We always care about our children’s habits and hobbies, but are we teaching them responsibility towards sustainability? Yes, it is the need of the hour that we enlighten them about water scarcity on the earth. You can start that by making tiny changes in their day-to-day life. Today, in this blog, you will find fun and easy ways to save water for kids.
Ways to Save Water for Kids
Kids need to know how crucial their little actions are toward our prime source of life, water. Spark a sense of responsibility towards nature in these young minds towards ways to save water at home.
1. Wash at Once
Making fruit salad for summer picnics? Wash the fruits and vegetables in a single pan with some baking soda, avoid cleaning them in running water for long.
2. Refill Water Bottle
Drinking water in a glass each time and washing them repeatedly wastes lots of water. Instead, buy an eco-friendly copper bottle, refill and use it.
3. Take a 5-min Shower
Did You Know: how much water is going down the drain when we shower?
- Approx. 2.1 gallons (9 liters) per minute, if using a water-efficient showerhead.
- Around 19 liters per minute with an old style showerhead.
Taking long baths once in a while will be soothing, but do you need them every day? It is thus recommended to take 5-min showers to save gallons of water in the long run.
4. Turn-off When Not in Use
While brushing your teeth, don’t leave the water running. In the shower, while shampooing, close the shower, apply shampoo, and then wash it off. Do not let water run while applying shampoo. Can you name some more activities where you can turn off water while doing it?
5. Reuse Water
Waste water from sinks can be diverted into toilet flushes or to water plants and gardens. This way we are reusing the water.
6. Reuse Clothes and Towels
Washing clothes after every single use would consume water and detergent, leading to water wastage and pollution. It is recommended to hang your clothes instead of throwing them here and there. This will keep them clean and you can wear them again. However, do not recommend this for undergarments, though.
You can do the same with towels and napkins after a single use. You can sun dry and use them again if they are only wet with water.
7. Help with Dishwash Chores
Kids can help elders by filling in dishwashers, as dishwashers take less water when compared to doing dishes. You can scrape the oily stains on the dishes with your mom for an efficient wash.
8. Bikes Wash with Bucket
If you plan to wash your bikes/bicycles, don’t use a hosepipe or running water. Take a bucket of water and a sponge for it. You will be saving lots of water this way.
9. Avoid Spray Guns
Planning to divide teams and play tower games with water guns? Sounds fun! But refilling your water guns every now and then and splashing too much water. Don’t you think this wastes water?
10. Detect Leaks Around
Want to play something new and interesting? Let’s see who can find the leaking faucet in the house? Any Mummy, do not forget to fix these leakage points. Also, you have to treat the kids with brownies once they complete the challenge.
11. Kiddie Water Pool Protocol
Playing in water pool in your backyard with friends, siblings, and your pets. Sounds fun, right. But overfilling it will spill more, and the pool will get empty faster. So, do not fill to the brim and enjoy while saving the water.
Find out why you should fill bathtub with water during a power outage?
12. Place for Pet Water Bowls
Drinking water is equally important for pets as it is for us. Find a shady place to keep the bowl. This will prevent it from heating up and evaporate quickly. And make sure your pet friends stay hydrated.
13. Start a Water Journal of the House
Did You Know: If you follow an activity for 21 days, it becomes a habit.
So try to journalize all the activities you do to save water at home for 21 days. This will help you to not miss out any activity. Also, you will get an idea of how better you are doing day-by-day.
Ways to Save Water at School
We know our kids spend a good amount of time in school than at home. This brings us to another point to teach them ways to save water in school. We have simplified the list to make it doable even for a 1st grader.
14. Turn off Water in Bathrooms
It is not just when our kids are using the tap but when they notice any leaking or flowing tap. We need to tell kids to turn off taps even if they notice someone else left them on by mistake. It is a responsible habit and everyone should follow it.
15. Do Not Waste Food
Did You Know: To feed the world’s population, around 52.8 million gallons of water is used per second. Calculate how much is used per day?
And this refers to the amount use to produce the food, and for cooking it needs more water. This is why Mummy always asks you to finish your lunch.
16. Use a Single Plate in the Cafeteria
The more plates you use the more water it takes to wash them. Thus, avoid using more than one tray in the cafeteria and encourage your friends to do the same.
17. Cover Swimming Pools
If you are not old enough to cover the school pool yourself, you can remind your teacher to do so. Overexposure to the sun results in evaporating pool water and it needs to be refilled again.
18. Mulch the Landscape
Gardening is always fun and in your activity class you can lay a mulch layer in the school gardens. It suppresses weeds and decreases water evaporation from soil.
19. Form a Club
Just like scouts, kids can form groups to spread awareness about water wastage in their class, school, and neighborhood. This will not only make them climate warriors but also improve their leadership and management skills.
Water Saving Tips for Kids
Apart from the above-mentioned ways to save water for kids, here are some water conservation tips for kids to follow.
1. Making Rainwater Collector
We all know the efficiency of rainwater harvesting and it is good for kids to learn about it. We can encourage them to develop a water working model as a summer project. Obviously, we would not burden them with everything. We should help them when needed.
2. Tree Planting Drive
Either with their group or with you, kids can start a Tree Planting Drive. This can be done at their school or your neighborhood. This is the best initiative we can do with our kids and let them have a beautiful experience planting saplings.
Trees are very important for rainfall, this fact needs to be understood by kids. They need to witness nature but in a good way and watching a tree grow with them will be a valuable experience.
So by following small steps, we can encourage different ways for kids to save water. Children by contributing little things will help them grow as responsible adults tomorrow.
Recommended: 15 Most Common Water Wastage Causes and their Effects
