Ontario Green Savings Explains How to Teach Children about Energy Efficiency

Parents may not recognize the importance of teaching their children about energy efficiency. As our children grow, they may have to deal with rising fuel costs and environmental damage such as global warming. Children need to be taught about saving energy and saving the planet at the same time.

Ontario Green Savings shares 10 ways to teach children to save energy, going over the reasons why children need to know this information and how they can make a difference well into the future.

1. Education and Awareness

Parents should make their children aware of the concepts of energy and where it comes from. Talk with your kids about energy. You should explain where it comes from and how it gets to our homes. You can use a kid-friendly website to help you with this lesson. Energy Star Kids and Physics4Kids.com are great choices.

2. Get Outdoors

It is important to teach children that there are many ways to enjoy themselves without the use of electricity. Getting outdoors more often can encourage your children to “unplug.” Camping is a fantastic way to teach children that it is possible to have fun without a screen or an electronic toy.

3. Have “Turn it Off” Time

Together as a family, it is fun to pledge not to use electricity for a certain period of time except for necessary household tasks. Children can enjoy themselves by playing family board games, playing with toys, and taking nature hikes. This encourages children to use their imaginations and to break away from constant screen usage. Parents can be great models when it comes to unplugging from electronics.

4. Plant a Garden

A garden, even a small container garden, is a natural way to help the environment. A garden is a good way to teach children about natural resources. Kids can take pride in how they are interacting with nature and keeping their plants healthy. Eating the produce of the garden is the final reward.

5. Energy Saving Games

A fun way to teach children about energy efficiency is to play “I Spy.” Encourage your children to point out energy-saving items around the home, like CFL and LED light bulbs. This can also help children understand which household appliances and products may be using more energy than they need.

6. Reduce Car Travel

One of the activities having the greatest impact on our environment is driving a gas-powered vehicle. Usually, parents are only focused on getting from point A to point B in as little time as possible. If you have the time, consider riding bikes or walking to your destination. This helps children open their horizons to environmentally-friendly modes of transportation.

Mass transit vehicles like trains and buses are also more efficient than individual cars. Children often have a great deal of fun when they ride a bus or a train, so this is a good way to help the lesson of energy efficiency stay in their minds.

7. Encourage Energy Efficiency in Kids’ Rooms

When you are redoing your children’s bedrooms or playroom, involve them in the design and show them that there are many ways to encourage energy efficiency. New windows, CFL or LED light bulbs, and thermally efficient curtains are a good place to start.

8. Create Household Energy-Saving Routines

Parents can model good energy-saving behaviours for their children. Reducing shower time is an excellent way to save water and fuel. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth is another way to save water. Turning off the lights whenever you leave the room is a task that even the youngest preschoolers can manage.

9. Involve Your Children in Projects

When children have a sense of ownership in the process, they are more likely to practice energy efficiency on their own. When you are doing DIY projects around the house, explain to your children how you are planning to save energy. If children are allowed to help, even in a small way, they will retain the lesson longer. Ontario Green Savings can help families decide how to upgrade their space.

10. Spend Family Savings Together

It is fun to set aside the money that families save from using energy-efficient methods. This money can be put away for a fun occasion like a new family board game or an outing.

Discover How You Can Save Money

Ontario Green Savings hopes that parents will be able to use these 10 tips to help their children understand the importance of energy efficiency. When children are taught how to save energy from a young age, they will be able to keep this skill well into adulthood. This will save their future households money as well as helping to preserve the environment.