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Batteries. The need for batteries is often the bane of my existence. We are a super techie family to begin with---but what is it with boys and batteries? It doesn't matter how many times I buy and hide new batteries, those boys can sniff them out like police dogs. If I ever need a battery, the first place I look is in the video game remotes. Then the boys' flashlights. Then their handheld games. My mom used to buy my husband a pack of batteries every Christmas because she knew he'd need them for the boys' new stuff. Now she just buys the boys each a pack on their birthdays. Guys are so hard to buy for---but batteries? Perfect gift every time.
You can imagine how thrilled I was to find Energizer's new EcoAdvanced recycled batteries at Walmart. I'll admit, there's a bit of guilt at how much our family throws away. We try to recycle, when possible, but it's not exactly safe to DIY-upcycle an old battery, you know? This is the first battery on the market to use recycled batteries and materials and is Energizer's longest lasting alkaline battery ever. They're good for up to 12 years in storage and provide guilt-free energy by taking something old and making it new. These will be excellent for our home and our homeschool. Here are some other tips on making a homeschool a little more environmentally-friendly.
Utilize Scratch Paper
We've had this old candy bar box as our scratch paper box for years. I fill it with paper that didn't print right, junk mail with blank backs, old grocery lists---anything that has some coloring space left on it. Before I started doing this, my kids would always ask for more and more paper to color on. Now they have a place they can find lots of scratch paper for doodling. Just be careful what you put in there---there has been more than one occasion where important bank documents got sent out into the world as pictures for pen pals!
Use the Library
Most homeschoolers know about the many resources their local libraries offer. From books to movies to reference manuals, we can plan an entire curriculum based on free library materials. This practice makes for a great green homeschool---shared materials are less natural resources used. However, there are other great benefits to the library. We love to hang out there in the dead of summer when it's so hot that air conditioning is a must. We can turn ours off and go enjoy theirs! In addition, many libraries offer classes on gardening, financial planning, and more to help you manage your green homeschool.
Turn it off
As a large family, we already use more than the average amount of water and electricity in a day. Compounded by the fact that we homeschool and are here using it all day, every day, this makes for some big utility bills! It's important to get in the habit of turning off lights, tv, and other plugged in appliances before leaving the room. Many homes, like ours, have light switches that are wired in to plug-ins. We arrange our rooms in such a way that the most-used lamps plug in to those outlets. That way we can turn off all the lights with one switch. In addition, save water by rinsing dishes in a pan of water, turning off the water while you brush, and showing the kids an imaginary line along the bathtub so they don't fill it too full.
Save your garbage
Several months ago, Selah taught us a great way to recycle toilet paper rolls by making bird feeders for the trees in our yard. This family goes through a lot of toilet paper---so this was something we were able to do easily to bless the wildlife in our yard. She spread peanut butter on each tube and then rolled it in bird seed. Some tubes we just slid over a thin, low branch. Others, we hung with twine. The birds and squirrels loved them!
Buy Recycled
Energizer's new EcoAdvanced recycled batteries are one of thousands of products that allow us to be smarter with our necessary "new" purchases. Available in AA and AAA, these batteries take what was destined for a landfill and turn it into something wonderfully new. Guess all those "dead batteries" aren't so dead anymore, eh?
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What are some ways you make your homeschool a greener place to learn?
I love the idea of the recycled batteries!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas!! We love the eco advanced batteries, and I'm definitely going to make a few of those bird feeders! #client
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