*Editor's note: Today we are very pleased to welcome guest writer, Kellen Marshall-Gillespie:
It is extremely important as environmentally aware parents that we all consider the values and lessons we are teaching our children. It is not only environmental efforts that will save the earth but a collective effort among all ethnicities and species as well. Sometimes we are comfortable knowing a particular group of people and we create a unrealistic point of view biased by race, class, religion and or economics.
The cultural divide can be bridged through play by creating diverse opportunities for our children. These can include church oriented programs, community outreach, and volunteering with other organizations around various ethnicities. Instead of pretending that our children live in a world where everything is equal it is about time that we learn how to play with our kids in a way that shows them how to play and love all things and people.
The biodiversity of play can enrich our children’s perspectives on life and the world around them. If we want our children to love the earth, we first have to show them how to love, respect and listen to each other.
–Kellen Marshall-Gillespie mom of 3 is an entrepreneur, author, aspiring film maker and pursuing her Ph.D in ecology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a native Chicagoan she is dedicated to not only her family but to educating and empowering the urban communities on the wonders of the earth and the environment.
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