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Teaching Green to Preschoolers

Preschoolers are incredibly savvy; the complexity of their thoughts, questions, and conversations never ceases to amaze me. And this is good news for parents who are wondering whether it's possible to teach green to their preschoolers. Their natural curiosity makes it easy to engage them in stories, conversations, and actions around environmentalism. Here are some easy tips to get you started:

Read to your child. Children love reading with their parents, and books provide an easy way to translate simple and complex environmental topics to children. At your local bookstore or library, select stories about gardening and animals; these topics will help kids learn about the life cycle and the world beyond their tot lot.

Start a garden. Gardening projects offer a great way to teach preschoolers about the life cycle, and develop an appreciation for where food comes from and how long it takes to grow. Plant a seed in a cup, window box, or garden plot, and check the progress daily with your child. Our daughter typically averse to greens happily consumes amazing quantities of peas and beets (and recently even basil!) when she is able to pluck them from the garden we planted together.

Opt to stroll. Whenever possible, opt for the stroller over the car. You'll get some (likely much needed) exercise and no doubt your curious preschooler will ask why you're foregoing your car keys, paving the way for conversations about the importance of being one less car for the afternoon.

Take a nature walk. Investigate your town's natural resources. Visits to your local hiking trail, pond, arboretum, or nature museum become grounds for scientific inquiry and discovery about nature.

Recycle. Then recycle from your recycling bin. Talking with your children about recycling will help teach them valuable science lessons. Help your preschooler learn which objects are plastic, paper, cardboard, etc., and use sorting by material as a game. Then look at your recycling bin with an eye towards reuse. For example, use scrap paper or magazines for craft collages, toilet paper rolls for craft projects, or yogurt cups for planting seeds. Ask your preschooler to look through the recycling bin with you (just be mindful of sharp edges on empty cans) to think of creative craft uses for other items. Their imagination no doubt will amaze you.

Take action. Help your preschooler learn the value of money and how it can impact the environment by selling lemonade or hosting a little bake sale then donating the proceeds to charity. Organizations such as Heifer International allow gifts that draw a direct connection between dollars and animals, which is very meaningful to children. For example, a donation of as little as $10 can go towards a share of a bigger animal such as a pig, while a donation of $20 can provide an entire flock of chicks or ducks to a family in need.

Teach the concept of less. Through small lessons around the house, talk to your child about the fact that the earth has limited resources and that we need to, for example, share water with animals (don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth), use less electricity so we tax systems less (turn out the lights when you leave a room), and make less trash so we don't strain the trash collectors' backs and the places were trash is deposited (recycle).

Be verbal about your mistakes. Don't be afraid to identify your mistakes out loud (e.g., I forgot our reusable grocery totes!). Preschoolers hear everything and they probably will find it extremely funny when you make mistakes, and will be quick to remind you of them. No doubt the next time you go to the grocery store they will remind you to bring those reusable bags.