“…We do not inherit the land form our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”  Native American Proverb

Most of our children spend their free time indoors watching TV and playing video games, activities that rob them of exercise and remove them from nature. When they are outdoors it is usually on large tarmac playgrounds, sprawling parking lots or grass athletic fields, which are far removed from nature. Sadly, they never get an opportunity to interact and appreciate the workings of the natural world.

• Plant a small vegetable garden. Teach your children about a self-sustaining relationship with the soil, plants and wildlife. As they plant and care for seedlings children can learn many lessons about the environment.
• Plant a small butterfly & bird garden. Use native flowers, which provide seed and nectar to local butterflies and birds. Eliminate invasive plants from your garden and teach your children about our native plants and their value to wildlife.
• Create a entire wildlife habitat in you back yard and have it registered with the national wildlife federation
• Plant a Tree, it will beautify your home, lower your heating and cooling cost and attract birds. Pick a native tree best suited for your area and one that will serve local wildlife, plant it with your child and track its growth
• Go Birding or Wildlife watching. This will give you an opportunity to teach them about conservation. At the same time, it is important to teach your children also about the dangers of the natural world, many plants are poisonous and wild animals can be dangerous. The more they understand the easier it is for them to make the right choices when faced with wild life.
• Recycle with your child. Instill a conservation consciousness, inform them about what can and what can not be recycled, how things are made and where they go when nobody wants them
• Make your own great toys and crafts from recycled materials found around the house. Use newspaper, boxes, coffee cans, cardboard, string, paper bags and more – get crafty! Make spaceships, picture frames, artwork… anything you can dream up!
• Go to a botanic garden, natural history museum, forest preserve,  nation park, wildlife refuge, protected wetland or historical monuments. Take a tour with a forest ranger or other wildlife experts. Inspire your children to appreciate and preserve our natural world
• When you see actions that are harming the environment talk about it with your children, help them understand the problems and offer them solutions. Practice the three “Rs”: reduce, reuse, recycle
• Organize a clean up with friends and classmates to pick up litter from your block, park or playground. Make a difference and make your favorite places cleaner. Ask grown-ups like parents and teachers to help you organize this and maybe even make it a monthly happening. (Important Note: Make sure everyone participating is properly outfitted. Gloves are a MUST and if you've collecting litter, sticks with prongs to pick it up are helpful. Warn participants to be careful of sticking their fingers into dark places where animals might live -- to avoid being bitten -- and to be careful of syringes and other dangerous items.) Be sure to properly recycle all you're collected!
• ReUse: Card Board boxes to make a playhouse.
• ReUse: Common House Hold waste to make Art. Old magazines and newspapers to make collages.

Show your children how to live sustainable by your example, teach them how to apply what they have learned to their environments and establish a foundation for conservation that they will carry on into adulthood.