credit:woodleywonderworksNo, a UFO has not landed, but at one time recycling would have been just as foreign an idea. Today children are proudly claiming to be "green" as a sign that they will not waste our natural resources.

One day these children will no doubt shake their heads at the previous generations who wasted so much, making it not a choice but a necessity for them to reuse everything possible.

Parents, you can encourage your children by setting the right example, and by making recycling a natural part of your family's home maintenance.

You can also work with your child's classroom teacher. There is considerable waste of paper products in schools across America. It is important that we teach children to be "green" at school. Here are some simple suggestions, please let us know if you have others:

1. Use both sides of the paper if possible.

2. Erase mistakes instead of getting a new sheet of paper every time. (A smudge should not be a crime.)

3. Plan ahead and make the most of art paper. (No circle cut out of the middle and the rest thrown away.)

4. Post signs in the school to remind children to conserve.

5. Each classroom and office should have a recycling bin. (Clean paper is not trash any more.)

There is much to be done so let's unite with all our kids and say to them, "Thank you for being green, we are green too!

Saving our environment together,

The Schoolmarm