth-friendly such as using less paper, recycling, bringing a litter-less snack, etc.
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:40 amLove the idea of bringing a “litter-less” snack – even that term probably resonates so well with young kids.
Shelley
April 29, 2014 at 3:27 pmI think the best example anyone demonstrate for a child is teaching him or her to pick up sidewalk trash. This shows a genuine concern for the environment outside of home, and it can be taught and learned everywhere and often!
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:41 amI agree 100% (as you know). My dad has always done this, and though it used to embarrass me that he’d arrive home from a walk with pockets full of trash, I now admire and respect the habit – and do it myself!
Shannon
April 29, 2014 at 7:40 pmI bring my reusable shopping bags to the grocery store.
Nell
April 30, 2014 at 1:50 amI’ve stopped buying any plastic water bottles 🙂
Melanie
April 30, 2014 at 5:43 amWe try to reuse everything we can like old glass spaghetti sauce jars, and we buy everything we can in bulk and bring our own containers, produce bags and grocery bags. We also avoid food waste as best we can.
Erin
April 30, 2014 at 6:19 amWe are teaching my daughter to always turn the lights off when leaving the room, recycling basics and we also just planted a vegetable garden
Kate
April 30, 2014 at 5:53 pmWe talk a lot about recycling and composting and do both in our house. I love that this is part of my son’s daily routine to sort what goes in what bin.
Kate N
May 1, 2014 at 3:17 pmAlways refill bottles for water and rarely EVER waster food. Food is used up before more is bought.
Amelia Winslow
May 5, 2014 at 10:42 amAmericans allegedly waste 30-40% of the food we buy. If more of us followed your lead we would see SUCH savings in wasted energy, toll on the environment, and of course money. Great tip, Kate!
Amanda
May 1, 2014 at 6:09 pmWe recycle what we can. We turn the lights off and conserve our water use.
Meg
May 27, 2014 at 3:39 pmThank you so much for picking my comment!! Love my cereal and snack bars. So much I ripped it apart before I could get a pic. See next post for a recreation…