This guest post from MCAF partner, Green The Block was written by Tiffany Casanova:
Little New Yorkers Tristin and Tyler learn a lot about trying to save the earth while filming their green family series Tristan & Tyler’s Tales From the City! One concept we haven’t touched on yet is air pollution and air quality.
Tristin and Tyler recently did an episode with Million Trees NYC, a New York City-based organization with a goal of planting one million new trees in NYC in the next decade. In this episode, which you can check out below, Tristin and Tyler learn how to care for trees using rain water and mulch. I was happy to hear Tyler talk about the fact that trees give us oxygen and that is why they are important. However, I know that I can do more to teach Tristin and Tyler about air pollution and ways they can help reduce any negative impact they may have on the air we breathe. With that in mind, I thought I’d share five resources to help you teach kids to CARE ABOUT AIR!
- EPA website: the US Environmental Protection Agency has an informational website called Kid’s Air. They have resources for kids ages 7-10 and Kindergarten to 1st Grade. This is a website you should probably go through with your kids as it might be easier for them to navigate with you tagging along.
- EEK: Environmental Education for Kids – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has a section on their website called The Air Around Us. It’s a great, colorful resource that details everything from how we use our lungs to breathe to how the ozone layer works.
- Brain Pop: I think Brain Pop might be my favorite websites for kids. It’s not just a website for environmental issues, it covers a bit of everything including math and engineering. There is even Brain Pop Jr. for kids in grades K-3. You have to pay a subscription fee, about $99.00 for a year of access for a family, but I think it’s worth it!
- Smog, Oil Spills, Sewage, and More: The Yucky Pollution Book (Yucky Science). By Alivin Silverstein: Cute title, great book on thinking about air quality, smog and other ways we all contribute to the pollution of our earth. It has great illustrations as well which I find helps kids to really stay focused on the book.
- Power Up to Fight Pollution by Lisa Bullard: This book is part of the Planet Protectors series of books. The series has books that cover everything from recycling to reducing energy consumption. This book also has great illustrations and is an easy read with kids which I love, especially right before bedtime!
So, there you go! Five ways to teach kids to CARE ABOUT AIR!
I hope you take advantage of one or two of these resources, and also check out Tristin and Tyler’s latest episode with Million Trees NYC! Enjoy!
Thank you, Tiffany!