Ways to Conserve Water for Kids
Each person in an average household uses about 80 to 100 gallons of water every day. Think of how many times you make a trip to the sink to wash your hands, pour a glass of water, flush the toilet or take a shower. This number may be higher for children, who aren't fully aware of the effects of wasting water. For instance, they might think it's funny to repeatedly flush a toilet, even though one flush can use up to three gallons of water. If you want your children to be more conscientious about water use, there are a few ways that you can teach them to conserve.
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Make It a Game
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Kids tend to respond well to new initiatives when you make it into a game. So make water conservation a constant game in your household. Establish the rules and terms of the "game" so each child understands completely.
You can challenge the kids to decrease the number of gallons consumed on your next water bill. Write the number of gallons consumed from the last bill on a bulletin board for all of the children to see, and tell them that they'll each receive a prize whenever the household water consumption for the period drops.
Once the bill starts to level off, reward the children for each period that they help maintain this low level of water consumption in the house. This game may even cause your kids to start putting the pressure on the adults in the household to use less water.
Bathroom Conservation
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The bathroom is one specific room in the house where people use a lot of water. Focus most of your attention on teaching your kids conservation habits here. For instance, explain that while it's ideal for the child to brush his teeth for two minutes or longer, he should not allow the water to run for those whole two minutes. Tell the child to go outside of the bathroom to brush so he won't be tempted to leave the water on.
Encourage children to take quick, five-minute showers as soon as they're able---taking a shower uses about 10 to 25 gallons of water compared to as many as 70 for a bath.
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Water Activities
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Some children who live in poor countries have to walk miles in order to retrieve the water they need to perform basic life duties. To drive home the value of water to your children, set aside one day to make your older children work just as hard as a disadvantaged child does to get the water he needs for a day.
Position several clean barrels of water (or a few cases of bottled water if you want) about two miles away from your home. Tell your kids that they're not allowed to use any water from the faucet for the entire day---they have to retrieve these barrels. Walk with them and make them carry the water home for use. Explain that this is what some children in other countries have to do every day.
The children are only allowed to use the water that they carried home---no exceptions. The walk itself should be strenuous enough to show your children the true value of clean water so they will be more conscientious about conservation.
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- Photo Credit case of water color and brush in water image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
