As much as we all try to reduce our environmental impact, waste is inevitable. Its what we do with the waste, how we reuse or recycle it that makes a lasting impression. Our roles as parents is awesome, huge and often times overwhelming! However teaching our little ones to be mindful of the trash they generate and encouraging them to consider how their decisions affect other living things {whether it be people, animals, water, etc.} can actually be fun. If your fortunate enough to live in Southern California, consider visiting the New Children’s Museum in San Diego where they have an amazing trash exhibit on display. Families are asked to ponder these ideas, “How do we decide what is trash? How does your trash impact the lives of others? How can we imagine new possibilities, and a new future for our trash?” Twelve Artists have created exhibits across various mediums that are certain to engage family members of all ages. One of the most enjoyable kid friendly projects was that of creating {whatever your child can imagine} something out of recycled trash {wrappers, bottles, caps, bags, etc.}. Its fascinating to watch the kids become engaged with something as simple as garbage, especially since we have so many toys with bells and whistles to compete with! One sobering fact I learned was in the United States, annual production of waste has tripled since 1960. Yikes! Thats ridiculous and sad. Take me back to the days of simplicity and home cooked food {although I wasn’t born yet}. Even if your not in sunny SoCal, you can still have fun playing with trash and creating cool projects that kids will be proud to display {maybe an ornament for the Christmas tree? or whatever adornment that reflects your family’s celebrated holiday}. Here are a couple shots from our recent trip to the museum, most importantly have fun and enjoy the simplicity of being together!
