Children naturally love to get involved with anything related to the environment. They are responsive to “making a difference” and have positive attitudes towards sustainable practices. However at time adults may not have the same enthusiasm! This is where we need to get families involved…. create opportunities to share and discuss sustainable practices and learning opportunities.
Here are some ways you can do this in your centre;
Ask children to be “Eco Monitors” daily. They can be responsible for the lights, scraps / composting, watering the garden etc. However by placing their names and photo up on an ECO Monitor sign (link below) families are more likely to discuss these roles with their children.
“Herbs for Sale” … a great way for children to grow herbs / vegetables and share this with families. Have a herb selling day each week… families become involved and children also learn about economic sustainability!
Create a “Weather Action Chart”. This not only looks at the weather and UV for the day but also focuses on what we need to do for ourselves as well as the environment. Sample via link below;
Organise a family book or clothing swap… a great way for families to engage in economic sustainability. 
Other ideas to get families involved;
–Develop an Energy Saving / Sustainability Policy for your service! Families and children can contribute to the development of this policy.
– provide regular information in your Newsletter/ Facebook/ centre App regardig your sustainable practices
–provide children and families with a “Energy saving checklist” for home
–make it part of your daily practices at the centre so families can “see it in action”!
Look out for Day 10!
Hi. I’ve just discovered this and would love to access the other sustainability day blogs. How would I go about this? Thank you.
Kind regards
Bridget