Raising an Environmentally Aware Child

Sometimes my daughter’s creative thought process inspires me to look at the world around me a little bit differently. Many times after tossing items into a junk pile to be thrown out, I've later found them tucked away in her craft room or they artistically show up as part of the latest accessory to her playthings.

Raising an environmentally aware child is up there on my lists of “things I want for my child”. I think she is off to a great start, but this prompted me to figure out some more ways I can help her to become more aware of the environment in her daily activities.

Here are a few ways you too can help your child become more environmentally aware during your daily activities and hopefully create some “world healthy” habits while you’re at it!

Friday Home Fun - Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is observed in Mexico and Mexican-American communities in the U.S. to celebrate the victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Cinco De Mayo celebrations include large parades, yummy food and festive music! I hope these special projects help your family to to join in the festivities.

Friday Home Fun- Weather Projects

Below are some great projects to teach your children about weather that go along with our previous post April Showers: Teaching Your Child about the Changing Seasons- Spring in in the Air!"   Have fun!
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April Showers: Teaching Your Child about the Changing Seasons Spring is in the air!

 As adults, we’re very familiar with this adage and its meaning. But for children, the concept of weather can

seem abstract and difficult to understand. For example, depending on his age, a young child may not fully grasp what the memorable rhyme teaches: “April showers bring May flowers!” Dr. Gloria Julius, vice president of education for Primrose Schools, explains that children need concrete examples to learn about a concept so “big.” “At Primrose Schools, our qualified teachers work to help children learn about weather through hands-on exercises and meaningful, real-world examples,” she says.

 Below are a few tips from our schools: Make it relatable.

Spring Cleaning Part # 2 – Making it Fun for the Entire Family!

Who wants to spend their time spring cleaning when you could be having fun with your family instead! Since we must make time for the work, get the kids involved and make it a fun family activity! Having your children participate in Spring Cleaning doesn't just make for some quality family time, but it also teaches some great life skills. Learning how to take care of, fix and clean are skills children will need to know as they grow older, so take advantage of this teachable moment and have some fun while you are at it!

 I know how hard it can be to get your kids excited about cleaning, but here are a few things you can do to get them excited to jump in and tackle that Spring Cleaning list with you. (Make sure you are prepared for spring cleaning with last week's post Spring Cleaning Tips for the Busy Family: Part #1)

Individualize Tasks Talk with your children ahead of time and see what tasks they would be excited about doing!  Assign chores that best suit your child’s interests so they are excited about participating. For example, If your child loves movies, let them dust off the DVD’s and place them in alphabetical order. When they are finished, they get to pick out the family movie for when the chores are complete. If you child likes things that sparkle, give them a rag to and let them shine all of your knick- naks to make the house “Sparkle!”

Friday Home Fun- Earth Friendly Activities

In Honor of next week's curriculum theme and upcoming Earth Day on April 22nd, here are a few of our favorite early friendly activities!

Friday Home Fun- Chore Chart

Today's Home fun project is one that children and parents can do together to prepare for Spring Cleaning ! I made this fun chart with my daughter, Melanie, and she had a wonderful time helping me complete the tasks around the house. You can make the chores appropriate for the age of your child.