Featured Article:
Going Green
Think preschoolers are too young to understand the concepts of “Going Green” and recycling? Here are suggestions to help you educate your preschoolers how to “Go Green”.
By teaching preschoolers the importance of taking care of the earth you will instill good habits they will be sure to carry with them for a long time. Earth Day and kids go hand in hand. This is a special day set aside to bring awareness to conservation efforts and help educate people on how to be more earth friendly. Children are very enthusiastic about taking care of our planet. It doesn't take them long to see the value of recycling. Here are suggestions to help your preschooler learn to “Go Green”.
- Set a good example. You are the person your preschooler most wants to emulate. Your little ones are learning simply by observing your actions.
- When taking out or sorting through the trash, separate out any recyclables. Do this task in front of your preschoolers and asking them to help.
- When you provide snacks buy big bags of preschooler's favorite snacks as opposed to the smaller, snack-sized packages. When packing a snack for a day out or for preschool, use re-useable containers instead of plastic bags.
- When outside with the children, point out nature's beauty. Point out the different types of trees, flowers and plants that exist around your preschool.
- Take walks! You and the children will enjoy the exercise and will get a nice boost of energy from it. Explain to your preschoolers how walking is not only good for their body, but for the earth too as we don't use as much gas and energy.
- Teach your preschooler to turn off any lights, video games or other electronic toys once they are finished playing or when the leave the room.
- Use recyclable items to create works of art. Encourage children to color on both sides of the paper.
- Going out for the day? Use BPA-free reusable plastic bottles and fill them with water from the tap or juice from the bottle in the fridge.
To read more about working with pre-schoolers and maintaining a healthy attitude toward conservation and good stewardship, go to: About.com/pre-schoolers
Helpful Hints:
Teaching Children About Air
Teaching children about air can be a difficult task since air is relatively invisible. One of the few times that air is truly noticeable is when it is in the form of wind. To teach children about air you will need to be a bit more inventive in the activities that you choose. Learning about air and its properties is an early lesson on physics. Learning about air can lead to many other subjects, including eco-conscious topics or the topic of gravity and will open up a child’s existing vocabulary more than many other topics. Here are some helpful hints:
- Start with a discussion about air:
Keep it simple. Do they know that air is all around them and without it there wouldn’t be any life on Earth? Air is the gas that floats all around you and makes up our atmosphere. We can’t see it, since it is made up of colorless gases and although we usually can’t feel it, air is always touching us. Some of the gases that make up the air are oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. All of these gases combine to give us air and it is what we breathe in to our lungs. Although we can’t see air, it is all around us and it fills up spaces. We constantly have air pushing against us but we cannot feel it because our own body presses back against the air. One of the few times that you can actually feel air pressure is when it is windy. This is when you can actually feel air and see its effects. It is being forced against us and the pressure of the air will cause our hair to move or our clothes to stick to us or the trees to sway. We can also feel air when it heats up and cools down and it is one of the reasons why we feel different temperatures. During the day, the sun will heat the air, which gives us warmer temperatures and hot days. At night, when the sun has gone down, the air begins to cool down. Everything on Earth needs air to live, even plants and animals. In fact, most of our air, and specifically oxygen, comes from plants. So although we are not aware of air all the time, it is always there and all you need to do is take in a deep breath to see that it is still around you
- Experiencing air: Have the children stand in front of strong fans and make them wonder what's pushing them. Release a helium balloon and make them wonder what's pushing it up. Tell them to take a deep breath and ask them what they did.
- Thinking about air: Bring a transparent balloon this time and ask them what's inside the balloon that would make the balloon so big. Ask them how often they cover themselves with a blanket. Then inform them that they are always covered by a blanket, a blanket of air. Ask children to name things that involve air such as airplanes, air conditioners, furnaces, fans.
- Discuss why we need air. All things need air to live, plants, animals, and us.
- Discuss air pollution and its cause. How it is not only harms buildings and plant life, but harms human health as well. Air is a seemingly endless resource. It is often taken for granted and abused through human actions. A great deal of air pollution stems from our everyday activities, discuss several basic lifestyle changes we can make to protect this precious resource.
For more information: Science for Preschoolers
Creative Corner:
Piggy Bank
This Piggy Bank keeps a plastic bottle out of the land fill. Not only will preschoolers help save the earth, but it will help them learn how to save money!
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone got involved and since then, Earth Day has spread all over the planet. People all over the world know that there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing. Recycling and finding reuses for old items is good for the environment and a necessity in hard times. But this is also when human creativity can be most satisfying. While children make their “Piggy Bank”, you can discuss the 3 R’s:
Recycle: We should not throw cans, bottles and newspapers into landfills. These items can be recycled.
Reuse: Have the children name items that may be thrown away that could be reused and discuss what can be made from them.
Reduce: Discuss ways to reduce the amount of waste/garbage such as composting. Explain how you can help and/or are helping to reduce.
For making the Piggy Bank you will need:
- Bleach or milk bottle or any safe jug style plastic bottle
- Old newspapers
- Black and white construction paper
- Various color construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Tempera Paints
- Black crayon or marker
- Various colored chenille sticks (tail)
- Medium to large google eyes, if desired
- 4 old wooden or plastic sewing thread spools (feet)
Thoroughly wash and air dry the container. Teachers will have to make an opening on the top of the plastic bottle where coins can be dropped in. Have the child remove the cap and set it aside. Now have the child tear up pieces of old newspaper and glue them onto the bottle. When the newspaper is set, let them paint their Piggy Bank as desired. Have them paint the 4 thread spools and set them aside to dry. When done have them make a nose from the cap. They can make two nostrils with the black crayon or marker and screw the cap back on the Piggy Bank. Next they can make some eyes on the surface on each side of the bottle handle from the black and white construction paper, use google eyes or draw them on. Draw or paint a mouth below the opening. Have them draw 2 triangles for the ears out of construction paper and cut them out. Bend the triangles slightly and have them glue them to the top of the Piggy Banks head. Children can cut out a strip of construction paper or use a chenille stick for the tail. They can curl the tail by curling it around a pencil or just using their fingers. Now the feet can be glued to the bottom of the bottle.
For more information: Preschool Rock.com
