As a parent, you have the responsibility to teach your children how to be good caretakers of this beautiful planet. By setting the example and informing them about ways to reduce waste, you give them the tools they need to grow into responsible, eco-friendly adults. Use the following tips to make your home schooling environment as green as possible.
Cut Back on Paper Usage
Image via Flickr by Deb Stgo
There are many home schooling options from which to choose. Compare all the features of every program you’re considering using, including whether the curriculum is based on paper books or it’s mostly online. By choosing an online program, you can reduce paper usage and even reduce clutter in your home.
Look for even more ways to reduce the amount of paper you use. You could assign homework to your kids on a tablet or computer instead of asking them to write things on paper. Or, you could ask them to write on a whiteboard or blackboard. When you want them to practice penmanship, see if you have any scratch paper lying around the house that’s suitable for your purposes.
Make Sure Your Home is Energy-Efficient
Your family can make a project out of helping your house be as green as possible. Some tasks, like calling an HVAC technician to make sure the heating and air conditioning are working, are best left to adults. However, other tasks are easy for people of any age to participate in. For example, you and your children can pick out energy-saving curtains together, or the kids can help you change all the light bulbs in the house to more-efficient versions. Take time to talk the kids about where electricity and water come from and why it’s important to conserve.
Buy Used Goods and Borrow What You Can
Throughout your home schooling, your program might encourage you to use items like telescopes, movies, and art supplies. Instead of going to your local store and buying new items, head to a secondhand shop and look for anything you could use.
You might be able to borrow supplies from other parents who have home-schooled their children. They might have extra paint, paper, drawing supplies, and books that are just sitting around the house collecting dust. Network with other parents so you can strike up friendships and help each other keep things green.
Go Outside
When the weather is nice, take the lessons outside. You’ll avoid using electricity in the house, and you and your kids can enjoy the outdoors together. You could even hop on public transportation and take a field trip to the local library or to a place in your area that helps the environment, such as a sustainable farm or a public building that uses a lot of solar power.
Taking home schooling outside of the home provides another major perk besides being eco-friendly: It helps your kids stay active and get the exercise they need to remain healthy.
Home schooling can be great for your kids — and even for the entire family. Make it even better by implementing eco-friendly practices like the ones listed above.