Taking care of our homes, city, neighborhood, country and world is important.
Responsibility lies with us. Teaching our children too respect the world we live in will preserve it beauty because someday it will be their’s to maintain.
As I grew up, my parents took good care of our yard. They taught me a personal responsibility to not litter. Those values are instilled in me, and I am grateful.
Since we homeschool I am able to daily work on instilling values into my children. One way that I like to do this is through games. Earth day is coming up in April, and so we had some fun learning how to recycle, not waste, and not litter.
First, we read a book on recycling. After I read the book we went through a few scenario’s on some area’s that we learned about in the book. Also, we reviewed when Earth day was, how it started, and who started it.
Next, we played a few games to drive home the lesson.
Build a City
We have a whiteboard game, that works a lot like hangman. Build a city can be used on paper and tablets too. How this game works is brainstorming a city with beauty. Sketching in homes, gardens, sheds, buildings, stores and other basic structures first.
After creating the basics we add in extra’s like cars, gardens, fountains, animals, trees, ponds, birds, flowers, and many other ways that cities can be made beautiful. How the game part works is using questions that pertain to taking care of the earth. I made up a random group of questions to use that incorporate planting trees’ and gardens within the city or town. Other area’s were questions on preventing littering and making people aware of recycling. If they got the question right then they were fine. If they were wrong they had to add something to the building. Instead of using a hangman to incorporate the lesson we used a building. So when it had all windows and a door they lost. They each played against each other. So in essence, we used 3 building because there are not enough to to make even teams.
Choices
Choices is a game of trivia and Simon Say’s. After I ask the trivia question, I will say “Simon Say’s jump up and down”. Then, some time’s I don’t say it and the person who doesn’t listen is out. Using this game helps with listening skills. Playing choices gives the kids opportunities to think about what they do in certain situations. It simulates scenario’s to allow them to process a solution or response.
This adds a bit of movement to the game to mix it up. Using homeschool games to teach kids’ has been a fun way to explore new ways that we can help make our world better with recycling. Last year we were at the zoo. In the dolphin show was incorporated the message to recycle. Making good choices and a few changes of harmful products such as paper bags and paper straws to using in place of plastic, can save may lives of ocean animals.
I use choices as a game to see what we could use in place of something. Questions that not only challenge them to recycle, but to create habits of throwing trash where it goes. Not littering.
For example, a scenario may be ” I am camping with my family. All we have for trash is plastic bags. Do we leave them at the campsite upon departure”?
Scenario’s like these make kids’ think about choices and how they affect the area around them.
Choices on where we put trash and recycling products also resides on people that have higher positions to enforce laws that are in place. Some questions may include laws that forbid littering. Idea’s on enforcement of these laws and how they can help up all work together.
Litterball
For this game I used old notebook paper that was saved for trash. I am such a saver that if a notebook has one piece of paper in it, I will save it. The cardboard front and back have also proven useful sometimes. Anyway, I tore out several pieces of paper and threw them all over our floor. In the corner of the room I set a trash can. This game was fun because they received a point each time they made a basket.
To encourage fun and not craziness I let them each go one at a time. Boy’s love movement and I could just see my TV area being bombarded. It was a fun game though, and we were able to talk about litter in and answer some questions.
Do you use games in your homeschool, or home to get a message across? Anybody can play these games to have fun and teach a lesson to love our world and respect it. For more ways to save everyday or homeschool follow me on Instagram @momsarefrugal.
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