At the beginning of the semester I have the children look at and discuss in a group different options for their projects and the pros and cons of each one. How much time and effort it will take verses the possible benefits. In general, most kids are willing to work for the good if they can see a concrete outcome and can track their own progress to a set goal. While I do choose the options and do the research into each project myself, I let the kids choose the final project. As a group, they need to feel a sense of ownership, and will be more likely to complete goals that they themselves have set.

The goal is important. The kids need to see what they are accomplishing and why. They need to have clear and easy to follow steps in order to achieve that goal, whether they are five or fifteen years of age, and it helps them to see their progress if it is charted in some way. An actual chart is a good way to do that, with the beginning and end of the project clearly stated.

Okay, that’s the set up. Here’s some ideas that have worked for me in the past that the kids have been engaged in.

For the Green Team: Let’s recycle with your school! Most elementary schools have some sort of recycling that is done, but few take all the waste that is thrown away that could be reused or recycled. Paper and pop cans are often what is collected, but what about plastic bags and wrappers? What about chip board and cardboard? Find out what is recycled at your children’s school and what is not. Discuss with your group what they are willing to deal with and what they are not. It might be unreasonable to expect them to wash out tin cans, but fine to break down cardboard boxes. Find an acceptable place in the school to put plastic bins or boxes for collection, and make a chart to track how much they have done. You could weigh it (a bathroom scale works fine if there isn’t one available in the school) or count items. (A sly way of incorporating some useful and fun math!) Have the kids put up posters made by them with what they are doing and why it is important. They can put it into their own words with a little help from you, and it will generate interest in your project with other students, teachers and parents. Make at least a weekly effort to track progress. With whatever you are recycling you can make it more meaningful by statements like, “We took seventeen pounds of waste out of the landfill this week! Good job!” Look up on the internet to see what the items are recycled for and show the kids, or have them to the research themselves. Make sure that everything at the school has been cleared with the administration-where the bins are and where the posters are as well for you doing the project. You don’t want to break fire codes or upset the custodial staff! When you reach your goal have a ‘green’ party with washable dishes, or paper products made from recycled paper, and items of food that can be composted instead of thrown away.

For the Green of Thumb: Everyone benefits from having a more beautiful environment in which to live, and from having a closer engagement with that environment. Look around your community for spots to ‘clean up’ or to beautify. You might be able to plant flowers, a garden or trees at your school and then have the children care for them through out the year. It could be as simple as having large flower pots put by the entrance and then kept planted during the different seasons. The children could decorate the pots with fabric paint (wonderful stuff-sticks to plastic pots well) and put their names on it along with the date and year. A wonderful project to look back on and to add to every year with another commemorative pot for the children to plant. Just be sure to keep up with it. An empty flower pot is a sad thing.

For the Green Space: If you have the transportation and the staff, you could take your group to an area to clean-up, like an empty lot or a park. Have them count how many bags of rubbish they collected, and you could even sort out the recyclables. Provide your group with some sort of gloves for the purpose of sanitation, and if you are in an open spot set up the project in such a way that you don’t lose track of the children, particularly if you have very young children in your group. Safety first!

Whatever you choose to do, make an investment of time and energy in it yourself. If the children see you working on the goal they are much more likely to work on it themselves. Even if they don’t show it, even teen-agers want and crave your approval, so don’t be stingy with it! A sincere ‘good job’ every once in a while when it is deserved goes a very long way. Every adult in their lives is an example to emulate and a figure to impress. Be aware of it!

That is part one of this series. The next section deals with community centers that help creatures of two legs and four and part three deals with projects that benefit and bring awareness to the world community. Happy reading!

Other articles by me:

http://www.gomestic.com/Family/Green-Activities-for-Kids-to-Do-Outside.292969

http://www.quazen.com/Recreation/Crafts/How-to-Make-Walnut-Ink.297015

http://www.gomestic.com/Family/Getting-Kids-in-Touch-Texture-Activities-for-the-Young.305489