Sustainability is a buzzword that is thrown around a lot at the moment. It refers to our ability to maintain our society’s needs now and into the future, but it is also rooted (see what I did there?) in nature and sustaining our natural world. How do we teach our future generations to live more sustainably, and how can we sustainable for them? Unfortunately, it doesn’t involve taking every Friday off work and school to join Greta’s protests, though of course, you can do that too if you like!
Some simple things to improve sustainability at home, or at your early childhood or OSHC service:
Gardening
Growing vegetables for snacks teaches the value of food in a fun way, letting kids get dirty (sorry mum and dad!). It’s tasty and teaches a balanced diet, as well as an awareness of food waste
Recycling
This is not your grandma’s recycling! Gone are the days of the yellow bin red bin. Set up recycling stations for coffee cups and technology at your service – these new recycling fads, as well as separating garbage, food waste, cans and bottles – teaching children about the importance of adopting sustainability for our society.
Get competitive about reducing waste
Give each child their own clearly labelled container (you can use 1.5-litre plastic water bottles) and get them to put any non-recyclable waste they have in their container, at the end of the week, the child with the least amount of rubbish wins! It’s a great way to increase kids awareness about their own waste!
Feel free to share your modern look at sustainability at your service!