Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in West LA, CA

Today we welcome guest poster Jennifer Taggart, who runs the website TheSmartMama and provides eco consulting services to reduce toxic chemicals in the home, including testing toys and household goods for lead, cadmium, chromium and other elements using an XRF analyzer. She is an environmental attorney focusing on consumer product labeling, former environmental engineer, mom of 2 and author of the forthcoming The Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Non Toxic Babies.

A very wise Native American saying says, We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.

And if we borrow it from our children, then we must make sure that we treat it well. Our children and our children's children will live here after us, and we don't want them to have an Earth full of toxic chemicals, without access to clean air or clean water, and too hot. What if your children's children could never see an elephant, polar bear, or eagle in the wild?

So most of us try to be green. We want our children to be healthy and safe so we try to eliminate toxic chemicals. We want them to have access to clean water and clean air and a vibrant earth, so we do we what we can to conserve water and fight climate change.

And we want to teach our children to be environmentally aware. And let me tell you, out of the mouths of babes we will change the world. I have a thing about cigarette butts. Contrary to popular belief, they do not degrade. Cigarette butt litter is a major problem, from the plastic filters that end up in our oceans to the toxic chemicals that leach out. In any event, I always pick them up and throw them in the trash when out walking, and yell at people who drop them out of cars. I didn't really think my kids were paying attention, until my 4 year old son watched a man flick a cigarette butt on the ground. He marched over, picked it up and handed it back to the man with the admonition, This is trash. You're killing the fish.

So how can you raise environmentally aware kids?

Lead by example. You have to walk the walk if you want your children to do so. What you say must match what you do. If you want them to turn out lights when they leave a room, you need to do it too. If you want them to recycle, you need to do it. And, when appropriate, you can remind them why it is important to do so. It can be as simple as 'saving energy saves the world or recycling saves resources so that they can connect the action to the result. But that is hard, especially for toddlers. Let's face it - adults have a difficult time connecting individual actions to global problems, so you can't expect your toddlers to do so. But instilling the simple messages now will stick with them for a lifetime. Who doesn't remember give a hoot, don't pollute!

Make every day a lesson. Okay, this can get heavy handed. Kids don't want a lesson all the time. But, if you are talking a walk or playing at a park and you see trash, use it to emphasize why not littering and recycling are important. Also, teach them to respect and enjoy nature. To revel in the wonder of it. The texture of a rock, the path of a beetle, the smell of a flower, and the intricacy of a spider's web are all amazing and inspirational. Get down and dirty, and inspire your child to respect nature. And if your child can be amazed and appreciative of nature, I can guarantee your child will want to protect the planet.

Make it fun. Make it fun for them, and they'll learn. You can make almost anything fun. For example, at our house, we do preventive maintenance on our drains monthly to keep everything flowing. We use baking soda (1/3 cup), followed by white distilled vinegar (1/2 cup), and let it foam. Chase with hot water after 5 minutes. All little kids love this volcanic type action so let them clean the drains, and explain why using simple, non-toxic household cleaners is better for the environment. Whatever the action you are trying to get, try turning it into a game or adventure with a message. Make your own bubble bath (1 cup Castile liquid soap, cup water, - 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin) and talk about reducing chemicals. Trying to take shorter showers use a timer and make it a race. When going for a walk, see who can collect the most trash. My son absolutely loves using the garbage picker-upper (handheld claw). Trying to repurpose items? See who is the most creative. Take a cereal box cover it with foil, and it can be a robot or add some colored paper and it's a puppet theater.

Use what they love. Use their favorite cartoons or movies to talk about environmental issues. Finding Nemo or SpongeBob? Talk about the importance of preserving our oceans. You can weave in not littering (if your storm drains go to the ocean), the impact of plastics (Great Plastic Garbage Patch), or reef safe sunscreens. Ice Age II: The Meltdown? Global warming. Wall-E? Consuming less.

Get them involved. A number of great organizations exist that involve kids in being green. Try Kids for a Clean Environment or Kids for Saving Earth. And many environmental organizations have events and websites geared for kids.

If you want more tips, you might want to check out Jenn Savedge's The Green Parent: A Kid Friendly Guide to Earth-Friendly Living.