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We find ourselves in an era in which we have lost the value of what surrounds us, how important are the water we drink and wash ourselves with, the air we breathe, the nature that allows us to live.
We often hear news of environmental catastrophes that are often due to man's carelessness and carelessness, which creates, with its wrong behaviour, air pollution, waste of resources and tree felling.
This is why it is important to teach our children respect for the environment, a value that we often (unfortunately) see diminished.
How to explain ecology to our childre
The world of children is dominated by innocence and carefreeness, a playful and colourful reality, where the problems of the world are far away. But this should not limit parents in explaining what ecology is and what good eco-sustainable habits are, both with gestures and words, it is never too early to do so.
In the very first years, everything the child experiences and knows creates a strong impriting. Educating them from an early age allows them to form responsible and reliable adults.
The important thing is to present these topics in the form of play and fun, avoiding showing the problems in a traumatic way. Offer realistic but not exaggerated talks about how and how beautiful and easy it is to safeguard the world, people and animals.
, su come e quanto sia bello e facile salvaguardare il mondo, le persone e gli animali.
What is presented to the child in the form of fun makes him feel stimulated to learn. You can explain to children what pollution is, what behaviour produces it, using practical examples, which help them understand if their behaviour can be wrong, using simple speeches, without complicated words and intimidating reprimands.
Nothing is learned in a day, it is a continuous and gradual teaching, which begins when children are still young, but already able to understand the acts they perform.
Parents are the first example
In this activity the role of the family is extremely important, the parents are the first educators of the child. Being a good example is essential to start to feed the sensitivity for the well-being of the planet in a small way.
The child absorbs everything that happens around him, all non-verbal gestures, every parent's behaviour is emulated by the child to learn more quickly. For this reason it is important that what we show our children is correct and consistent with what we teach them.
Every parent and family member must make sure they give positive examples, responsible and conscious attitudes, such as avoiding waste of resources, sorting waste and reducing sources of pollution.
Repeated behaviours on a daily basis create educated and environmentally aware children.
Ecology in daily gestures
We can teach respect for the environment and the resources it provides us with every day, from our daily actions, which children carry out with us.
When using water to brush our teeth or hands, it is important to teach how to close it when we soap our hands or brush our teeth. Be careful in the shower, not to use it for too long, to dose the water jet well.
Teach to avoid any kind of waste: after washing the vegetables it is good to use water to water the plants in our garden or balcony, which allows you to reuse the water and take care of nature.
Another attention not to be underestimated is to avoid the waste of electricity, turn off the light when you leave the room, do not leave an electronic device, such as the television, if we are not using it.
Water and electricity are precious resources that should not be wasted.
Food is not the second most important thing, it should not be wasted at all, we must make children understand how important it is to finish everything they have on their plates and to choose healthy and natural food.
Food eco-sustainability is the key principle that must be taught from the earliest years of life.
Another important theme to present to children is that of travel, teaching them how to tackle small distances on foot or by bicycle, to avoid creating pollution and preserve the air around us.
Teaching how to use and the value of cycling makes children aware of the importance of well-being, people and the environment, the fun and beauty of the views that can be admired while cycling.
Going to school can also be done in a sustainable way, on foot or by bike if the school is nearby, or by carpooling with other children's mothers to use as few cars as possible.
Learn by playing
You can teach recycling practices in the form of games, having fun with your children, making them participate and responsible, with activities to stimulate imagination and creativity.
With fun, children will really learn and parents will have explained ecology in the best way.
You can take buckets of different colours, each for a different type of waste, the child can be responsible for a bin, where he or she will have to throw the corresponding waste.
He will feel so involved and aware of the value of his action.
Many materials, such as toilet paper rolls or yoghurt jars, can be reused to create toys for children, as we have suggested in this article.
All this allows you to spend playful and entertaining time with your children, teaching them important values and can be seasoned with a nice nursery rhyme, which helps to learn more easily the basic rules of behavior for the protection of the environment and to make the game even more fun.
We suggest this one:
Nursery rhyme about respecting the environment and its resources.
Qui si impara inver giocando,
risparmiando e riciclando…
per salvare questo mondo
in allegro girotondo.
L’acqua oggi è assai preziosa,
più importante di ogni cosa,
non sprecarla nella doccia
e conservane ogni goccia
Pile, carta, lampadine,
vetro, plastica e lattine,
non buttarle tutte insieme,
differenziale per bene!
Mentre giochi coi colori,
puoi scoprir nuovi valori:
il rispetto dell’ambiente,
della terra e della gente.
Jolanda Restano
Nursery rhyme written for the Acqua Academy 2012.
Sources:
- https://www.filastrocche.it/contenuti/filastrocca-sul-rispetto-dellambiente-e-delle-sue-risorse/
- http://www.nonsprecare.it/come-insegnare-bambini-rispetto-ambiente?refresh_cens
- http://www.quimamme.it/io-e-il-mio-bambino/ecologia-a-misura-di-bimbo/
- https://vivalascuola.studenti.it/come-spiegare-l-ecologia-ai-bambini-241778.html#steps_0