Children today adore nature. They tend to have a great deal of interest in, and respect for, their environment, and often are more informed about environmental issues than their parents. Many mums that we chatted to as part of global study for Dirt is Good (DiG), Children and Nature, wished that they were more knowledgeable about nature and the environment, and are delighted to be learning from their kids. 75% said that they were proud that their children knew more about nature than they did.
Today’s young and passionate environmentalists (78%) believe that their parents should be doing more to help protect the planet and to find more ways of interacting with it. Children can have a strong positive influence over us, as parents, when it comes to helping make changes, whether big or small, to the world that we live in. The small actions make big differences. Here are the top five simple acts that make children feel like they are protecting nature and the environment:
Don’t litter.
Turn off the TV when no-one is watching.
Turn off lights when they’re not being used.
Respect animals.
Don’t waste paper.
Unfortunately, for all of their eagerness about nature, 45% of children say that they learn more about nature from the TV than they do from real life interaction. An explanation for this could be that 84% of mothers world-wide believe that it is the responsibility of schools to educate their children about nature and the environment.
Take an active role in helping your little ones learn more about our glorious earth. Check out some of the OMO kids’ activities for some inspiration when it comes to encouraging your children to play outside and engage with Mother Nature herself. There is plenty of fun to be had by the whole family.
And when they’re finished exploring, we know that they will most likely have dirt all over their clothes. But that’s okay, just use a good quality liquid detergent that will remove the toughest stains and you never have to worry about laundry day again!