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Green Deeds for Earth Month
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"Hey Natalie, come help me with a project," I call one bleak afternoon. The key to securing her interest in anything is to involve scissors and glue, so that's how I'm pitching our Earth Month campaign.
Earth Month? Surely Earth deserves more than a measly day of honor, so we're extending our tribute to all of April.
While we wait for the older sisters get home from school, Natalie and I draw a large tree on dark green poster board. (True, trees are brown, but there's enough of that around here this time of year.) Talie makes a hearty effort to cut it out, but it's tough for her 5-year-old fingers, so I help.
After we hang it on the closet door in the kitchen where it takes center stage, Caitlin and Ellie bounce in. Soon we've got them in on part two, cutting a hefty supply of tree leaves in different shades of green. We put these in an envelope and hang it under the tree.
"But what's it for?" asks Caitlin. I explain that this tree is our reminder to do our part with a month of earth-friendly deeds. Every time the girls do a green deed, they tape a leaf from the envelope onto the tree. "What counts?" asks Ellie.
So together, we make a list:
It's a good start, so we tape it onto the fridge.
Some deeds prove it's not always easy being green. Short showers are torture for Ellie; Natalie is partial to "clean" paper. But as we move through April, our tree gets greener along with our habits. And we're all a little wiser about how we treat our world.
Now all I need is a fitting treat for the girls. A celebratory picnic on our favorite rock with Earth Day Bars for dessert makes this almost as easy as snapping off a light.
What ways do you try to get your kids to be more eco-friendly? Click the comments link below to share ideas.
Member Comments On…
Green Deeds for Earth Month
I try to make them see things from animals point of view. For instance, a raindrop is small to us, but to a bird or squirrel it's like having a bucket of water dumped on our head (especially if it's raining hard). Then we talk about how other things, i.e. pollution and garbage must seem from the animals point of view too. It makes them realize that while things may seem small, they can really have a huge impact.
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