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ACTIVITIES TO ENCOURAGE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP IN KIDS THIS SUMMER

CRAFTS

Below are some craft ideas that are sure to earn Mother Nature’s blessing—or at least be fun for your kids!

Colorful Clam Shells

If you have an opportunity to walk on the beach this summer (which we hope many of you do) you may want to collect seemingly plain clam shells along with more colorful varieties because these large white shells provide a great canvas for your budding artist.

Once home, let your child loose with markers or paint. Have your child write notes to family members on the clam shells; use the clam shells as place cards for a 4th of July BBQ decorated with an American flag and guests' names; and/or play tick-tack-toe in the sand with X and O shells.

You can spend hours of fun searching for clam shells, decorating them, and using them in novel ways. It also demonstrates to kids that they don’t need fancy sparkle covered paper and man-made stickers to entertain themselves. Nature can provide them with many opportunities for fun if they use creative thinking.

BOOKS/MUSIC

We recommend this soundtrack as one that you and your children will find both enjoyable and inspiring.

Jack Johnson and Friends, Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George
This upbeat soundtrack is one that not only the kids love but the parents will love as well. Many of the songs draw from nature and observations of the everyday world. Two of our favorites are "The Sharing Song" and "The 3 R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Some of the lyrics include: "If you’ve got one, here is something you can learn: You can still share just by taking turns;" and "If you’re going to the market to buy some juice, you’ve got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste." We often spend time in the evening after dinner dancing to the tunes and enjoying each other’s company.

ACTIVITIES

Here are some ideas on how to get outside and get Green this Summer.

Go For A Hike.
Summer is a great time to go for a hike. Get your kids outdoors, get some exercise and explore nature. Creating a "scavenger hunt" with things to look for (such as an Oak leaf; a caterpillar, a House Finch, etc.) makes it even more fun for the little ones!

Berry and Apple Picking.
Early Summer offers opportunities to go berry picking and late Summer offers opportunities for apple picking. Likely there is a farm or two in your area that hosts these activities. The family gets to be outdoors, the children learn where fruit really comes from (as opposed to the grocery store), and you all enjoy the eating!

Take in the Stars.
All too often we’re locked indoors when the sun sets. Take the opportunity to lie out in the backyard on a blanket under the stars (if the biting insects are too intense at night, consider investing in a tent with a screen "skylight") and work on identifying different constellations and planets. The kids will get a kick out of being outdoors in the evening, you’ll all enjoy the cooler summer air and the summer sounds, and you’ll all learn a bit about the Universe! The following website is one designed just for kids interested in astronomy: http://www.dustbunny.com/afk/

Let it Rain. Activities for Rainy Days.
Help your children love the outdoors even when it rains. If Mother Nature cooperates and sends a warm rainy day your way without the threat of lightening, take advantage of it by encouraging a little rain play. Let your kids put on their swimsuits and rain boots and tromp through the puddles. You may even want to include some activities that revolve around precipitation:

"Where does rain come from?"-
You can start by answering this big question. The Answer: Warm air rises up into the sky. Water droplets form from warm air. When enough of these droplets collect together, we see them as clouds. As more water droplets form, the clouds get bigger and bigger. When the water droplets get crowded inside the cloud they bang together and form even bigger drops. When the drops get heavy, they fall from the cloud and gravity pulls them to the ground.

Make a rain gauge
All you need is a jar and a ruler. Place the jar outside at the start of the rainfall and when the rain stops you can use the ruler to measure how many inches of rain you received. You can then check later with your local news program to determine the accuracy of your measurements.

Measure rain drops-
All you need is a flat surface, a ruler, flour, and a fine mesh sieve. Put some flour on a small flat surface and hold it out in the rain for a few seconds until you have about 20 raindrops that have fallen onto the floured surface. Place sieve over sink and dump the flour and rain drops gently into the sieve. Shake excess flour out. Measure the little flour bumps as they represent the size of the raindrops.

Help Rebuild New Orleans with Legos.
"Legos?" you say? Well not really. If your child sends one of his/her Lego bricks in to the company, Lego will match a brick for a New Orleans school. See if your child would be willing to "share" some of his Legos with the kids in New Orleans, or if the Legos are not used much anymore, see if she would like to "recycle" them by sending them back to Lego. Among other things, this activity can teach compassion for others, a sense of community, and the value of giving. According to Lego’s website, each child who donates one or more bricks receives a Lego-studded bracelet. See http://www.legobuildersoftomorrow.com/be.html


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