5 Simple Ways to Teach "The 3 R's"

The 3 R’s” are REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!

If you are an environmentally conscious parent then you are sure to want your kids to know the importance of all 3.  As always, setting a great example will be most important.  Kids who see their parents making great eco-friendly choices will be more likely to make those choices themselves.  Here are 5 simple ways to teach these very important concepts:

• Get a recycling bin at home and recycle. Involve your kids in the process and explain to them what you are doing and why. 

• Bring your child to a recycling facility and let them see what actually goes on. You can drop off your recyclables in person just once so that the kiddos can have a real-life learning experience. 

•  Shop garage sales, consignment and thrift shops. Show them reusing products is eco-friendly, cost effective and fun. Anyone who has ever shopped at a thrift store knows that is a ton of fun digging and finding great items for cheap!

• Teach them about reduction by using less and only using what you need. Use the backs of old bills or letters for scratch paper, for example.

• Reuse anything that you can from plastic bags to old fabric.  Let them see that reusing something as many times as possible saves you money and saves the Earth.

It’s not so much what you say but what you do that your kids will pick up on. The more you do things together that are environmentally conscious and the more thought they see you putting into your purchases, lifestyle and decision making the more likely they will be to follow suit.  Reading books, discussing “The 3 R’s” and watching videos are all great but only as supplements to a great role model like YOU!