In a recent study on moral intelligence, educational consultant Dr. Michele Borba noted that the most overlooked aspect of a child’s early learning experience is, surprisingly, character.
“That’s what parents don’t seem to get, the hidden values of character traits for success. They see character education as fluff, because that’s often how it’s taught — posters and worksheets. Character education needs to be relevant. It needs to be woven in curriculum, not tacked on. We are such a trophy, SAT-obsessed society, but if parents would recognize the value beyond the humanness, civility, and ethics, they might get it.”
Temperance. Valor. Courage. Perspective. Justice. Character education envelops a long list of inner strengths that – once taught and further developed – our kids can draw from in years to come. But how do we teach it amidst the daily rigors of bananas and bicycles?
The simplest way: point to the greater world around them. Research suggests that an increased sense of responsibility for the environment leads to stronger character in kids, beginning as early as age 2! That’s why, today, we’re guiding you through 8 simple lessons to teach your child massive, earth-changing concepts like environmental responsibility, global awareness, and conservationism. Ready to enjoy the beginnings of a lifelong foundation in sustainability – thus, character? Let’s go!
LESSON #1: CLEAR THE AIR
Let your child smear coconut oil, untinted lip balm, or any preferred petroleum jelly substitute (use Vaseline if necessary) onto 2 Index cards or small pieces of cardstock. Encourage him/her to secure one card to a surface outdoors (hanging from a tree branch is perfect, or taping to a mailbox/front door will work, as well!) and secure one card to a surface indoors. Together with your child, check the cards each week for particulate matter like dust or pollen. What does he/she notice?
Why it Matters: To see environmental solutions, our kids must first see environmental problems. After all, polluting particles are so minuscule that even we adults are prone to ignoring the effects. By letting your child come face to face with the air quality in his/her own environment, you’re pointing him/her toward greater responsibility, ownership, and care for our planet and all living things. Bonus? Smearing oil onto paper will be a divine sensory experience for your child.
Challenge: Try this prompt seasonally to compare air quality throughout the year!
Variation: Talk to your child about air pollution. What are some steps you as a family can take to improve the air quality where you live? For inspiration on a grander scale, enjoy a virtual field trip to the largest green roof in New York City here.
Related Read-Aloud (Optional): The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss
LESSON #2: DYE YOUR FOOD
Gather an old white t-shirt, pillowcase, or natural yarn (or, for temporary purposes*, a paper towel will do!) and some food scraps from your produce drawer. Then, reference our handy guides here to experiment with food dying!
*Skip the prepping and setting of fabric if experimenting temporarily.
Why it Matters: Just-for-fun dying not only gives your child a crash course in infusion and early chemistry, but also the basic sustainability principle of resourcefulness. By showing your child how to repurpose old food scraps into new beauty, you’re offering him/her a valuable lesson in abundance and creativity.
Related Read-Aloud (Optional): Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey
LESSON #3: GUESS THE INVENTOR
Talk to your child about how everything in your home was made somewhere and by someone! Point out a few objects as examples, e.g., a t-shirt made in China, a puzzle from Indonesia, or a locally-made mug, and introduce each location on a map. Next, bring in a few items from outdoors like leaves, sticks, or flowers. Talk about the difference between manufactured and natural objects. Can your child guess which object is which?
Why it Matters: Want to curb entitlement before it starts? Peel back the curtain on where, how, and when our things were made. By teaching our children that every object has an origin story, we’re modeling a world in which sustainability, gratitude, and greater responsibility are heavily considered within our own four walls.
Challenge: Ask your child if he/she can imagine how the manufactured items were made. Research to see if he/she is correct! (Start with this classic video of how crayons are made, if you’d like.)
Variation: Show your child how to make paper in his/her own home! Throw junk mail or spare scraps of paper into a blender with water to create a heavy pulp. Let your child spread out the pulp onto a baking sheet (careful – it’s messy!) and squeeze out the excess water with paper towels. Let dry over 2-3 days to reveal a thick paper for tearing, coloring, and more!
Related Read-Aloud (Optional): Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
LESSON #4: SLOTH DOWN
Introduce your child to the rainforest’s quirkiest star: the sloth! (Fun fact: did you know sloths sleep 15-20 hours a day?!) Discuss how sloths are one of the slowest mammals on the planet, eating only leaves, twigs, and buds, and venturing down from their tree homes just twice a week to use the bathroom, find food, or to mate!
Together, head outside, and spend a few sloth-like moments with your child lounging around and lazing about (trees are entirely optional)! Speak slower, walk slower, play slower. Want to dress the part? Here’s a mask!
Why it Matters: Our kids are no stranger to the rush of today’s culture. By slowing down and locking eyes at your child‘s level, you’re providing him/her with an essential moment of connection, comfort, and security for a more present day ahead.
Challenge: Dive deeper into the sloth’s environment with an inside look at rainforests. Explain to your child that the next time he/she takes in fresh air, he/she can thank the rainforests for helping him/her breathe! Often called “the lungs of our planet,” rainforests are deserving of gratitude, celebration, and protection. In fact, many of our favorite foods like bananas, coffee, and chocolate come from rainforests!
