London took her first field trip this week. They went to the Salt Lake County landfill. When she got home, I asked her how it went and what she did. I was bombarded with facts the rest of the day.
"Mom, did you know that plastic bags are very dangerous and if they get in the ocean sea creatures will eat them and die. There was this bird at the dump that ate like a thousand plastic bags and it almost died. We have to tie our bags in knots so animals won't eat them." So for the rest of the day I tied plastic bags in knots.
We leave our trash can open so that I can throw diapers in it from the back door. I went to lob a diaper out. "Mom, you have to close the garbage can or cats can get in them and get taken to the dump and they will get squished." For the rest of the day, I walked outside and opened the trash can to throw out diapers.
I thought this will be great because I can send London out to put all the recyclables in the recycle bin and she will be all about it. I sent her out with a big plastic container. When she got back inside she said, "Mom, I hope they know that was from me when it gets there. "
It got even better. That night at dinner London ate all her food, which she never does. Why? Because the man at the landfill told her that the food she doesn't eat ends up at the dump. All these years I have tried getting her to eat her dinner by telling her there are people starving, or it will make her healthy and strong, or she won't get any dessert if she doesn't finish. All it really took was a trip to the dump.
