When I was a little girl growing up in Germany, I always knew I wanted to help animals in a big way. As Managing Director of Species Conservation at World Wildlife Fund, I get to see my dream come true by leading programs and initiatives to help build a future for the magnificent yet threatened animals of our planet – elephants, rhinos, tigers, and gorillas to name a few.
And now that I am a grownup, and a parent, I want to instill that same appreciation for nature and the passion to do something good for animals in my children that I experienced as a child (and continue to experience in my day job). Young people are the future of conservation – we must inspire them and we must lead them by our example.
As a mom, there’s nothing I enjoy more than spending time with my three-year-old twins and six-year-old son. And as most mothers of young kids know, our little rug rats like to get dirty! So my first tip to get young children involved with the conservation movement is to get them outside and dig in the dirt. Nowadays, too much time is spent indoors playing on the computer or watching TV. So the best thing to do as a parent is to get your kids outside – take them on mini hikes or nature walks and dig in the dirt looking for earthworms or cool looking rocks and leaves. If you live in the city, take them for a walk around your neighborhood and point out the breeze they feel on their faces, the color of the sky they see, and even the scents they smell. This way, they will start to develop a sense of the natural world around them.
My second tip is to make a compost pile in your backyard and talk about the Earth’s recycling process. Explain to your children the importance of giving back to the Earth, and how everything – from the food we eat to the electricity we use – is all connected. Don’t be intimidated by science (or even if you think you don’t know much about composting or recycling), there are countless resources available to you to brush up on this issue. Check out WWF’s website to get some additional green tips and information on what you can do at home. Additionally, this cool video about the impacts of our everyday cotton t-shirt illuminates how everything is all connected. And again, if you live in the city, make sure you use those blue recycling bins – ask your apartment complex to give you your own bin and explain the significance of this bin to your child.
Speaking of food, try to buy (or even grow yourself!) locally grown produce – my third tip of the day. Living in Washington, DC, I am able to take my kids to one of the many farmers’ markets that spring up each weekend. As we walk through the aisles and see the different reds of tomatoes or the greens of lettuce and cucumbers, I tell my kids about the importance of eating locally grown food along with how much food we should be eating, and explain how these seemingly small, simple choices can save precious habitat for the animals (and even people) of our planet.
A fourth tip that I use all the time with my children is to talk about the bathroom! That’s right, all kids love to talk about the potty. And I use that to my advantage. Explain to them that the choices we make at the store (what toilet paper we buy, how much we use) affects tigers, rhinos, and elephants. Did you know that certain types of paper cause rainforest destruction (critical tiger habitat)? So, when buying toilet paper, paper towels and other tissue products, buy sustainably-sourced paper products. Look for either 100% recycled content or FSC-certified tissue. And caution your kids to be careful with how much toilet paper they use when they go to the bathroom.
Image by Jody McKitrick.
Another activity that I use at my disposal to get my children interested in conservation, and as my fifth and final tip, is to share photos and stories from my trips and talk about the animals that mommy is saving. Children like nothing better than to get a bedtime story read to them from mom or dad (or grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, friend) and even better if the story involves charismatic animals. I have the benefit of sharing personal stories from far off places like the savannahs and jungles of Africa to the forests of Indonesia – but stories don’t necessarily need to be told in the first person. Go to your local library with your kids and check out books on animals. Also, if you are of the technology-adept generation and have an iPad, download WWF’s Together iPad App – which provides in-depth, interactive stories (and more!) of endangered animals, including giant pandas, tigers, elephants, marine turtles, polar bears and others.
Do you have any questions about conservation? Let us know in the comments and Dr. Klenzendorf will answer them next week in an Honest Q&A.
- Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf
This post is in partnership with WWF to celebrate Earth Day and support their conservation efforts to protect vulnerable animals and their habitats around the world. Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf is WWF’s Managing Director of Species Conservation. More information on Dr. Klenzendorf can be found at: https://worldwildlife.org/experts/sybille-klenzendorf.
Now that it’s almost Spring, it means one thing: Cleaning! Of course, it takes a bit of time to get motivated. But thankfully the bright weather and birds chirping are the best motivation to start dusting the cobwebs and scrubbing the house.
This annual chore used to be a pretty painless Saturday event, but since becoming a mom tackling all cleaning and sorting in one day isn’t an option anymore. With two toddlers who want in on the action (and the mess), I’ve learned how to make the process relatively efficient, fun, and easy to manage.
Here are my top five tips for clearing clutter and making your living space feel fresh for the season:
1. Take on one room per day and thoroughly clean it, rather than trying to tackle the whole home with children under foot. Even in small apartments, it’s best to section off certain spaces to clean one by one so they can truly be dusted, organized, and made immaculate…at least for a moment. Once I complete a room, I keep kids away from that area until the rest of the house is in order. For this reason, it’s best to save the kids’ rooms and play areas for last.
2. Try non-toxic and natural cleaning products that are safe for the whole family, so your kids can be a part of the process. Children love pushing the vacuum, tossing clothes in the washer, sweeping the floor…. If you haven’t made the switch to eco-friendly products, consider swapping out conventional cleaning ones for non-toxic alternatives in support of Earth Hour 2013.
3. Use chore charts to get the kids involved in small tasks and teach responsibility. My kids love having goals and feel a great sense of pride in accomplishing them every day. After a couple of weeks of enjoying their bright colored chore chart, my children asked to help with clean up as part of their routine. We also make cleaning a game. We try to put all toys of a certain type where they belong in 30 seconds to “win” and then move on to the next one. The race against time makes it fun. By cleaning with my children and making it a positive (and often silly) experience, I’ve found that it encourages good habits, saves time due to teamwork, and eventually inspires them to tackle the task on their own.
