This post is sponsored by Toyota. ¡Gracias!
Even though summer officially started just over a week ago, I feel like we’ve been at it for a while now since my girl has been out of school for three weeks. Aside from the fun Spanish arts camp she’s attending, we’re finding different ways to enjoy the city we live in and its surroundings without leaving a huge footprint in our wallet or the environment. Not only have we been going to museums we’ve never visited before, like the Museum of Latina American Art, but we’re also getting creative closer to home and keeping this summer’s eco-consciousness theme at heart.
Here are 5 ways to enjoy the summer as a family while learning more about nature, the environment and how to care for it.
1. Visit libraries and join their reading programs, especially if you’re lucky enough to find one in Spanish! Loaning books is a great way to teach children the value of one of the three R’s: Reusing. A great way to do that is to let your kid choose a book he’s ready to donate to the library.
2. Spend time outdoors in either your patio, a park, the beach or any patch of land you all enjoy. Being outdoors is the best way to teach children about nature, from plants, to bugs, to wildlife, and show them how to care for it.
3. Plant a garden and have it be a family task to take care of it. If you don’t have space for a garden, just find pots or, even better, recyclable materials you can convert in fun planters. Caring for their plants, herbs and veggies/fruits teaches kids about the importance of eating fresh foods.
4. Take short road trips around your state that can become an eco-adventure if you explore national parks. We’ve found that having the Toyota Prius V definitely motivates us to get out of the city and explore, knowing we have a lower carbon footprint and we emit less pollution since less fuel is burned.
5. Plan projects of arts and crafts with recycled objects found around the house, or even the neighborhood, if you want to go on a clean up mission! Add reading to this activity by choosing a book in Spanish to read out loud and then have your child create a craft based on the story or her favorite character.
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