Variation: Want your child to join in today’s efforts toward sustaining our great rainforests? Together, choose 3 products in your home that contain palm oil. Check the labels on soaps, lipsticks, detergents, packaged foods, and shampoo! Because making palm oil damages the air, water, and soil in rainforests, we can work for change by finding alternatives to some of our favorite products.
Related Reading (Optional): The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell
LESSON #5: MAKERS > TAKERS
Gather a few of your child‘s broken, unused, or unloved toys or clothing items. Ask, “What can we do/make with this?” Brainstorm solutions together, and come up with a plan to make it happen!
Why it Matters: By helping your child to become aware of how much excess exists in his/her own home – and the creative solutions to manage it! – they’ll begin to pave a clearer path toward sustainability. Studies suggest that the simple act of upcycling can – and should! – be taught to children as a primary means of conserving our resources and creating a brighter future for generations to come.
Challenge: Ask a local establishment your family frequents what happens to the items in their lost and found box. If permission is granted, can your child help find a home or purpose for each item inside?
Variation: Consider teaching your child the classic slogan for promoting conservation: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do!”
LESSON #6: SAVE THE BEES
Talk to your child about bees and the hundreds of jobs they keep within their hives and our greater world (e.g., cleaning around the hive, nurturing young bee larvae, guarding the hive entrance, building honeycomb, etc.). Together, tackle a hard job in your own home – all in the name of bees! – then whip up a honey-inspired snack to celebrate a job well done! Get the recipe here.
Why it Matters: By focusing your child‘s attention on an important player in our ecosystem, you’re turning his/her gaze toward a practical, real-world example of cause/effect.
Did you know? Billions of honey bees worldwide are mysteriously dying in what is called Colony Collapse Disorder? Because bees are known as prime indicators of an environment’s health, it’s worth a deeper look at just how much is at stake. (Fun Fact: It is estimated that 1 in 3 mouthfuls of food that we eat directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination!)
Challenge: The good news: your child can help! By building a bee hotel for solitary bees, native bees, bumblebees, and other pollinators, he/she can provide a safe place for these insects to take shelter during the rain and to hatch their young. Here’s a great tutorial on how to make bee homes from our friends in the UK!
Related Reading (Optional): The Life and Times of the Honeybee, by Charles Micucci
LESSON #7: SCULPTING CARDBOARD
Together with your child, cut up a few pieces of spare cardboard, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, paper towel rolls, or recycled items to paint. Once painted and dried, task him/her with creating a stacked sculpture as tall as he/she is able! Show him/her how to secure his/her sculpture by using a hot glue gun, or by “threading” each piece onto a skewer and a clay base.
(Note: If “threading,” it might be helpful to hole punch your scraps prior to sculpting, depending on the thickness of each piece.)
Why it Matters: Sculpting reaps many benefits in a child’s mind, from creative expression to problem solving, and many disciplines between. While attempting a three-dimensional piece, your child will be gaining a valuable introduction to geometry as he/she experiments with shape, form, and perspective. Bonus? By layering in the element of recycled materials, you’re teaching your child the importance of sustainability and working with what you already have.
Related Reading (Optional): Henri’s Scissors, by Jeanette Winter
LESSON #8: STUDY A HERO
Ready to bring the above lessons to life and create a lasting change in your child’s heart? Choose a hero to study together. Below, enjoy a list of 7 read-alouds to guide all ages into a deeper understanding of how one person’s determination can make a lifelong difference for us all:
- Little People, Big Dreams Series, by Isabel Sanchez Vegara
- National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Who, by Jill Esbaum
- Never Too Young, by Aileen Weintraub
- Kid Scientists, by David Stabler
- Shaking Things Up, by Susan Hood
- Herstory, by Katherine Halligan
- The Who Was? History of the World, by Paula K. Manzanero
Challenge: Why not read up on an everyday, small-scale hero to empower your child? Meet Connor, the 9-year-old microactivist that has inspired thousands of kids to clean up their local beaches (to the tune of 19,024 pounds of collected litter worldwide!). Go Connor, go!
ON A PERSONAL NOTE…
We can preach and lecture and explain sustainability until we’re blue in the face, but it often takes modeling the reality of our limitations. That’s why, around here, you won’t see us touting plastic sensory bins of pom pom soup or a bulk bag of counting bears for $3.99.
Listen: we know the siren song of the dollar aisle. There’s no shortage of ideas marketed toward distracting your littles so you can get dinner on the table. Blog posts are full of cheap hacks to entertain your kids on a budget. But loading a Target cart with plastic manipulatives, dot stickers, foam letters, and single-use craft supplies isn’t something we can get behind.
Because no matter what we’ve been taught, there’s no such thing as a cheap hack. The price paid is steep, and it reaches far beyond our wallets. Our motto: Learning needn’t require a prop closet.
We’re far from perfect, but we’re committed. And it’s a joy to share ideas for your kids that won’t end up floating in the great Pacific garbage patch.
After all, in the wise sentiments of Wendell Berry: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
p.s. Want 5 more lessons to bring environmental responsibility to life? Enjoy our bonus pack here!