This feeling may tap into our childhood fantasies of being Queen of the Universe, but we find the opportunity to mold young, impressionable minds to be one of the more rewarding parts of parenting.

So on Earth Day (or almost), it seems appropriate to talk about how we can use our awesome powers for good rather than evil.

We know yoyomama readers take the sentiment expressed in the proverb about not inheriting the Earth but borrowing it from our children pretty seriously.  Articles about personal green choices are amongst our most popular. And we realize societal changes are also needed; environmental concerns inform how we vote and our decision to support dedicated organizations working for change.

But, here’s the thing, urgent though many of these problems are (and despite our awesome Supermama powers), it’s a pretty safe bet that there are still going to be things to fix 15-20 years from now.  When we can’t fix everything ourselves, the next best thing is to raise a generation armed with tools to keep on fixing. So here’s the molding young minds bit:

Explore the local environment

There’s a wide range of opportunities from going on a bug search in your own backyard, to visiting the UBC Canopy Walk to learn how long it takes a tree to get really big in Vancouver or a visit to Riverdale Farm, smack dab in the middle of Toronto. Encourage your kids to connect to the natural world as often as possible.

Talk about choices and observations

Doing the “right thing” has far more impact if your child understands why: “We’re buying these apples because they’re local. It takes less energy to get them here than fruit from farther away.”

Once you’ve introduced the topic, let your child guide the conversation. And nurture empowerment, not anxiety: Focus on what can be done to solve problems rather than on the projected impacts.

Invite participation

Let kids choose a few 100-mile-diet veggies to try growing this summer, and get them composting. Our 4-year old loves playing “compost or not” with his food scraps. And what kid doesn’t love a challenge? Work together to see how much you can reduce your family’s garbage. We found our little ones were much more reasonable about giving up their pre-packaged snacks when it was part of a challenge.

Litterless Helpers

Lunchboxes, stainless steel containers, and snack bags make it easier to buy bulk and reduce waste.

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