How to Teach Children to be Enviromentally Friendly

Parenting is tough. Not only are you charged with raising a child to be physically and emotionally healthy but also socially responsible. In this age of melting ice-caps, overflowing landfills and dwindling natural resources , it’s more important than ever to raise an eco-friendly child.

Here are some ways you can instill environmentally conscious values:

Start them young. Even before they are fully aware of the environment around them, make them “green” babies. Consider using cloth diapers and invest in organic baby blankets and organic baby clothing to keep your baby chemical-free and eco-friendly from the get-go.

Make your house an eco-friendly house. Choose non-toxic cleaners for your household needs or take advantage of the cleaning power of baking soda and white vinegar! Take a good look at your household energy use and choose organic towels whenever possible.

Green their play time! For babies and toddlers, choose wooden toys over mass-produced plastic toys or buy second-hand instead of new. For older kids, take a break from electronics and lead a nature walk. Choose some fun bamboo craft projects to show them how to utilize sustainable projects. Play in a local park, find a nearby creek to splash around in or take the entire weekend and go camping! Teaching kids to appreciate and enjoy nature will make them more determined to preserve it.

Make recycling fun! Recycling is an accessible activity for young ones in the house. Let the kids decorate the recycling bin to make it their own! Reward them when they remember to place their cans and bottles in the bins. Make sure they know what a difference they are making with one simple step.

Teach the importance of conservation. You’ve already done what you can to conserve energy in the home but let the kids help out in conservation efforts where they can. Start a rain collection system that lets them see how much water they can catch. Encourage them to turn off and unplug lights and electronics not in use. On a nice day, let them help you hang clothes on the clothesline instead of using the dryer!

Get dirty! Growing your own food teaches kids to appreciate what is on the table and lets them see how important it is to maintain a healthy planet so all our gardens can grow. Encourage them to plant seeds and tend to their plants (they can use the water they collected!). Help them build a compost pile so that less waste is heading to your trash bin. Take them to the farmer’s market so they can take in the local food movement! Consider growing a bamboo garden and make sure they know that bamboo is incredible at taking in CO2 and converting it to oxygen for us to breathe.

Volunteer. Teach kids the importance of giving back! If you’re already a member of an environmental awareness group, see if they have a youth membership and let your child become an advocate for a greener world. If you don’t have a garden for them to grow, find a community garden in your area that needs help. And while they might not thank you for it now, sign them up to help at local park clean-up day.
As important as these tips are, remember that a parent is the strongest role model most kids will have. Make sure to lead by example – conserve water and energy where you can, choose alternative fabrics when possible and know that even the smallest gesture will teach your kids that being environmentally responsible is a responsibility that we all share.

Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Ingredients
4 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


In a medium pot, cook peaches, water, sugar, margarine, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg until tender but not mushy. Set aside.

Pastry for Peach Cobbler
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1/4 cup cold water

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add cold water, stirring, just until the dough holds its shape. Roll out on a floured board and cut into strips. Work with clean hands to form dough into a ball. Chill 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out half of dough and cut into stripes about ½ inch thickness. Pour half of peaches in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top peaches with about 6 to 8 pastry stripes spreading about 2 inches apart. Bake until stripes are lightly brown and flaky. Pour remaining peaches over stripes then weave stripes into a lattice over peaches. Sprinkle with topping.

Topping for Peach Cobbler
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons margarine, soften

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle on top of cobbler. Speckle top with margarine about 2 to 4 inches apart. Return to oven and bake until top crust is golden brown.

Chocolate Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients:

32 chocolate sandwich cookied, divided
4 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package semi sweet baking chocolate, melted, slightly cooled
4 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Quarter 20 of the cookies; set aside.  finely crush remaining 12 cookies; press firmly into bottom of greased pan.  Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add chocolate; mix well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.  Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of the quartered cookies.  Pour over crust.  Sprinkle with remaining quartered cookies.

Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until center is almost set.  Run knife for metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake.  Cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Raspberry Ganache Pie

Ingredients:

1 8 oz package Semi sweet baking chocolate, coarsley chopped
1 cup whipping cream
6 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 chocolate pie crust
2 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

Place chocolate in medium bowl; set aside.  Mix cream and 2 tablespoons of the jam in small saucepan.  Bring just to boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Pour over chocolate in bowl.  Let stand 2 minutes.

Beat with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended.  Pour into crust; cover.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Arrange raspberries on top of pie.  Microwave remaining 1/4 cup jam and water in small microwaveable bowl on high 30 seconds; stir until well blended.  Brush over raspberries.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients
1 pound black-eyed peas
4 cups water
1 medium onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cubed ham (option substitutes: 2 polish sausages,
2 hot sausage links, or bacon)
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper (optional)

Pick and wash the black-eyed peas. Place in slow cooker or, if you wish to cook them on the top of the stove, a large Dutch over. Combine with salt, pepper, onion, water, and ham or other meat. You can add crushed red pepper if you like spicy food. simmer on the top of the stove or turn slow cooker to high and allow peas to cook 3 to 4 hours. Serves 6 to 8.

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
3 pounds chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
1 t. dried coriander
1T. fresh chopped thyme
4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Place chicken in a Dutch oven with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, coriander and cayenne pepper. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.

Remove chicken, and let rest until cool enough to handle. Cut the chicken, leaving the meat in large chunks; set aside.

Remove bay leaves from the broth, and discard. Skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the broth. Heat broth to a slow steady boil. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in milk, and beat until stiff. Drop batter 1 tablespoon at a time into the boiling broth. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add reserved chicken, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. The dumplings should be puffed and the meat warmed through. Garnish with parsley, and serve immediately. Serve 8

Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients:

• ¾ c. flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. margarine
• 1 egg
• ¾ c. milk
• ½ c. blueberries, washed and drained
• extra margarine for the pan

Utensils:

• stove (you'll need help from your adult assistant)
• large bowl
• mixing spoon
• saucepan
• medium-size bowl
• whisk
• measuring cups and spoons
• spatula

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
2. Melt the margarine in a small saucepan.
3. Crack the egg into a medium-size bowl, then add the milk and melted margarine.
4. Whisk egg mixture until it is well mixed.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk again until both mixtures are blended together.
6. Put extra margarine in the saucepan and heat it on the stovetop on medium heat. It is hot enough when the margarine starts to bubble.
7. Use a measuring cup or a small ladle to spoon the batter into the pan. Put some blueberries on top of each pancake.
8. Cook your pancakes on medium heat until small bubbles appear on the top.
9. Use a spatula to see when your pancakes are light brown on the bottom. When they are, flip them over with the spatula.
10. Cook for another few minutes until the pancakes are light brown on the other side.
11. Remove your pancakes and put them on plates to enjoy!