Sustainability is not innate. We are born without knowledge of the concept of how to sustain the environment and preserve water. You might be letting your kids play with water in the bathroom. This alone is not a good way to teach them how to conserve water. Like many things, it takes the whole family’s involvement to teach kids why it’s important to preserve the environment and save water.
The first thing that you need to do is to explain how water goes inside the house. Explain how the plumbing system, water buffer tank, heating system, and septic system work. Never underestimate your kids’ ability to absorb this information. Let them know where the water is coming from. They might think that it magically appears from your faucets and that’s why they cannot connect it to the water they see in rivers and oceans.
Visit a Local Aquarium
Kids will probably want to see than hear about water conservation. Take them to the local aquarium. Show them that this is how the fish and other marine animals live. Tell them that if they don’t start saving water, these marine animals will eventually have nowhere else to go. They cannot live on land, so how will they survive if the seas finally run out of water? This way, they will realize that the way they use water will have a direct impact on these cute little mammals in the ocean.
Take the Lead
Your kids will follow your lead. Teach them by showing them how you conserve water yourself. While waiting for hot water in the shower, collect the running water so that you can use it for cooking or washing the dishes. Use a water canister rather than the water hose when gardening and watering your plants. Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. Do the same when the kids are brushing their teeth. Collect rainwater from downspouts. You can use this to wash your garage or car.
Give Rewards
Create a reward system, wherein your kids will get brownie points every time they do something that conserves water, such as turning off the faucet when they brush their teeth. As a reward, take them to the zoo, park, or aquarium. Use the reward as a chance to educate them more about the environment. The beach is a nice place, too, because they’ll see what they can lose if they continue to waste water.
Be Creative
Do your kids love to play detective? Then, let them look for possible leaks in the pipes and faucets. For the toilet, you can do a little experiment. Make your kids drop food coloring into the toilet’s tank. Wait 30 seconds. If there’s a leak, the water in your toilet bowl should turn the same color. Congratulate your kids for solving a “mystery” before giving them brownie points again.
There are more ways to teach your kids the importance of conserving water and how to go about it. Find out what activities your kids are interested in. Then incorporate the lessons that you want them to learn.
