Most parents want to raise children that are empathetic and that show they have social consciousness. We hope to guide our children into adulthood to be people that care about their planet and about their fellow man. The very first thought that occurs to me along these lines is raise them to appreciate my political beliefs but politics rarely solve anything in this day and age, everyone has their own agenda. The most important thing has to be showing by example what it takes to be a good citizen of our planet and our community. Being a secular family, we have to look for opportunities that fall outside of religious organization. Here are some ways to include kids in our social and planetary awareness activities:
1. Each month (perhaps on a specific day) go through your pantry and donate a small box of food to your local food bank or shelter. Have the children pick the items, box them, and then accompany you to deliver them. The car ride is a great time to discuss being homeless or hungry.
2. Volunteer at a food bank or pantry. Usually children have to be 13 or older but this is an excellent way for them to connect the dots and see the people faced with these issues.
3. Once every other month (or more frequently if you desire) take your child to the store to buy a few pet supplies to donate to your local animal shelter. Auctions and garages sales are also good places to get these supplies. You can also make items that the shelters need, such as blankets. It doesn’t have to be much.. perhaps just a bag of food. Take your child with you to donate these items and then stay awhile to visit with the animals. You may find that your children look forward to this event with much anticipation.
4. Along the same lines as the above… see if your child would like to forgo gifts at their birthday party and request pet donations instead. The guests could also make homemade dog biscuits to donate as well.
5. Once a month reserve a time to go to a local or state park, waterway, or some other nature area to pick up garbage. Seeking out garbage is a great way to clean our natural spaces and spend time as a family. My kids (4, 6, and 10) LOVE to go on our own private clean-ups. Local communities also have organized events. I know Ohio does.
6. Go through older toys, clothes, and sporting equipment quarterly to donate to area homeless shelters. Make sure to include your kids in the selection and donation process.
7. Have a family garden? Plant a row for the homeless. One whole row of your garden can be used to grow produce for your local food bank. The kids can water, weed, harvest, and deliver. They will have a great sense of pride in raising food to feed other people.
8. Let your children see you in acts of everyday kindness. If they see your concern for the homeless man under the freeway overpass, the way you delivery groceries to the family crisis center, or your need to stop for a lost animal to check their tags, they too will learn compassion for those less fortunate. The best way to help our children with social and planetary awareness is to model it ourselves.
I am reading an excellent book right now called The Power of Half. It is about an amazing family who, after being motivated by their 14 year old daughter, sold their Atlanta mansion, moved into a house half its size, and donated half the sale price of their original home to a worthy charity. And that was just the beginning. It is about finding happiness by learning to live with less so others can just live.
Hey,
Have you seen this, it’s brilliant.
11-year-old Birke Baehr has “discovered the dark side of the industrialized food system.” And he explains it so simply in this five-minute talk at TEDx.
Birke says he used to want to be a pro football player, but now wants to be an organic farmer. He also says that he “likes eating baked kale chips” and that “we can pay the farmer or we can pay the hospital.” But his best line might be his closing statement: “Next time you’re at the grocery store, think local, choose organic, know your farmer, and know your food.”
Get inspired by this amazing 11-year-old!
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com
Anj
Thanks for sharing! I will defiantley try to do some of things with my children!
Tiffany, you are so right about politics. It never solves anything anymore. Change never ever comes from the top down. It comes from the bottom up where parents raise their kids with morals and good intentions. Change starts with the grassroots. We create our reality and we can change the world starting with ourselves and our immediate environment. I sense this with the local food movement and the liberty movement. We are changing things and we are living in interesting times ;-)
Love this !
These are great. I’ve started a new blog that I hope will help re-introduce my kids (and others) to their own imaginations. I think that imagination is a very imporant base on the way to social consciousness and spirituality. We already do a few of these on a regular basis but I plan to start a community cleanup effort at least once a month at our favorite park. Right now we have a lot going on with school in because I donate my time to watch some neighborhood kids whose parents work. Once summer comes, we’ll be doing lots more though.