Don't scare kids about environment.

Done properly, environmental education has many benefits for children. Done poorly, these messages can be quite scary for youngsters.

Cherry Delaney, 4-H program coordinator with Purdue University's Cooperative Extension Service, says it can be traumatic for children to hear statements about how everything is dying or the world is ending. "For instance, if you tell a child that there will be no food left in so many years or that a certain animal is dying off, they may get scared by it. You can, however, temper statements like those with `but we can recycle our cans and paper to save our natural resources' and let the child know that he or she can make a difference."

She advises parents and educators to involve youngsters in activities they will enjoy and from which they will derive environmental lessons...