Teaching Preschoolers To Love The Earth

(NAPSI)-It can be easy to help preschoolers love the Earth and learn to "be green." Since young children are naturally drawn to living things, try some of the following ideas to support their curiosity and wonderment about nature and the environment.

What It Means To "Be Green"

Explain to your child that "being green" can mean doing things that are friendly to living things in nature such as plants and animals.

Keep A Nature Journal

Provide a journal so your child can spend time playing outside and drawing pictures of all the interesting and beautiful things in nature.

Take A Closer Look

Go on a nature investigation and look closely at different kinds of insects, plants or rocks at a local park or right in your own neighborhood. Are there things your child notices that weren't noticed before? Talk about what it looks like, feels like and moves like and why they think it's there.

Learn From Friends

Check out a DVD such as "Being Green" from Genius Products and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street." It features actor Paul Rudd as he plays Mr. Earth and teaches Elmo and Abby Cadabby how to feel connected to the Earth by conserving water and energy and enjoying the wonderment of nature. Young viewers get a special thrill when, in her desire to help Elmo to be more "green," Abby accidentally turns Elmo the color green-and can't remember how to change him back. Lots of fun ensues as Abby is eventually able to poof Elmo red again and Cookie Monster, Rosita, and Telly Monster pitch in, pledging to be eco friendly with ways that help the planet.

Choose to reuse!

Encourage your child to think of fun and creative ways to reuse materials such as paper bags, plastic containers, magazines or cereal boxes.

Thank You, Tree

Find a tree in your neighborhood and examine the different parts of the tree, including the leaves, branches and roots. Talk together about how trees help us and how we can help trees.

How Do Foods Grow?

With your child, plant fruit and vegetable seeds in your backyard or in a few flower pots inside your own kitchen. Encourage your child to take care of the plant and watch it grow until it's ripe enough to eat.

Keep Our Neighborhood Clean

Have a conversation about why it's important to not litter and to put trash where it belongs. For example, a park or sidewalk can be home to many insects, plants and animals. We can all show that we care for them by doing our part to keep our neighborhoods clean and beautiful.

For more information, visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

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