5 Books & Activities that Inspire Kids on Sustainability

Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, an aunt or uncle, at some point the responsibility to pass on knowledge falls upon us. As much as language, math and science are important to our kids' education, imparting good values and habits are equally essential in building the foundation of a strong yet empathetic young person. 

To do that, we need to go beyond the schools' textbooks and take a page out of the wonders of Mother Nature. Learning to appreciate our environment and treat it with kindness is a great way to start! The books and simple activities we’d like to share revolve around "Love", "Kindness" and "Appreciation" - to the planet, to animals, to oneself and also to the people around us.

In this blog post, we’ll be discussing 5 amazing books & activities that inspire kids to love our planet:

• Old Enough to Save the Planet
• How to Talk To A Tiger
• My Encyclopedia Of Very Important Oceans
• Slow Down On Your Doorstep
• Be Kind Puzzle

Old Enough To Save the Planet

When touching on the topic of our planet, it's hard not to mention "climate change". It is an important subject to introduce to our little ones as they face a challenging world ahead, but this topic needs to be threaded carefully, as you wouldn't want to turn them into climate-anxious helpless persons. Letting them understand the sense of empowerment and the possibility of change is a powerful tool and that each act of kindness to our planet is never too big or small to make a difference.

Available at Pass It On: Old Enough To Save The Planet

A great way to inspire young ones, this book shares the positive actions of kids from different parts of the world - and how they are attempting to play a part in saving the planet. By sharing stories of young children perhaps in a similar age range to themselves, this gives them something to relate to and that they can also make a change.

Suitable for kids between the ages of 4 to 7 years old.

✦ Pass It On Tip: Pair this book with our Congo Basin Plantable Candle as a great way to start a conversation about protecting our forests while learning about the planet.

 Available at Pass It On: How To Talk To A Tiger...and Other Animals

 How To Talk To A Tiger…And Other Animals

In all honesty, how much do we really know about animals? A book that’s jam-packed with lesser known fun facts and beautifully illustrated infographics - even us adults can learn so much alongside educating the young ones.

Available at Pass It On: How To Talk To Tigers...And Other Animals

Divided into four main chapters, the book features more than 100 animals and their many incredibly fascinating methods of communicating - from bees dancing to farting herrings and hand-holding otters, this book is truly for everyone and is one that is most likely going to be permanent on the bookshelf for quite some time.

Suitable for kids between the ages of 6 to 8 years old.

✦ Pass It On Tip: Pair this book with our Amazon Plantable Candle, a great way to immerse one's senses with the rainforests.

My Encyclopedia Of Very Important Oceans

With the Earth's surface being 71% water, there's plenty to learn about one of Earth's most valuable resources - the oceans.

Available at Pass It On: My Encyclopedia of Very Important Oceans

What we love about this book is that despite it being an encyclopedia (what a big daunting word!), it's actually a really easy read with short and simple sentences that make learning so much more enjoyable! As they say, the ocean holds many secrets to our world - if our children learns to appreciate it more, imagine the wonders they can unlock!

Another point we love about this book is that it contains so many real pictures of animals from the ocean, combined with fun illustrative infographics. If you've already bought many books for your kids that are illustration based, this would be a great addition to your shelf that includes more life-like examples of nature!

Suitable for kids between 5 to 9 years old. 

✦ Pass It On Tip: Pair this book with our Great Barrier Reef Plantable Candle as a reminder of one of the many important components of the ocean.

Available at Pass It On: Slow Down...On Your Doorstep

Slow Down...On Your Doorstep

A million wonderful natural occurrences happen from day to night, yet we tend to ignore them in this fast-paced world simply because we’re too busy to slow down. Thus Slow Down...On Your Doorstep is a book that cultivates the charming beauty of little moments inspired by nature - like watching a chick hatching from an egg, dew collecting on a leaf and a spider weaving its web.

Available at Pass It On: Slow Down...On Your Doorstep

As we impart the beauty of nature to young minds - take this chance to also reflect, what other moments do we tend to ignore? This book comes with charming rhyming verse for each natural cycle. How about adding on to it by forming other rhymes together while witnessing how nature unfolds extraordinary moments each day?  

Suitable for kids between the ages of 0 to 2 years old.

Available at Pass It On: Be Kind 1000pc Puzzle

 Be Kind 1000pc Puzzle

Teaching kids to be kind from an early age is essential because “kindness helps children’s mental health, their resilience, as well as their peak performance,” says educational psychologist Michele Borba. The ‘Be Kind Puzzle' is a 2-in-1 - as young minds go on a path to discover multiple kindnesses prompts to practice daily, they also practice the art of mindfulness by simply slowing down and being focused in the present moment.

According to Dr Maxwell Maltz, ‘it takes 21 days to build a habit’, and this is exactly why the ‘Be Kind Puzzle’ also comes with a 21 Days of Kindness Fill-In Calendar - an extended form of noting down an act of kindness each in hops to form a regular habit such that it is a characteristic ingrained from young.

Suitable for kids (and adults) between the ages of 8 years old and above.

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If educating children on the intrinsic value of being kind and grateful is on your list, why not start with these simple, engaging yet effective ways? With books and activities for children of different age groups, these can also be great ways to keep in touch with mindfulness ourselves as adults and act as a meaningful one-on-one bonding session too.