Teach Kids to Conserve Water the Fun Way

Reader Contribution by Faith Moser
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Faith Moser is the creator of eco ike {organic baby t’s + cookbooks full of yummy, healthy and quick recipes for kids and grown-ups}! If you want your little tots to dress green or eat green, visit ecoike.com.

We all know that water is a limited resource and we need to do our part to conserve it, but it’s not always easy for kids to grasp the importance of water conservation. The best way to encourage kids to conserve is by explaining the significance of their efforts, modeling good water conservation at home and making the experience positive and exciting.

Help your little Jack and Jill’s save a pail of water with these 5 fun and easy steps: 

1. Place a timer in the bathroom!  Bathrooms revolve around water, so it’s a great room to work on conservation. Encourage kids to brush their teeth for two minutes, but while the water is off.  Start the timer and encourage a 5-minute-or-less shower.

2. Use muscles, rather than water pressure, for cleaning. Turn music on and have your little helpers use a broom instead of a watering hose to clean off sidewalks, driveways and decks. Dispose of tissues, insects and other waste in the trash (or compost bin if applicable). Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when you have full loads.  

3. Let them play detective. Tell your kids to regularly check all faucets and tell someone if they ever see a leak or if an offender didn’t thoroughly turn off a faucet. Reward their policing skills with their favorite movie, dinner or board game choice!

4. Purchase a rain barrel to collect rainwater. Kids will love watering plants with water that they collected. Allow them to paint the water barrel with flowers, birds and bug designs.

5. Make a game with the water bill. As a family, sit down and talk about a goal for your water consumption. Each month highlight the water use on the bill and put it on the fridge. Kids can see a tangible number and will be mindful of working toward the objective. Keep positive, and remind them of ways to reduce water. Be sure to celebrate when you hit the target number and encourage the conservation year-round. 

Be sure to praise your young water stewards and to let them know that they are making a positive impact on the environment and that every little effort can have a big impact!

  • Published on Mar 29, 2011
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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