Teaching children aged 3 and up how to recycle can launch a lifetime of good environmental habits, says Dr. Wayne Eastman, an early childhood educator at the College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook, Nfld. and Lab. Start by placing an apple core and a tin can under glass in the backyard to illustrate how some things break down quickly and others don’t. Encourage your youngster to rinse out cans and put them in your recycling bin (ensuring first that your can opener seals sharp edges).
To inspire kids to respect the environment, make a point of reusing egg cartons and margarine tubs for crafts, putting organic waste in a composter and picking up litter in parks or on nature trails, says Eastman.
