Use Technology to Teach Kids to Go Green

My five-year old daughter told Santa Claus, who visited her school, that she wanted a Nintendo DS, a portable video game console. When I heard this, I couldn’t help but reminisce of the time I was her age. I wanted a Cabbage Patch, board game, or to have sidewalk chalk. How times have changed.

Children are consumed with video consoles, electric gadgets, and computers. We might frown upon this, but these mediums can be the launching pad we need to make our children aware about environmental issues. Below are three ways to turn technology into tools to educate our kids about the world surrounding them:

1. Let them play online games with no guilt - If your children are into playing online games, like mine are, then this is for you. Nickolodeon has launched a new online gaming site, The Big Green Help, to teach our kids about going green. Before children are allowed to play, they have to make a pledge to reduce their carbon emissions. They get a pledge list where they choose the things they are going to do to help the Earth. It’s a great way to let them have fun playing while also educating them.
2. Use the television to teach them about the world – There are many children shows out there that are just a waste of time. However, there are also some that can educate them and not make you feel guilty if they are watching TV. Discovery Channel and Animal Planet have great documentaries, such as Planet Earth, that will help children appreciate how beautiful and wondrous our world is. Additionally, these channels sometimes have a week, like Shark Week, that is dedicated to a cause that even adults are not aware is hurting our environment. PBS is also rich with great shows, such as Animalia and It’s a Big Big World. Before you realize, your kids are going to be hooked on these educational shows instead of wasteful shows.
3. Video games are not all bad – Remember my five-year old daughter who wanted a DS? Well, she told my mother what she wanted, and my mother, like any grandmother, got it for her. I worried she was way too young and will be glued to the DS, but I found a way to use it to teach her about our responiblities to the Earth while she enjoys her new toy. Two DS games that I purchased are The Littlest Pet Shop and Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol. In the Littlest Pet Shop, children have to take care of their pets and the environment surrounding them. Chibi-Robo is Nintendo’s first green game. It is about a robot whose world is becoming contaminated, so his job is to clean it up. I have seen that she is starting to ask environmental questions that I am shocked are coming out of her mouth.

These are the three ways to turn technology into something that will make our children aware and educate them on ways they can help the Earth. However, do not forget to take them outside to enjoy the real world and leave their electronics behind.