4. One thing that usually derails my cleaning efforts is a lack of boxes and attractive storage solutions to hide things. This year, rather than purchasing new items, I’m using shoeboxes, Honest boxes, and any other box we’ve collected since Christmas. If you like your cabinets to look cohesive, try painting the boxes with VOC-free paints in one solid color, or covering them in pretty patterned paper or fabric to add bright appeal. For me, the most important part of being organized is labeling every container so I always know what belongs on that very top shelf or which toy to put in each box. You can even attach a photo of what belongs in each toy box so your preschooler can participate in sorting things in her space. Or check out these stylish eco-friendly storage options.
5. The most important part after the big job is done: Maintaining it! Create a to-do list of your weekly chores and instead of leaving them all for the weekend, try do one activity each day. For example, wipe all counters in your house on Monday. Take out the trash on Tuesday. Do the laundry on Wednesday. Fold the clothes the next day. And so on…
What are your favorite spring cleaning tips and tricks?
~ Kate Brightbill of Style Smaller
Reading books together with our children is not only a great way to connect and unwind, but stories also help expose them to new ideas and positive habits. Now that I have toddlers, I look for books that will be a good learning tool. Some show kindness. Others encourage independence and responsibility. But I really appreciate when a book can show my kids that being healthy is fun for them and good for the planet.
Here are some of my favorite books for inspiring kids about healthy living while they’re young (clockwise from top left):
1. We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers {Lauren Child}: Lola learns to recycle and makes it a fun competition with classmates. This book has bright, appealing pictures and teaches tips for your kids to recycle too!
2. Curious George Plants a Tree {Margret & H. A. Rey}: Everything Curious George goes over well in our house, so this would be no different. George obviously gets himself into innocent trouble while learning the ins and outs of recycling, but eventually brings the community together to give back.
3. Little Pea, Little Hoot, Little Oink {Amy Krouse Rosenthal}: These books are a witty take on eating veggies, going to bed, and cleaning up after oneself. The pictures and concepts are creative and make us laugh while we read.
4. Eating the Alphabet: Fruit and Vegetables from A to Z {Lois Ehlert}: Gorgeous illustrations make it appealing for everyone reading to want to eat their fruits and veggies. Perfect for teaching about nutrition AND the alphabet at once!
5. Grow It, Cook It {DK Publishing}: A cookbook for kids, this brilliant book teaches the ins and outs growing vegetables for recipes. It takes the food from the garden to the plate. Perfect for elementary age kids.
There are so many great books for inspiring kids’ appetites for healthy living, so we’d love to know your favorites too!
~ Kate Brightbill of Style Smaller
Top Image by Manus Chau Photography .
Kids thrive when we give them individual attention, so I like to take my kids out by themselves to get some quality one-on-one time. We call them dates, but dates with our kids don’t need to cost much money, if any! All it takes is dedicated special time, and they come home happy and excited about their fun and individual attention.
Here are some ideas we have for dates with our kids:
1. Hunt for Treasures. Make a list of 20 things that you can find around your neighborhood or a nearby park, and go on a hunt together to find those things and check them off the list. We live in the city, so our list includes things like “three orange buildings” and “five blue doors,” but you can also have your kids search for different colored rocks, bugs, trees, etc. This is a good date for kids of all ages, and it provides a teaching moment about nature, counting, colors, you name it!
2. Make Flower Crowns. I loved making flower crowns with my friends when I was a little girl, so I took my daughter on an outing to make some together! They make my daughter feel like a princess, transport me back to childhood, and provide great time to connect with conversation.
3. Be Artists Together. Bring sketchbooks and colored pencils for two and find a spot to draw what you see! Be creative: If it’s cold where you live, go to an airport and sketch the airplanes taking off or landing. If you can go outside, the possibilities are endless. When you’re done, put the sketches side-by-side on the refrigerator so you can remember the good time you had together being artists.
4. Have an Alphabet Search. Find an item beginning with each letter in the alphabet while out and about, and have them either draw the item or write the word that coincides with the letter. My preschooler loves matching letter sounds with things all day, so this would go over well for the 4 to 5 age group.
5. Enjoy a picnic! You can bundle up and bring soup to go, grab a ball to kick around, and chat about fun things they like. One of our favorite kid date games is to pick three things for the other to choose from and they decide their favorite. And then they ask you! For example, you ask: “Apples, Grapes, or Bananas?” and they answer. It entertains us forever, trying to think of new options, and it’s a great way to get to know what your kids like the best when they are really thinking through it.
You can also do things as simple as taking them with you by themselves to the park or grocery store, and giving them your undivided attention. I love these dates because I learn from my children and I’m reminded how to be carefree and enjoy the little things!
What are your favorite ways to spend time with your children? We’d love to hear.
~ Kate of Style Smaller
Relive your favorite moments with these #honestholiday shots taken by our Honest community members. They capture the best of last year, give a glimpse into your sweet lives, and remind us of the small but special moments that lie ahead in 2013. (There were so many great photos shared, it was impossible to pick!)
And despite the date on the calendar, don’t hang up your party hats quite yet…. The celebrations are going to continue. Join us this Thursday on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and here on the blog to help us blow out our first birthday candle. Yep, Honest turns 1!
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