October 25, 2016
The skills kids learn at school shape them for the rest of their life, and we don’t just mean math, reading and history. By teaching kids to be environmentally aware at a young age, you are creating life long habits that could have a drastic impact on the Earth. Here are a few ways to incorporate eco friendly practices into your classroom.
Make a recycling center. Teach kids recycling habits at an early age with a recycling center in the room. Hang pictures of what materials should be recycled and explain to kids why recycling is important.
Add plants. Clean the air in your classroom naturally just by having more plants around. Bamboo, aloe vera and garden mums purify the air and teach kids about how important plants are to our environment.
Have a ‘green’ mantra. Have the class create or vote on a saying that is hung in the classroom. Some great examples are, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” or “Let’s go green to get our globe clean.”
Reuse. Find a way to repurpose old materials in the classroom. Use old cans as paint brush holders, milk cartons as extra storage space and tissue boxes as a communal pencil case.
Make a ‘green team.’ Every morning, pick five different kids to be on the ‘green team’ for the day. Their job is to make sure that every time the class leaves the room, they turn off all the lights, power down computers and turn off all faucets.
Ditch the brown bag. Encourage parents to pack their kid’s lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a brown paper bag everyday. It keeps food hot or cold longer and is better for the environment.
Go digital. Use less paper by posting any newsletters, calendars, lunch menus and flyers on the school website or send them directly to parents through email.
Go chemical free. Use cleaners free of pesticides and chemicals.
Schools that emphasize green practices have been known to:
Looking to get more involved? Take it a step further and encourage your school board to hire contractors that use sustainable materials for any future building or construction projects. Not only do recyclable materials not emit damaging byproducts into the air, water, or ground, but they also save schools more money over time.
Now that you have some fun ideas on ways to go green with your students, don’t forget about choosing eco-friendly and sustainable furniture for your room. Nickerson Corporation is proud to offer safe, non-toxic green furniture for all classroom. We’re the leader in the classroom furniture industry, supplying educational furniture and equipment to schools in New York and New Jersey for the past 60 years. We realize the importance of providing reliable, comfortable and flexible classroom furniture for students to learn, play, and exercise on. To learn more about how we can help you transform your school or classroom into the perfect educational environment, call 631- 666-0200.