By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kids Nutrition Specialist The world is rapidly going green , a phenomenon that can be seen everywhere from childrens products to corporations. The collective green consciousness has risen from many parents who have become concerned about the type of world their child will grow up in. Kids can also go green by learning eco-friendly habits right from the start. It is never too late, or too early for that matter, to teach kids to take care of the planet. You will be pleasantly surprised at how interested kids are in helping Mother Nature. How to Teach Kids Green Habits:
1. Lead by example: albeit redundant, but the best way to teach your child any good habit is to set a good example. Toddlers are looking at your behaviors to emanate, as that is the way they learn best.
2. Focus on eco-activities: keep kids busy with activities that dont use up resources like the TV. Participating in a park or beach clean-up, or a recycling drive in your neighborhood is a win-win activity: you are not expending any resources while doing an earth friendly activity as a family. Letting kids help create a family garden is another great green habit that gets kids outside.
3. Celebrate Earth Day: Participating in Earth Day events is a great first green step for your little one. Since earth day is only once a year, it is important to keep that momentum going with other green activities.
4. Read some earth-friendly books: if you have a daily story time with your kids, why not try a kids book that focuses on some of the habits you are trying to initiate? Reading earth-friendly books both plants some green seeds in their minds but also reiterates the messages you are trying to send.
5. Collaborate: network with other like-minded moms and teachers at your childs day care center or preschool. There is certainly power in numbers and your preschooler will be elated to find others who are learning green habits just like they are.
6. Talk about it: When your toddler is following you around asking why you put empty food containers into the blue bin, be sure to explain to him exactly why you recycle and encourage him to do the same. Keep conversations open about your own green habits as you are engaging in them; although you think he may not be listening, hes probably hearing more than you know.
7. Keep green house rules: One sure fire way to ensure your kids grow up with eco-friendly habits to start with green house rules that also help the environment. Turning the water off while brushing teeth, turning the lights off after you leave the room, using towels instead of paper to clean a spill, and making sure juice boxes go into the recycling bin are all habits that are great for kids to learn at an early age that also help the environment.
译文:
育儿之教育孩子养成环保习惯的7个途径
合格儿童营养品研究与开发专家克里恩赫雷说：随着地球绿色化的演进，受众群是孩童的产品及相关企业中随处可见一种现象——许多家长的环保意识逐渐增强，他们开始愈发关注他们的孩子成长所依赖的地球的形态。而孩子们也能从小通过生态友好习惯的养成提高他们的环保意识。教育孩子关心地球的生态环境这一课题的开始没有太晚抑或是太早一说。你会惊喜地发现对于自然的力量的关怀，孩子们是多么的感兴趣。那么怎样教会孩子养成环保的习惯呢？
1、举例说明。尽管有些多余，但是带领你的孩子养成良好习惯的最好途径是举例子。咿呀学语的婴孩正是仿效你的行为举止形成自己的一套方式方法，因为那是他们学得最快的途径。
2、注重生态活动：使孩子们持续浸润于那些与电视之类的资源无关的活动中。让他们参与公园或沙滩的整洁行动，或是在你小区内的一次循环回收垃圾大行动中，那会是项双赢的活动——进行了以家庭为单位的保护地球的活动，与此同时你不需要花费一分一毫。放手让孩子们帮忙开创一个宅院是另一个让他们养成良好的环保习惯的户外活动。
3、庆祝地球日。参与地球日的大型活动对于你的孩子来说是一个不错的环保开始。地球日一年只有一次，因此使其成为其他环保活动的动力因素是十分重要的。
4、读些保护地球的书籍。倘若你又每天给孩子讲故事的习惯，那么为何不考虑使用一本你渴望的关注孩子环保意识形成的书籍？阅读保护地球的书籍既在他们的脑海里种下了环保的种子并且也强调了你一直在努力传达给他们的信息。
5、合作。与其他与你又类似想法的托儿所或幼儿园的母亲和老师们保持交流。人多力量大，你那学前儿童发现许多和他一样正学习养成环保意识习惯的同龄人一定会很带劲。
6、传述。当你的孩子正缠着你追问为何要把空食物罐放进蓝色垃圾桶时，一定要准确地解释给他听为何你循环回收那些垃圾并且鼓励他也要这么做。坦率地跟你的孩子交流你将要持续进行的环保习惯，尽管你会担心他并不在听，但他可能听进去的比你想象的要多。
7、保持环保的家庭生活规范。要确保你的孩子在生态友好的习惯中成长开始于环保的家庭生活规范，而它们本身也是保护环境的。刷牙的时候记得关掉水龙头；离开房间记得把灯关掉；用毛巾而非纸巾擦拭木头；确保橙汁盒扔进了可循环垃圾箱... ...这些是很好的适用于学前儿童学习的习惯，它们同样也是环保的方式。