Making Going Green Fun for Kids

Any family that wants to go green really needs to involve the children. To be effective, going green needs to be a family commitment. Kids may resist change at first, but you can make earth friendly living kid friendly too.

It's not surprising that our kids resist the initial efforts to live in a way that is good for our planet. The media bombards our children with messages of consumerism every day. These commercials for the latest plastic toys and junk food are endless. The message to our children is that if you want to be happy, you need the products the advertisers have to sell.

The first step in going green with your kids needs to be to limit the exposure to television. Commercials can't be eliminated, unless you are ready to chuck the television entirely. Most families aren't ready for a step this drastic. You can still help reduce the number of commercials your kids are exposed to by using TIVO or watching DVDs instead of commercial television.

Eating organic or locally grown foods can be fun for your kids. Some organic farms are picking farms. They allow you to come to the farm and pick your own fruits and vegetables. Look for farms that offer strawberries, blueberries and grapes, since these foods tend to have the highest levels of pesticides. Go to the picking farm as a family and have fun picking your favorite foods. For more fun, make some jam with the fruit you buy and eat the rest.

You can have fun growing your own fruits and vegetables with your children. Nothing is more local than the backyard and gardening is an activity that is fun for the whole family. The kids can get involved in all phases of the garden, planning, preparing the soil, planting, tending to the plants and harvesting the foods when they are ready. If you don't have a large area for a garden, consider planting a container garden. These can be used to plant vegetables and herbs. Gardening is a great way to learn and help save the planet.

Spend a day baking or making healthy snacks in the kitchen. Homemade foods produce less packaging and waste than store bought alternatives. In addition, the foods you bake at home are healthier for your family. Homemade granola, oatmeal cookies, breads and pasta are fairly easy to make and fun for the kids. Spend some time looking for recipes on the internet to find more ideas.

Enlist the kids in finding fun, earth friendly activities. Take a hike together to help develop an appreciation of nature. A visit to a park, playground or beach is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Bike rides and walks in a state park or even your own neighborhood are great choices for outdoor activities that don't take a toll on the planet.