NEED some fresh inspo for keeping the kids entertained?
Why not teach them a few clever energy saving habits while having fun?
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Power Patrol
Children love to be in charge! Make your little one Chief Monitor For Making Sure Appliances Are Switched Off At The Plug When Not In Use. Whenever you leave an appliance on standby, it continues to drain energy, a bit like an energy vampire.
This can add around an extra £30 to your annual electricity bill. The kids can make a checklist and Power Patrol badges. If you’ve got a smart meter, your kids can even watch energy usage in near-real time on the in-home display, so how about giving them a little pocket money bonus if the display shows less energy has been used for five days in a row?
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Laundry basketball
Bundling socks and T-shirts into a ball and aiming them at the laundry basket is great exercise! How many can your little hotshot score? Make up a sports commentary and don’t forget the victory dance when they get a slam dunk. The challenge? Anything that doesn’t make the basket has to wait until the next wash.
Helping kids understand the difference between essential washing and “can’t-be-bothered-to-put-it-away-so-I’ll-dump-it-in-the-laundry” could reduce your number of weekly washes. Fewer washes mean less energy and water is used, so you may well reduce your bills too.
Show and tell: ‘magic’ lamp dusting
Take inspiration from Aladdin and his magic lantern by showing your child how giving lights and lamps a magic “dust” can restore their brightness. Explain how light bulbs are magnets for dust, which can affect their glow, so you end up putting more lights on. Make sure you switch lights off at the mains – and be sure that the lights haven’t been turned on for an hour or so before you embark on this mission. Use a dry microfibre or soft cloth to very gently wipe the bulbs clean: show your child the “before” and “after” results.
Let your child make a wish every time another light bulb is brought back to its former brilliance! And when you’ve finished, pull up a rug – or a duvet – and take an imaginary flight over magical lands.
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Lunchtime selfies
Create an energy-saving, no-cook lunch with crunch. Cut up raw ingredients and put them in bowls. Then get the kids to make edible self-portraits. Try grated carrot for red hair, cheese for fair hair or halved red grapes for darker curls, plus a slice of juicy apple for a nose, cucumber eyes and a big banana grin. The young ones get to top up their five-a-day and you’ll be reducing your energy use – cooking typically accounts for nearly 14 per cent of electricity demand in UK homes.
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Lights-out storytime
Cuddle up and help your little ones get used to spending at least some time in the dark before bed. Chances are you’ve read The Gruffalo a gazillion times, and know it by heart so you won’t need the lights on to tell that one. Or you could just make up your own version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Lighting can account for 15 per cent of a typical household’s energy bills, so if your tots don’t like the dark when it’s time for them to go to sleep, you could try using solar-powered fairy lights that charge up during the day. Night, night!
Search #energysavingtips or go to SmartEnergyGB.org for more energy saving advice.
