Research proves that by involving with nature, kids are more active and attentive. However, there is much more they can learn beyond just a love of the outdoors if we teach them about environmental education. Educating kids about the environment pays. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental education as “a process that allows individuals to explore or find out issues that affect the environment, be a party in solving the issue, and take appropriate step/s to improve the environment.”
How and why do certain things happen in nature? Citing different examples of natural calamities, kids brainstorm and form their own opinions. This enhances creative and critical thinking skills which inspire kids to become more engaged with their communities. It helps kids understand why it is important to respect nature and provides them with the building blocks they need to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives.
Just 2 hours a day with nature can have a profound impact on our kid’s attributes like their physical and mental health. It is encouraging to learn that introducing kids to the great outdoors can also lead to higher performance in classes, reduced distractions, improved social skills, and more. Nature offers kids the freedom of self-expression. Kids love to explore, run, shout, and laugh; they hop over the pool and climb up trees; they invent games and fictional worlds. Kids develop skills to embark on risks, discover things, question, and experiment. This is invaluable to their growth while interacting with their natural surroundings and allows kids to discover themselves.
To preserve nature, it is equally important to not harm it. Kids should develop sustainable habits and these habits are likely to stick with them even during adulthood. Action is likely to be small, but the impact it creates is large over time.
Some simple initiatives are:
Recycle whatever you can, use reusable bags for shopping, turn off the tap while brushing teeth, keep lights off when not in use etc.
Be a role model concerning sustainable habits and be sure your kids understand the importance and how each of these actions can impact the surroundings. Kids equipped with knowledge think of ways to make a positive impact in such cases.
Kids tend to follow their parents. This is true in consumption habits as well. Therefore, set a good example by:
Stopping the usage of single-use plastics
Supporting sustainable businesses
Using energy-efficient appliances
Purchasing natural and eco-friendly cleaning products
Again, make sure to impart knowledge so that your kids understand why purchasing decisions have an impact on the environment. Teach them the various daily used items which are energy-efficient appliances, protect the environment by conserving energy and how the burning of fossil fuels would release harmful greenhouse gases into the air leading to global warming.
It is a known fact that climate change will continue its damaging effects. We have to do our part to live more sustainable and environmentally friendly lives. Climate change requires a long-term solution; it can’t be fixed overnight. There are abundant educational resources available online, which makes it easier than ever before to get your kids more involved with the environment.
Agencies like EPA provides learning and teaching resources for both students and teachers. These include lesson plans, community service project ideas, and homework help. They also support the National Environmental Education Training Program (NEETP), in its initiative to provide long-term support for educational professionals to bring out their ability to teach about environmental issues.
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) with its educational resources aims to inspire future environmental stewards. Their website also includes a site specifically dedicated to kids with games, jokes, fun activities, and information to get kids interested in wildlife.
Conclusion
To summarize, awareness of nature helps in the kid’s development; creativity and critical skills sharpen and the kid does well holistically. Sustainability, reusing benefits, changing purchase behaviour in using reusable shopping bags, energy-saving appliances etc can go in a long way in educating the kids so that once they grow up as adults at least some of the conservation methods could be adopted to save the planet.
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