A Greener Tomorrow For Our Children
This article uncovers how parents and educators can encourage young children to build a positive, natural, and respectful relationship with their environment.
By Renika Phanichkrivalkosil
When I think of sustainability, I think about how we can leave the world a little bit better than we found it. This is reflected in the myriad of things that we do – saying no to plastic bags (yes, we have finally met this standard in Bangkok), bringing our own stainless steel tumblers to Starbucks, and unplugging our iPhones when they are full (still guilty of this one though!). While all these gestures are great for self-improvement, we need to think about how we can make a larger impact on society, especially for future generations.
Anybody living in central Bangkok would agree that this concrete jungle and hustle-bustle lifestyle could benefit from more patches of green and opportunities to connect with nature. Time spent playing outdoors benefits children’s physical, psychological and social development. Unfortunately, our children today spend far less time playing outdoors than previous generations. The culture of being outdoors is not prevalent in our society, and as parents we turn to kindergartens and schools to provide that space for our children.
Outdoor areas in schools should not merely be a center to “burn off energy” for the little ones but a vast and rich environment for educational opportunities and environmental learning. Grass, sand, mud, rain, leaves, twigs and more are Mother Nature’s teaching tools that children should be free to explore and express with. Children get creative and problem solve when they see dirt turning into mud, rocks becoming slippery in the rain, leaves crunching in the heat of the sun, and so forth. Moreover, sustainable education should be a part of everyday practices, rather than merely a topic or theme to consider for a short time. Sustainability can be simple and even a little bit helps. Let’s take a look at a few basic ideas we could implement to create greener, happier lifestyles for our families.
The Natural Way
As much as possible, try to have your children walk on grass, play outdoors, bathe in the sun, and smell the rain. As much as possible, take your children to the farmers’ market and buy local, wear ethically sourced fabrics, and play with wooden toys. As much as possible, cut down on plastic, source organic soaps, and grow your own herbs.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Living in a mass consumption society combined with the ease of online shopping results in a lot of us feeding into our WANTS rather than our NEEDS. How many Paw Patrol figurines do your kids have? How about Hatchimals, LOLs, and Peppa Pig toy sets stashed away in the closets? Let’s teach our children, and model by example, to only take as much as we need, and to donate/recycle what we can. Don’t forget to show children how they can fix something that is broken rather than buying something new. Or how to recycle common household items (egg cartons, tissue rolls, milk bottles) into beautiful masterpieces.
Grow and Eat your Veggies
Many parents have a hard time convincing their children to eat green (peas, cucumber, and the occasional broccoli barely counts). As parents and teachers, we know that children learn best by playing and doing. Let’s teach our children how to plant and grow simple vegetables, such as sprouts for their noodles or basil for their pesto. By participating in sustainable activities, children become active agents of their learning. This also teaches children about where their food comes from, where it goes, and even how it is composted (trust me, children want to know everything!).
Pollution, Bushfires, COVID-19, and other reasons to believe that the world is ending
We face endless threats from a warming climate, deforestation, mass species extinction, and so forth. We clearly have not done a great job in taking care of our planet, but it is not too late. There is a beautiful Native American proverb, “We do not inherit the world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” This has resonated with me and I hope it stays on with all of you.
Images courtesy of the author.
About the Author
Renika Phanichkrivalkosil, mother of two, is the co-founder of Little Treehouse Nursery, a green and plant-based kindergarten in the center of Thonglor. They welcome children from 18 months-5 years, and follow the British Curriculum. Please contact littletreehousenursery@gmail.com to book a school tour.
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