Kids Take Charge: Planet Protectors
Empower your children to plan a plastic-free vacation and learn a few grown-up skills along the way.
让我们的小小星球守护者做主，度过一个无一次性塑料制品的小长假吧。
Next time your family is planning a trip to see the world, why not try to save it too? Many children care deeply about wildlife, so let your kids take the lead in your family’s fight against single-use plastic—items like plastic straws, grocery bags, and water bottles that are made to be used only once then thrown away. These products often end up in our waterways, entangling animals or being mistaken for food. So put your kids in charge of eliminating single-use plastic from an upcoming family vacation, and watch as your little planet protectors become master planners, assertive activists, and creative problem-solvers.
Think ahead
出门前做好准备工作，用可重复使用的零食盒打包好零食，带上保温杯、折叠筷，用可重复使用的小瓶子装好洗簌用品。
You can’t reduce your reliance on single-use plastic without a little forward thinking: Forget to pack snacks, and you’ll find your kids reaching for those $12 plastic bags of candy at the airport.
Hold a family brainstorming session a few weeks before you go on your trip, and ask your children to imagine the activities you’ll be doing each day. Then ask them to make a list of the ways you might be tempted to use a single-use plastic item on the trip. Are you going for a long walk through the city? You might get thirsty and buy a plastic water bottle. Planning to shower at the hotel? You might use a plastic bottle of shampoo.
Challenge each child to pack a plastic-free kit they can bring along on the trip. It might include a reusable shopping bag, a bar of soap, shampoo and conditioner in reusable travel bottles, reusable utensils and straws, and a reusable water bottle.
Now for the best part: Take your kids to the bulk section of a grocery store to select their own snacks. Nuts, banana chips, and trail mix in reusable containers can make the difference between miserable kids and save-the-Earth sightseers.
Speak up
为停止使用一次性塑料用品发声，当别人为你提供一次性塑料制品时，说：“谢谢，不用。”
When your kids bring along their plastic-free kits, they’re only halfway to ditching the disposables. They’ll also have to speak up when plastic is offered to them—something even adults can find difficult.
Help children prepare by acting it out before leaving for your trip: Pretend to be a server offering plastic straws to the table. What does your child plan to say? Remind them to look the server in the eye and be polite. Your kids might even want to offer a reason for declining the plastic straws.
Speaking up for what they believe in will help children build confidence, even if they struggle the first time. Just keep encouraging them, and after a few restaurant meals, your kids will be total pros.
Solve problems
解决问题：想一想有什么替代措施。比如：可以买木制或者陶土玩具而不是塑料玩具。
Even after planning and practicing, avoiding single-use plastic will be an on-the-spot problem to solve while your family is traveling. Before buying an item wrapped in plastic, ask your children to think of creative solutions to avoid it. Craving ice cream on your visit to an amusement park? Ask for it in a cone instead of a cup that comes with a plastic spoon. This creative problem-solving will keep travelling children engaged—plus they just might come up with a totally genius idea to avoid plastic back home.
Your kids can order their ice cream in a cone instead of a plastic cup. 可以买现做的冰淇淋甜筒，而不是塑料包装的冰淇淋。
This exercise will teach your kids one more important skill: flexibility. It might be impossible to avoid plastic at times—and that’s OK. Teach children to try their best, and remind them that even small changes can make the world a better place.
entangle 纠缠
assertive 坚定而自信的
utensil 用具
ditch 丢弃
disposable 一次性的，用完丢弃的
原文链接：https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/2019/planet-protectors/
