Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to show your children how we can make the earth a better place.  The concept of environmental protection and recycling might seem foreign to younger children, but when you make it relatable, much like learning a second language, your children will grasp the concept very quickly.  So how do you make it relatable?  Lead by example is the best way to teach children.

When I was a kid, our small kitchen had a permanent pile of knotted used plastic bags in the corner.  It was not tidy to say the least, in fact, it would grow like an organism if we keep on bringing plastic bags home.  I am not sure if that’s what my mom had intended to teach us, but the pile instilled in us the indestructible nature of plastic and unless we reduce our use, it’s here to stay, in our kitchen that is.

This is just one of many examples in our house that shaped the way we think about recycling as children.  Another example is that every morning, my dad would take the kitchen compost to the community compost bin on his way to work.  It left a strong impression on me because I had no idea that certain trash can actually be used as compost.  Not to mention that the whole community is involved in composting and recycling!  We would often run into our neighbors in the recycling area.

I probably wouldn’t advocate having a giant pile of plastic materials in the kitchen like we did to teach your children about the concept of the 3R's, reduce, reuse, and recycle.  However, simply take small steps like bringing your own shopping bags, saying no to double-bagging, having a designated recycling bin(s) in the house would be a good start to raising your little green citizen.  You can use these labels to help your children sort recyclable items.

These activities I’ve created focus on teaching recycling and protecting our environment to preschoolers, kindergarten, and 1st graders.  From worksheets that show your children how to sort trash and recycling to visual labels that remind your children the things they can do every day to improve our environment, these activities are made to help guide your children to taking care of our environment.

Now let’s take a look at the activities for your children to play and learn about protecting the earth in Mandarin Chinese!