Empower children to keep the world beautiful by sharing these simple ways children can help with conservation efforts.

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Simple Ways Children Can Help with Conservation
What You'll Find on This Page
Teaching children about conservation is an excellent way to teach them to value what they have, and to look after those things. Conservation has been a big topic in our family these past few years due to a drought in California.
A couple years ago I wrote a post about how kids can celebrate earth day all year round. Today’s post focuses on three simple ways children can help with conservation.
Teach Children to Love the World
Getting out in nature is a wonderful way to teach children to love and care for the world. Picture books are also wonderful resources. I wrote this post to go along with the book, Over In the Meadow, which gets kids thinking about all of the animals we share the world with. I also asked a marine biologist friend to recommend a few books. Here are a few of her favorites:
- The Eye of the Whale is based on the true story of saving an entangled whale off the Northern Californian coast.
- Limu the Blue Turtle and His Hawaiian Garden tells about an invasive algae.
- This Is the Sea That Feeds Us is less conservation, but showing how the food web of the ocean is connected to people.
I found copies of all three books, and my kids and I second my friend’s recommendations! Do you have a book to add to this list?
Recycle
Recycling is a very easy way to get kids to help with conservation. We live in an area where you can recycle or compost nearly everything, but laws and availability varies by location. If you live in an area where composting is a challenge, give my urban composting a try!
The Easiest Way to Help with Conservation? Don’t Buy Things You Don’t Need

Every time we buy something, we collect packaging as well as clutter in our homes. Teach children to avoid buying things they don’t need and won’t use for more than a few minutes. Encourage them to get creative with clothes too old to donate and other materials that are headed to the trash instead.
How are you teaching your children about conservation?
Storybook Science
Today’s post is part of the Storybook Science series hosted by my friend Trisha. You can find more fascinating scientific activities inspired by children’s books here:
Do you have a great conservation themed book or activity you think we will enjoy? Please share any ideas you have about how children can help with conservation on my Facebook page, or tag me on Instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Unfortunately, saving Mother Earth is falling heavily on this generation of kids. I love your ideas!
My kids are so used to living in drought that they got used to conserving water, now that Texas is finally not in a drought it’s a weird feeling.
We use old clothes for stuffing stuff.
These are great ideas and the best part is that children would actually enjoy them.
Amalia
xo
These are all great ideas. We are trying to reduce clutter and donate things we don’t need to the families that could use them.
Yes!
is a variation on over in the Meadow that we love. It’s great for any families who live in the desert.
Way Out in the Desert
That book sounds great! Time to find a copy.
These are excellent ways we can help with conservation. I agree that teaching our kids to love the world will help them want to protect it. Learning about food webs and how we are all connected is definitely part of conservation.