Go green with books!
I’ve known about ‘going green’ for some time, but I didn’t really understand its importance until my 6-year-old son, Elijah, came home from school one day and started saying, “Be green.” He’d remind us to turn off the lights, saying with a sweet smile, “Mommy we need to be green.” He’d unplug appliances that weren’t in use, turn off the water when he brushed his teeth, and constantly ask me to get a recycling bin for our plastics and glass.
Curious to know where he had learned this phrase, I emailed his kindergarten teacher to ask what books she had read. She told me that she had read several books within a popular curriculum series on recycling and going green for Earth Day. Reading books and talking about the Earth was a very enjoyable activity for Elijah, and this started his quest to greener living.
Going green has also become popular through children’s television channels like Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon is doing a great job of helping kids “be green” through their programming and through their website. On their website, they have an entire page filled with ideas about living, learning, and playing in environmentally-responsible ways. Their initiative empowers kids to make a difference by making environmentally-friendly changes in their everyday lives.
So this year, I have decided to share books and web resources that help kids and parents to “be green.” Enjoy the summer reading books and checking out websites that help keep our Earth clean AND maximize our fun!!
3-8 years
Why Should I Save Energy?
Author Jen Green has written an amazing, four-part series of books which demonstrate the importance of protecting nature. The other titles include
Why Should I Protect Nature?,
Why Should I Recycle? and
Why should I Save Water?. This series answers these questions through stories and illustrations in a fun, lighthearted way. What’s especially great about this series are the notes in the back of the books, which provide suggestions for ways to use this book for parents and teachers.
Get it here…The Giving Tree
This poignant book centers on a tree “who loved a boy,” and follows the relationship that the tree develops with the boy throughout his life. Through this story, we learn about the different kinds of relationships that humans can have with nature. Some relationships between humans and nature are very harmonious, however there are other times when humans may take advantage of nature by using it solely for personal benefit. Because there are many eco-friendly messages in this book (e.g. don’t take away from trees without giving something back, be thankful for trees, trees are important to us and we should not take them for granted), this book is great for reading aloud and talking with children about the importance of giving.
Get it here…Recycle: A Handbook for Kids
Gail Gibbons is a phenomenal writer whose informational books help kids learn new and interesting facts. And she doesn’t disappoint with her book on recycling. This book is very readable and well organized, and helps children really get a sense of what landfills are and why we need fewer of them. Gibbons does thorough research in order to write her books, so when she describes how to recycle, why it’s necessary, and its benefits, you know the information is accurate. The book ends with some interesting information about the ozone layer and the limited potential for recycling polystyrene, followed by 14 facts about garbage.
Get it here…Earth Day Hooray!
In this book, children can learn about going green and doing math! The story focuses on Ryan, Luke, and Carly, who are good friends with a plan for celebrating Earth Day. They want to buy some flowers for Gilroy Park, but they don’t have enough money. So, they decide to collect and recycle 5,000 aluminum cans to earn the money. As the three friends collect cans, they discover that keeping track of the daily totals is somewhat of a challenge, until they begin to sort using bags of 10, 100, and so on. With this book, kids will have fun learning about place value, as well as celebrating the joy of working together to accomplish a green goal.
Get it here…9-12 years
Earth Book for Kids: Activities to Help Heal the Environment
This cool activity book shows children how to care for the Earth. The book is divided into four sections: energy, resources, and recycling; air, land and water; plant and animal habitat and more ways to make every day Earth Day. The simple format makes the book really easy to read, and the information is presented in a very kid-friendly way that makes the main terms and ideas easy to understand.
The hands-on activities are really fun, and could be used for at-home science projects or to take away the rainy day blues. For example, the book describes acid rain and then gives instructions for a project to measure the amount of acid in your own rainfall.
Get it here…Brainiac’s Go Green Activity Book
This is a cool activity book with an eco-friendly theme. The book presents fascinating scientific information about the Earth as well as important concepts and ideas for being environmentally conscious. Kids will love doing the word finds, crosswords, connect the dots, mazes, and countless other activities within the book. And parents will love the green tips that are in the book, all designed to help families live their lives a little greener.
Get it here…Garbage and Recycling
This book is filled with interesting facts and information about recycling. The easy-to-use table of contents helps readers find ideas and information quickly, and helps organize the “big ideas” in the book in an accessible way (e.g., chapters include waste not, want not; garbage that won’t rot; cans count; recycle your rags). One of the best features in this book are the “How Can I Help?” Boxes, which give helpful suggestions for children who want to recycle at home.
Get it here…13-17 years
The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen’s Guide to Saving the Planet
We all know that teenagers are a tough crowd to please. So how will they ever get interested in going green if the books are too boring, too babyish, or too dense?
The Green Teen is a handy, go-to guide that will help teens learn to make environmentally responsible choices without being too preachy. What’s awesome about this book is that it includes interviews with real teens who have made an impact with their projects, which will inspire other teens to make green choices in their daily lives.
Get it here…
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life
Generation Green is a very interesting book that helps us to understand that using technology more than just something that is “cool” – it’s actually “green!!” The book describes how texting friends, chatting online, and downloading emails and music are all examples of green activities that teens naturally enjoy and do on a daily basis. In fact, the concept of green living is the theme of the book, and many chapters provide tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way. Now some teens (or even adults!) may not truly believe that they can live life in a greener way, but this book shows that anyone can do it. There are a number of interviews with teens who are involved with eco-friendly projects, and they talk about what living green means to them and how easy and natural it can be. The most powerful message in this book is that any green changes we make, even those that may seem small, have a huge impact on our Earth, our family and friends, our community, and our future.
Get it here…