To the Curb — The Kids Have It!

It’s Sunday evening and in our house, that means recycling time! Today, the kids were a bit wired. Only the youngest of the three, The Boy, had a nap today, so the other two were a bit, well … all over the place.

So, when I put the call out to Jo Jo to help with recycling and her response was flat, I was only momentarily disappointed because The Boy came to the rescue! A mere two years old, he came dashing across the room to the entry, ‘I want re-cy-cle. I want re-cy-cle!’ and off we went. He helped to separate into one bin the bottles, containers, foil, plastic bags and wrappings and helped get the paper goods into the other. A little bit of back-and-forth here and there, but eventually, he nailed it.

A short while later, when Dad grabbed a bin to take to the curb and suggested that Pee-bah and I grab the other, The Boy didn’t miss a beat. Again, he was across the room before we had our hands on the bin. He quickly assumed his position at one end of the bin and proceeded to push the bin, along with his sister, right out the door.

Recycling is a particularly fun adventure these days because it gets dark so early. And, because the kids had an early bath today, there was the extra charge from being outside in their pajamas with rain boots on!

What can you do to get your kids involved in recycling?

  1. Make eco-active living part of your everyday life. Talk about the Earth, nature and daily changes in our weather, temperature and seasons. Talk about the impact that our daily activities and the choices we make have on the earth — everything from how much water we use to wash our hands to the decision to purchase goods made from renewable resources. Raising their awareness of their natural surroundings helps to answer the ‘why’ questions about eco-active efforts.
  2. When it comes time to toss, have them consider the decision. Can said item be reused or recycled? You’d be amazed at how many new uses kids can find for a thing that might have ended up on the curb without a second thought. Kids are incredibly resourceful and creative human beings. We can learn much about the numerous possible uses for an empty butter tubs, among other things.
  3. Create a routine around prep for recycling the day before pick-up. Our kids know that it’s one of the things we regularly do on Sundays. Sometimes it’s more fun than others, but we all know it’s one of the important things we do every week to help mother Earth. Keeping them connected to why we do it often reduces to resistance to doing it on those days when they are just not feeling it!

Your Turn:

How do you involve your kids your efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle?

Filed Under: Eco-ActivitiesEco-KidsReduce-Reuse-Recycle

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