As our population continues to grow, it seems that people spend more and more time indoors. Remember the old adage 'out of sight, out of mind'? Some of us rarely see the sun when we have to take the kids to school before sunrise and don't make it home until well after sunset. It makes talking about conservation of the planet somewhat alien to us. It may seem hard to get your children to show an interest in the world around them, but they will start caring if you start early and take small steps. You may not make a difference overnight, but you may just make a difference in the future of the planet.

Before you start to talk with your kids about what they can do for the environment, take a look at what you are doing for the environment. After all, kids learn by watching, not hearing. Even if you're not Captain Planet, you can make a difference with small steps. Make sure you can name at least two things you do for each of the 'r's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. A couple easy ones: reuse your plastic bags from the grocery store or ask for paper bags and use natural, environmentally friendly products. (FemHW recommends Target's Method line for natural, environmentally friendly cleaning products on a budget.)

Alright, now that we've made sure that you are practicing what you preach, we can move on to introducing it more directly to your children. Start out simple - have them place their own recyclables into the correct bin and teach them about carpooling by taking them along when you go to drop off your family's recyclables. If you live in a neighborhood that allows it, you can build a compost pile together. Give them a few bucks to pick out something they'd like to try at the organic food store or in the organic section. Challenge your kids to make any place they go look better than they found it - an easy way is to pick up bits of trash and put them into a trash can.

Knowledge is power. Cheesy or no, it's true. The people with the most power to help the environment are the ones who know the most about it. Children are sponges, soaking up information wherever they go. Make the best of this time and don't put all the strain on yourself. Zoos and nature centers usually offer free educational classes for children as young as three years old. These classes are a valuable resource in helping your children on the road to being environmentally conscious adults.

People love to feel like what they do matters. A very effective way to get your children to volunteer alongside you is to show them the difference your volunteer efforts have made. If your children are too old or mature for those zoo and nature center classes mentioned above, contact the sponsors. They may need an extra hand in corralling all those children or in the maintenance of the park. It is important that your kids, no matter their age, are able to see and meet others of their age group who are interested in the environment. After all, taking care of Earth should be a global experience.

People, even children, who are used to doing things one way or another will likely be resistant to change. Don't be afraid to challenge them and yourself a little in order to be more environmentally friendly. Once you convince your child that he/she can impact the WHOLE Earth with his/her help, you're sure to have a life-long environmentalist.