10 Easy Ways Kids Can Go Green

Kids can’t buy energy-saving appliances, wrap their water heater in an insulating blanket, or change the furnace filters. So how can they too be part of the efforts to “go green”?

They can. Even small children can take steps to save resources; it's worth a try to incorporate some simple ways of teaching children to respect their world. Before you know it, these things will be simply part of your family’s lifestyle. Your children may well rise to the “green” challenge—and even pass off some Cub Scout or Activity Day requirements along the way.

#1: Light Up

Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. The new bulbs cost more, so changing all of lights in your house at once can be intimidating. We've made the change gradually as the old bulbs burn out. It’s been worth it: the newer bulbs last four times longer than regular bulbs but use only a quarter of the energy. Let kids be part of the switch, both in buying them and putting them in the sockets (with parental supervision).

#2: Unplug

Take note of items that are routinely plugged when they aren't actually being used, like a televisions, phone chargers, or electronic games. (In our house, the shredder somehow manages to get turned on at the oddest times.)

If a plug is in a socket, it’s draining small amounts of energy even when appliance is turned off. Kids have a knack for noticing small things (and many outlets are closer to their eye level than adults’ anyway), so turn this one into a game: Who can find the most things to unplug every day? Obviously you’ll need some things to stay plugged in (the fridge, clocks, etc.), but you might be surprised at how many chords can be pulled out of the wall, saving nickels and dimes that really add up.

#3: Lights off

Remind kids that power is still being drained (and paid for) when they’ve left the room and left the light on (even if it's a new, energy-saving bulb!). Help kids make a habit of turning off lights as they walk through the house—even if they weren’t the one that turned a light on in the first place.

#4: Close that Door

A lot of energy is wasted through simple actions—or non-actions. Leaving an outside door open a crack lets cold air in during the winter that then has to be heated up again. In the summer, the reverse is true: hot air coming in must use additional energy to be cooled off.

Similarly, warm air inside the fridge ends up using more energy as it's cooled again to keep food fresh. Kids can learn to close the fridge and freezer doors quickly, not spending time deciding what to eat or keeping the door open while they pour a glass of milk.

#5: Turn off the Tap

Here's a fun one: show kids just how much water they waste when letting the faucet run doing something simple. Using a bowl, catch water from the tap while the kids brush their teeth. They may be surprised how much water is literally going down the drain during that short period. Teach them to turn off the tap. This includes taking shorter showers and not filling the bath to the rim.

#6: Recycle

If recycling is available in your area, participate as much as your family can, whether that’s dropping off newspapers and phone books at a collection bin or whether you have curbside recycling. Even a preschooler can learn which can the banana peel goes into and which one is for the empty, cardboard fruit-snacks box.

#7: Use It Up

A generation ago, people made a point of making things last. Today, we’re such a disposable society that it’s easy to throw something away and buy another one without much thought. Encourage your children to take care of their belongings so they’ll last longer.

This applies to all areas, from clothing (avoiding holes and other wear, not washing every item, like jeans, after every single wear—which saves detergent, water, and power) to school supplies (buying backpacks every other year, making sure all the pages in a notebook are used before getting a new one), not losing pencils or pens or constantly breaking crayons.

In addition, older children can learn to sew on buttons, patch holes, make shorts out of holey jeans, and otherwise make their clothing last longer.

#8: Donate

When children have outgrown clothes, toys, and other items, sort through them together. When you explain that those less fortunate can benefit from their old stuff, children are often amazingly generous with their belongings. Recycling goods results in less clutter and less waste in landfills.

#9: Buy Used

You’ll likely need to buy some new items for your children (shoes, socks, etc), but try visiting thrift shops periodically as well. Some thrift stores have a surprisingly good-quality selection at low prices. You spend less money, and your children get to recycle all at the same time.

One family promised their children brand new clothing if they couldn’t find anything they liked at their local Deseret Industries, but for a couple of years, the kids have opted to get their school clothes second-hand. They’re thrilled at the bigger variety because they're less likely to end up matching someone at school. They've also figured out that because the clothing costs so much less there, each child can get more items for the same money.

#10: Take a Walk

Children love to be helpers and see what they do as making a visible difference. Take them on a walk around your community, bringing along gloves and garbage sacks, then pick up trash as you go.

Encourage children to keep their world clean and to save resources. You may well benefit financially, but “Going Green” is also a way of thinking we can all learn from as we take care of the home our Heavenly Father created for us.

