Ideas for a greener summer: Tips for teachers, parents, and kids

Summer is a precious opportunity for kids and families to try new things.  Gone are the constraints of the school schedule, the school lunches, the school papers, the school uniforms.  But even though school is out, learning is still in!  Exploring nature, reducing waste, and simply contemplating our world are great activities for the summer.

Here are some specific ideas for teachers, parents, and kids.

Teachers:

• Consider requesting parents to contribute reusable plates, cups, and silverware for classroom celebrations in place of disposable ones.  

Have you considered trash-free parties?  They are easier than you think!

• Consider reducing paper usage by making full page documents fit onto a1/2 sheet, or committing to using double sided copying whenever possible. 
• Consider incorporating science lessons about Michigan wildlife or alternative energy.  
• Consider taking the students to visit our own Native Meadow.  
• Consider a field trip to the Kerrytown farmers market (the market website even has a curriculum for this).

Parents: 

• Consider tackling one aspect of your household and making it a shade greener.  Ideas might be paper recycling, eating foods closer to their natural state to reduce food packaging and artificial additives, implementing some of DTE's energy efficiency pointers. 
• Make an outing to a nature center (Matthaei Botanical Gardens, any zoo/aquarium/farm, the Howell Nature Center, to name a few). 

at the Toledo Zoo

• Consider buying school uniform clothes secondhand or trading with another family (this reduces the demand for companies to manufacture excess clothing).  
• Try to incorporate playtime away from screens (see below for ideas).

Kids:

• Take advantage of the warmer weather and play outside! Notice bugs, plants, birds, rocks.  

at North Bay Park in Ypsilanti

• Read a book with an emphasis on nature (The Magician's Nephew, The Secret Garden, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, Farmer Boy are some great ones).  
• Plant an easy vegetable and eat it (peas or tomatoes are fun and easy). 
• Ask your parents for a nature outing (see above for ideas).  
• Turn off the screen and take a bike ride, a swim, or a walk to the park.

The Green Team would love to hear about the ways you are interacting with nature or reducing your waste this summer.  Feel free to tell us about it!