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Any
family that wants to go green really needs to involve the children. To
be effective, going green needs to be a family commitment. Kids may
resist change at first, but you can make earth friendly living kid
friendly too.

It's not surprising that our kids resist the initial efforts to live
in a way that is good for our planet. The media bombards our children
with messages of consumerism every day. These commercials for the
latest plastic toys and junk food are endless. The message to our
children is that if you want to be happy, you need the products the
advertisers have to sell.

The first step in going green with your kids needs to be to limit
the exposure to television. Commercials can't be eliminated, unless you
are ready to chuck the television entirely. Most families aren't ready
for a step this drastic. You can still help reduce the number of
commercials your kids are exposed to by using TIVO or watching DVDs
instead of commercial television.

Eating organic or locally grown foods can be fun for your kids. Some
organic farms are picking farms. They allow you to come to the farm and
pick your own fruits and vegetables. Look for farms that offer
strawberries, blueberries and grapes, since these foods tend to have
the highest levels of pesticides. Go to the picking farm as a family
and have fun picking your favorite foods. For more fun, make some jam
with the fruit you buy and eat the rest.

You can have fun growing your own fruits and vegetables with your
children. Nothing is more local than the backyard and gardening is an
activity that is fun for the whole family. The kids can get involved in
all phases of the garden, planning, preparing the soil, planting,
tending to the plants and harvesting the foods when they are ready. If
you don't have a large area for a garden, consider planting a container
garden. These can be used to plant vegetables and herbs. Gardening is a
great way to learn and help save the planet.

Spend a day baking or making healthy snacks in the kitchen. Homemade
foods produce less packaging and waste than store bought alternatives.
In addition, the foods you bake at home are healthier for your family.
Homemade granola, oatmeal cookies, breads and pasta are fairly easy to
make and fun for the kids. Spend some time looking for recipes on the
internet to find more ideas.

Enlist the kids in finding fun, earth friendly activities. Take a
hike together to help develop an appreciation of nature. A visit to a
park, playground or beach is a great way to get out and enjoy the
outdoors. Bike rides and walks in a state park or even your own
neighborhood are great choices for outdoor activities that don't take a
toll on the planet.