Kids and Chores: The Constant Battle

As parents, we know it’s important to teach our children the value of work. But even after teaching them to do the job, there’s the tricky bit of getting them to actually do it—without the nagging, without the whining, and without the punishments or anything else negative attached. It's exhausting and enough to make a parent want to give up.

Don't give up. Instead, give some the tips below a try. No method will work all the time for all children, but that’s okay. I’ve found that shaking things up a bit from time to time can keep them willing to work, or at least be more willing to get it down now rather than put it off.

Even Little Ones Can Work
When my youngest was a preschooler, she certainly couldn't mop a floor or mow the lawn like her older siblings. But she was still part of the family, and as such, I needed to find chores for her to do. While it was awfully tempting to do them myself—I knew I can do just about anything better and faster than she could—it was important that she, too, contributed to the family and felt part of the dynamic.

So instead of lumping entire rooms into a single chore, I split them up by difficulty. In the bathroom, a toddler can change towels, empty the trash, and maybe even clean the mirror, while an older sibling can scrub the shower, the toilet, and the floor. When all the kids are older, I'll probably lump the rooms together, but until their skill levels are equal, we'll keep it this way.

Daily Chores
In addition to having big Saturday chores lists, each child has an assigned a daily chore. These vary by age and ability, and they rotate every six months. Daily chores could include things like taking out the garbage and recycling, emptying the dishwasher, picking up the family room or living room, or sweeping the kitchen. The littlest one gets a daily chore as well, even if it’s a small one. No one is allowed to play with friends unless they've done their daily chore.

Checklists
Children often need a way to visibly see their progress so they can keep going without getting discouraged. To help, I create checklists for each child on Saturday morning, complete with a box next to each chore they get to mark when it’s done. When our children were too young to read, we’d draw a picture representing each job, such as a rectangle and a rag to represent washing a mirror.

My kids love toting their lists around the house and making nice, big red X’s in each box as they go. It keeps them motivated and on track.

The Mystery Chore Method
During summers, when chores seem more boring than watching grass grow—and the kids are itching to get outside and play in that grass—we sometimes do things the “mystery” chore way. On slips of paper (or even better, on card stock), write down all the chores that need to be done to get the house clean over a 1- or 2-week period. Label two envelopes, one as “To Do” and the other, “Done.”

Each weekday, the children draw out a certain number of slips. As each chore is complete, the slips go into the “Done” envelope. By the time the “To Do” envelope is empty, the house has gotten one thorough cleaning. Dump the slips back into the “To Do” envelope and start over.

A Little Guidance
When one of my girls was quite young, I sent her off to clean her room. Half an hour later, it didn’t look any better. Near tears, she said, “Mom, it’s too hard. I can’t do it.”

She was fully capable of making her bed, cleaning up her toys, and putting her dirty clothes away. But the scope of the job intimidated her; she couldn’t figure out where to start. Instead of cleaning for her, I went to her room and gave directions. “Put those four books on the shelf. Good. Now pick up those Barbies and put them away.” When I broke the job down into manageable bits, she kept on track and got the job done—and I didn’t do it for her.


Games
Younger children especially need motivation, and that’s where getting creative can help. A few ideas we’ve tried:

• Give each child a small plastic cup. You keep the cups—plus a bag of chocolate chips or other small treat—nearby. When given a signal, the kids race around the dirty room, picking up messes, including garbage and small toys. Each time they reach 10 items cleaned (or another predetermined number), they get a chocolate chip into their cup. It's amazing how fast they move just to see their cup fill. (The next time, up the number required to earn the treat!)
  


• Identify one area that needs cleaning. Set a timer for five or ten minutes, promising that after it goes off, they can be done. Then see how much everyone can do in that short period. Knowing the end is near can be liberating for children. Clean yourself during the countdown; kids work faster when you’re at their side.


• Using sticky notes, write down all the chores that need to be done today, one note per chore. Then stick them all over a door or wall. Each child must to do a certain number of chores (say 4 or 5), but gets to pick only one at a time. As soon as they complete one, they can claim their second by choosing another off the wall. Kids are motivated by knowing that if they hurry, they’ll get the chores they want to do.

Combining chores and kids sometimes feel like oil and water, but for their sake, it’s important that you keep at it and teach them to work. Use some of these ideas—and then come up with more of your own.


One day, they just might thank you.