Kids LOVE the Earth!

Facts, ideas, and activities for kids who care about our planet
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Welcome parents to Kids LOVE the Earth! 
If you're a parent, you already know how much your kids love the earth. Give a child anything from nature--a stick, a rock, a cup of water--and their imagination turns it into a magic wand, a sacred jewel, or tea for a tea party! As children, we remember collecting rocks in our pockets (sorry about the washing machine, mom!), tramping mud through the house after a fun hike through the woods, and soaking neighbors (and each other, and ourselves) with the hose just because we could. Nature gives us a virtually unlimited opportunity to explore, expand, inspire our curiosity, and experience refreshment and joy. This is something we need to protect for our kids, because soon schoolwork, team schedules, and social plans beckon. As our children grow up, they will focus on many things--and that's good!--but keeping their connection to the earth will help them be healthier adults who are better equipped to find balance and peace in their days.
 
This site will include resources for you, as a parent, to help you offer opportunities, activities, and ideas to help your kids grow their love of the earth. We are currently working on coloring pages for a variety of age groups, stories, activities and more that let kids color what they love and also learn important natural science facts (great for after-school and homeschool activities).
 

 Quick Earth Ideas for Parents & Grandparents

 

  • Easiest thing in the world: Take a slow walk together
  • Try to follow the breeze with your eyes
  • Talk about how a flower drinks
  • When you see an animal in the wild (a bunny, bird, snail, or deer) wonder out loud about where it's going, what it's home looks like, and who is waiting for it there
  • Talk about the weather, the seasons, and the sun and moon
  • Let your kids see you recycle, and explore with them where things come from and where they go
  • Talk about why you buy what you buy--if you choose Earth-friendly products, let your kids know why you think that's important
  • Listen together--and whisper about what you hear.
  • Encourage your child to look closely at bugs, at flowers, at rocks--be willing to stop and let her explore the things she's curious about

 

Do you have more ideas for simple ways to love the Earth? Let us know!

 

Resources for Parents & Grandparents

 

 

Great Books for Earth-Loving Adults


Joanna Macy is a leading and passionate (and compassionate) voice in the world for soulful Earth advocacy. Bringing together a studied and lived sense of deep ecology, systems theory, and Buddhist practices, Joanna offers World as Lover, World as Self (a new version of her earlier 1991 book) that weaves beautifully together thought and action for social transformation and global environmental healing for the planet.

 

Joanna travels around the world offering workshops and trainings on the Work The Reconnects. Visit her site and find our more about her book from Parallax press.

 

 

Falling in love with the Earth is the first step--going green is the next. There is a learning curve involved in discovering Earth-friendly choices. This new book from the Sierra Club helps you make the call on how to bring the green into your everyday life. Bottles or cans? What kinds of products should you avoid? How environmentally conscious is your fridge? Author Bob Schildgen writes a column for Sierra magazine called "Hey, Mr. Green," and the book is a compilation of his best pieces. Find out more about how you can model good choices for kids and the Earth, and discover how your actions today fit into the overall greening of the planet. :) See the book's page on the Sierra Club site.

 

 

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv (founder of the Children and Nature Network) is the recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal and a clear voice in the wilderness for parents and professionals who care about connecting kids and nature. Louv has continued to do wonderful things, speaking all over the world about his book, setting up a great site (with lots of research links), engaging many partners and generally mobilizing energy to make sure No Child Is Left Inside (LOVE that). :)

Visit amazon and pick up a copy of Louv's book.