Raising Mindful Kids

Global Warming

"Things that people do that are bad for the earth." 

That's my 8 year old's definition.  Not too bad, considering that many 8 year olds wouldn't even have a clue.  My husband and I love that our kids have picked up on our concern about the environment and that they are slowly building an earth-friendly vocabulary. 

What can you do to build this awareness in your kids? You don't need to send them to Global Warming 101 or anything - if you talk about it at home, they will pick it up slowly but surely.  What's amazing to me is how easily they absorb information and how quickly they are asking questions that you can't even answer without a little research.  Having kids has given me an education on global warming, without a doubt! 

Not that they don't come up with some wacky misconceptions every once in awhile.  Drew somehow got the idea that if we didn't do something about global warming, it would lead to some kind of big explosion when the earth got too hot.  BOOM!!  Aaaah....the imagination of a grade-schooler! 

There are lots of little things you can do to plant the seed about global warming in your kids:

• Read books

- Pick up a book like "The Down-To-Earth Guide to Global Warming" by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon or "A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids" by Julie Hall that teach kids about the effects of global warming in an accessible and entertaining way.

Talk about the news - Current news stories can be good fodder for teaching kids about climate change.  When the price of gas shot up, we started talking about why driving less is really a good thing.  When extreme weather events like hurricanes and earthquakes occur, we discuss why that might be happening more frequently. 

Look for teaching moments -  Drew did a report about polar bears in school last year and I used that opportunity to tell him about what global warming is doing to the polar bears habitat.  Now he's a big advocate for the polar bears!  When we drove past a wind turbine, we had a conversation about wind power vs. coal.  You get the gist... 

Model eco-friendly actions - Turn off lights when you leave a room and ask your kids to do the same.  Ride your bike to the store instead of taking the car.  Shut down your computer when you are not working on it....(Drew is all over my case when I forget!)

Plus it can be highly entertaining to here what your kids have to say about the subject.  Just for kicks I asked my boys "What can people can do to stop global warming?"  My 8 year old said "Don't use electric blankets."  My 3 year old said "Pick up garbage".  Not bad - I think they're on the right track...