South Africa is going through a water crises hence its best parents instill these water saving lessons from an early age.
Close taps when not in use
Teach your children to close taps or mixers in the bathroom and kitchen after washing their hands or while brushing their teeth. You can stick laminated colourful signs near the basin and bath as a daily reminder and verbally encourage them to close taps tightly after using them. Forming good habits like these comes down to simple reinforcement, which means you may have to repeat yourself a few times – in a pleasant manner – to help them remember
Be a good example
Kids are a lot like sponges when it comes to picking up good and bad habits – they absorb what they hear and see around them. Therefore, it’s so important for parents to set a good example for little ones, particularly when it comes to saving water. That means demonstrating how you as the adult go the extra mile to save water during everyday tasks – whether you’re using just a small sink full of soapy water to wash the dishes or capturing water in a bucket while showering.
Shower power
Encourage your kids to shower instead of bath to save water. An average bath holds between 150 and 200 litres of water, while the average shower uses about 9 litres of water a minute, which means a five-minute shower requires almost a quarter of the amount of water compared to a bath. You can also lessen the amount of water used during a shower significantly by simply turning the faucet off while you lather yourself up, and only turning it back to quickly rinse off – a great tip for kids and parents alike. Ensuring you have a low-flow shower-head to control the flow rate of water is also a great way to save water during bath time. Another innovative way to save water is to stand in a shallow bucket while showering thus collecting all the water that would have gone down the drain and re-using this ‘grey water’ to water your garden/plants.
