Kids Going Green

by Kathleen E. Jones

Kids going green…or red or blue or yellow…is a simple way to include younger children in the process of recycling. The key is to make recycling fun and easy.

A red STOP sign posted above the trash bin is a great visual reminder for everyone to recycle. Next, depending on the way your local recycled waste is handled, choose different colored bins for separating recyclables. As items are brought home from the store, use either a marker or sticker to mark recyclable items with a colored dot corresponding to the colored bin in which it will eventually go. The red bin can be used for plastic, the blue for cardboard, the yellow for paper. At trash time, toddlers and preschoolers can learn about recycling by matching the color and placing the items in the correct bin.

Using both sides of the paper is an easy way for young children to participate. School papers and plastic food cartons can be brought home to recycle. Reusing an older child’s backpack or hand-me-down clothes demonstrates the 3 R’s of recycling: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

Buy reusable bags for shopping. Even younger children can remind Mom or Dad to take the bags to the store. Show them how many plastic bags were saved by using the cloth bags.

Young kids may not understand the reasons for recycling. Simply explain that recycling helps nature. Tell them that paper is made from trees. "If we use more paper, we have to cut down more trees. That is why we use both sides." One of the best ways to connect young kids to nature is to plant something. A single seed that grows into a flower introduces the wonder of nature to a youngster.

Another great way for kids to go green is to recycle items for craft projects: designate a box for ribbon scraps, greeting-card covers, wrapping paper squares, clean popsicle sticks, etc. This website lists creative craft projects for kids, using recycled materials: http://www.kids-going-green.com/eco-friendly-crafts.html.

If children have fun with recycling, it will become a habit. And each carbon footprint we leave behind will become a little smaller with the help of our children.