There is a great online book for your kids to check out or for the whole family to read together about cleaning up our environment. It is fun and interactive!
Check it out here:
I noticed that we were a bit lazy when it came to recycling our household items that did not give us a monetary return on our investment. It seems like it should be an easy enough thing to separate our recyclables along with our trash but I guess it seemed even easier to ignore it! I grew up being responsible about it. When I visit my parents, I do it naturally but for some reason recycling at home was some monstrous task. I guess I felt like we were doing quite a bit by the number of cans and bottles we were saving up for the big return at 5 cents a piece.
The turning point was the day that I drove past our local landfill and for a brief moment, I mistook it for a mountain. I saw it in the distance and thought, how nice it was to live so close to nature! I nearly cried when I came back to reality. Of course, then when I realized how much my family alone contributes to “the mountain,” I knew it was time for a change.
I guess the next question is what does one do?
This is where the fun comes in! Gather up the kids and a few containers. You can use any kind that fits in with your lifestyle or budget. Some people have recycling centers installed in their kitchen. These are great if you have the funding for them but don’t worry if you don’t! You can use regular garbage bags and hang a few different ones on a nail in the garage with labels above each bag or use large plastic storage containers that you can purchase for about $5 at a discount store and put labels on them. Saving the best idea for last, I saw this on an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8. Grab some plastic storage bins or plastic storage baskets, paint on some chalkboard paint and let the kids label them with chalk.
Don’t forget to include the kids every step of the way! Let them decorate the bins or labels and have them start sorting! Use the activity time to discuss the importance of what you are doing.