The Green 3 Rs - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

“Going Green” is an important initiative at Bright Horizons, and we know it is a focus for many families. We care for the environment and protect the earth’s resources by living and teaching conservation practices. Practising the three r’s of reduce, re-use and recycle can also be a family effort that becomes a natural part of your daily routines. Here are some fun family ideas which help children learn to protect the environment:

Reduce

Talk with children about ways to reduce the amount of waste, for example:

• Turn off lights when leaving a room. Toddlers and preschool children feel empowered by having the “responsibility” of checking every room before leaving the home.
• Turn off the water during teeth brushing. To demonstrate how much water that could save, an interesting experiment is to leave the water running, collect it and use it to water plants. Older children might measure the amount of water in different jugs.
• Walk whenever possible, rather than drive. A family walk affords a rich opportunity to share the wonders of the world and engage in meaningful conversations.
• Ask preschoolers for their suggestions about additional ways to reduce the use of our natural resources.

Re-use

• Provide the opportunity for children to create sculptures, collages and interesting pieces of art by saving unstructured materials and making basic art supplies available. These can include paper towel rolls, empty boxes, and scraps of wrapping paper or cardboard.
• Bring cloth bags to the shops rather than using plastic or paper. You could buy or make plain canvas bags which your child can decorate or write words on.

Recycle

• Many items can be recycled, such as cans, paper and plastic. If you visit a recycling centre together you can see how it it all sorted.
• Decorate and label bins for plastic, paper and glass. When recycling, children learn about the properties of different materials and they develop important maths skills of sorting and classifying.
• Recycle clothing and toys to other family members, friends or organisations. Children will let go of clothing and toys a bit easier when they take part in the process of selecting the items and bringing them to the people who will be receiving them. A bonus is that children learn the joy of giving.
• Recycle batteries, mobile phones and computer parts. By recycling these items children will learn that items considered “junk” can be valued by others. Children can create a recycle bin for these items as well.