Create Craft
These suggestions might be useful if you want to contribute to making your child’s classroom and school more environmentally friendly but you’re not sure where to start. I received these recommendations from my friends Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson from Celebrate Green, and I’m sure you’ll find something useful here.
They also have some excellent tips for getting started. Make sure you have the principal’s support, buy-in, and permission (for any proposals that call for it) as well as any other support you might need before acting. A screaming “No!” after the fact will do more to quickly squash a program than anything else.
- Ask the school to use low-odor dry-erase markers and dust-free chalk
Certainly! Here’s a polite way to make your request:
Subject: Request for Low-Odor Dry-Erase Markers and Dust-Free Chalk
Dear [School Administrator/Principal/Teacher’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to bring to your attention a suggestion that could potentially benefit our school environment. Would it be possible to consider using low-odor dry-erase markers and dust-free chalk in our classrooms?
These options could help create a more comfortable and cleaner learning space for our students and staff alike. I believe this small adjustment could contribute positively to the overall atmosphere and reduce any potential distractions caused by strong odors or chalk dust.
Thank you for considering this request. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Best regards,
[Your Full Name][Your Contact Information]
Feel free to customize the message based on your specific situation or preferences!
2. Volunteer to Do Art Projects Using Junk
Teachers may be scared by the idea of teaching art because so many primary schools have lost their art teachers. You can intervene and offer to teach children how to create things out of commonplace items that are typically thrown out, such as plastic bags, bottles, cans, paper, fabric, wire, wood, and Styrofoam. The Internet is a creative’s dream come true, even if you’re not artistic.
3. Talk to Schools About Using Green Cleaning Products and Limiting the Use of Pesticides
It’s not a good omen when you enter a building and smell chlorine. Strong cleaning solutions that don’t include dangerous chemicals and don’t have to cost more are widely available. The problems with products that are heavily chemically loaded are simply unknown to many school administrators. Teach them!
4. Set up a Worm Bin
Youngsters adore worms. Food waste is a fantastic material for compost that worms love to create. A marriage made in heaven, indeed. Look up instructions online and perhaps bring up this suggestion with the science teacher beforehand. Worm castings are really profitable, so the school might be able to generate money off of this environmentally friendly initiative!
5. Volunteer to Help Start a Garden
It makes sense that school gardens are becoming more popular. Youngsters usually consume what they grow, which reduces waste in lunchrooms and encourages kids to eat healthier. Commence modestly by having one class plant something simple to cultivate, such as lettuce. If the school isn’t prepared to provide up land for the project, you could even grow it in pots.
6. Set up Cap Recycling Program
You would be surprised to learn how many lids and caps—including flip tops and twist tops of all kinds—you throw away annually. Unfortunately, local recycling systems frequently reject these. However, you can deliver them to Aveda or use Recycling is Cool to donate them to the Caps Can Do initiative. By placing a collecting box and telling parents and children about it, you can save thousands of plastic caps from ending up in landfills.
7. Motivate Your Child’s School to Become a “Green School“
The nation is home to numerous green school programs. Some could involve giving money to schools that implement improvements like developing and implementing sustainable curricula or conserving electricity. Discuss the value of this kind of activity for the students with the principal and the parent-teacher association at your school. Visit any of the following websites to find out more:
8. Send Reusable Water Bottles
Subject: Proposal for Reusable Water Bottles
Dear [School Administrator/Principal/Teacher’s Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to propose an initiative that I believe could benefit our school community: the introduction of reusable water bottles for students and staff.
By providing reusable water bottles, we can promote environmental sustainability by reducing single-use plastic waste. Additionally, this initiative encourages healthy hydration habits among students throughout the day.
I would be happy to discuss this proposal further and assist in any way possible to implement this initiative smoothly. Please let me know if you would like to explore this idea in more detail.
Thank you for considering this suggestion. I look forward to your response.
Best regards,
[Your Full Name][Your Contact Information]
9. Provide a Party Package
Present teachers with a party supply package full with reusable goods. Add plates, bowls, glasses, napkins and cutlery. You might even incorporate décor pieces if you’re very imaginative. Tell the teacher that you’re ready to take everything home, clean it up, and put it back after every party. Give away extras you own, buy cheap items at a thrift store, or ask each child’s family to provide one place setting.
10. Pack a No-Waste Lunch
Make sure your lunch contains no leftover food or packaging. Use eco-friendly packaging instead of paper or plastic bags, such as reusable cloth bags, stainless steel containers, and yes, even glass jars, cloth napkins, and reusable tableware. Make sure your child understands the no-waste objective and that she should bring anything that she doesn’t finish home for a later snack. (Pack her lunch bag with a cold pack.)