All of you work hard at instilling positive values in your children. Fairness, sharing & accountability are but a few. With everything on your plate, it’s easy to overlook teaching environmentally friendly behaviors.

It is important to encourage these positive behaviors as early in life as possible. If you start instilling green values in your kids when they’re young it will increase the likelihood that they will continue an environmentally friendly lifestyle into adulthood. Here are ten easy ways to get a toddler or child interested in conservation & preservation.

(1) Teach her respect for animals. Take her to a petting zoo for a hands-on experience & discussion.

(2) Have him turn off the water when he is brushing his teeth & explain why it’s important to conserve water.

(3) Have her put bottles, aluminum cans, etc. in the household recycle bins to get into the habit of sorting & depositing items to recycle.

(4) Tell him to turn off lights when they’re not in use.

(5) Encourage her to watch nature & discovery shows instead of cartoons.

(6) Go to a nature store & purchase items that will help him learn about the environment.

(7) Take him to a botanical garden to teach him to appreciate plants & trees. Buy him a plant that does not need much water & have him take care of it & watch it grow.

(8) Help her select books on wildlife & nature at the library.

(9) Encourage him to play outside with friends to learn to appreciate the great outdoors. (If you’re concerned about your child’s safety stay outside with him & enjoy some quality time.)

(10) Try to tie a conservation message to all activities that you do with your toddler.

When teaching eco-friendly behaviors, I have found that it can be overwhelming for a parent (and a toddler) to teach or learn all of these lessons simultaneously. That’s why you should start with something easy (like shutting off the water when brushing teeth) & work from there.

Conservation & protection of the environment for our little ones begins with families. Share conservation values with all of your family members & with others important to you… It will make a world of difference to future generations. Environmental activist Laurie David says it best: “It’s not a matter of doing everything. It is a matter of doing something.” You do not have to go totally green to make a difference.

Ellen McNeill http://www.MyConservationBaby.com Baby Gifts for the Eco-Friendly Baby