Published on July 7th, 2009
Yes, I’m back… hopefully on a regular basis. I’ve been MIA since my Mother passed away in April from ALS. It’s taken time to put the pieces together and let go of the anger enough to formulate coherent thoughts that others may actually want to read.
That said, I spend each day home with 8 children aged 9 and under which helps distract me. There are many hours in a day and that becomes apparent when you spend that much quality time together! I’ve been putting together some ideas to help us break up the day. Apparently, these kids can only spend so much time riding bikes and climbing the cherry tree.
I’ve decided to share activities we enjoy in the hope they may save you the hair pulling experiences I have had. We have many ideas, so they will be broken up into a several part series. Hopefully, you can implement some of them in your daily routines and perhaps even leave a comment or two with your favorite activities!
As always, our activities focus on being outside, exploring nature, family time, conservation, reuse and safety! Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 30th, 2009
Rosie Hippo offers parents a place to shop for unique, handmade, organic, fair trade and eco-friendly toys.
They have toys made of wood, made of fair trade materials, they have stuffed animals, pretend play toys, and everything you need to spark your child’s imagination and give them something safe to play with. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 29th, 2009
PeekaGreen.com sent me this box of awesome HappyMais for my kids to try out.
HappyMais building blocks are made by Ecotoys in Italy and sold through PeekaGreen.com. The building blocks are made from Mater-Bi, a GM-free certified cornstarch dyed with non-toxic food coloring.
Building blocks made from cornstarch, how cool is that? Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 29th, 2009
One of my favorite parts of blogging is when artisans contact us to review their products. I love discovering handmade gems I might not discover otherwise. One such recent discovery is recycled glass jewelry and lavender sachets by Elena K. called Grace and Jewelry.
Lavender is one of my favorite herbs, and the silk sachet created by Elena K is beautiful. It smells wonderful, and beaded adornment is really nice. As my daughter says, “It smells goodie!” Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 28th, 2009
A couple weeks ago it had been windy for days on end. We were cooped up in the house and I decided we were going to get crafty. In high school, I was a Recreation Leader and we did all sorts of crafting and played games to our hearts content during the spring and summer. Kids love to craft and when you’re in the comfort of you’re own home it’s even better! Why not reuse some plastic water bottles and make this quick, simple and fun eco-craft!
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Lava Lamp
Supplies:
Empty plastic bottles
Cooking or Vegetable Oil
Funnel
Water
Food Coloring
Masking Tape or Glue
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 30th, 2009
20 minutes before guests arrive we realize the balloon method is out the window! We put in a fair attempt but the drying time put a damper on things. We’re planning to try out the balloon method again next year. We may even get to do it sooner.
At this point, we’re scramming to get the supplies we needed for our paper bag pinata. The party was held at my in-law’s so we ran in circles locating everything. Once we put it together we realized that Tristan had sticker’s he received as a gift for Easter and added those to the pinata. We even colored on the front and back of the pinata. What could you possibly need for a paper bag pinata? It’s really simple and easy.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 29th, 2009
We recently celebrated my son’s second birthday which happens to be on Earth Day. Being an “Earth Birthday Boy” we naturally celebrate in an earth friendly fashion.
One of the many traditions in my family is to break open a pinata at a child’s birthday party. Pinatas are a hit (pun intended) with children because they usually contain treats. What kid doesn’t want a chance at breaking open a pinata! As kids we loved being blindfolded, spun in circles and pushed towards the swinging pinata for a strike.
I knew the tradition could carry on but not without a green twist, of course. The idea of this eco-friendly mission is to forgo the plastic and create a healthy and environmentally sound party which includes a pinata. Growing up we never thought about how much waste a pinata created. We just knew that when the pinata was punctured we’d get loads of candy and maybe a few plastic toys.
Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 8th, 2009
Kids love play dough, and of course you can make your own, but who has the time? Even when I have made my own natural play dough, we usually end up ruining it by using unnatural food coloring. Not Happy Fun Dough: it’s colored with all natural plant extracts.
Happy Fun Dough has a slightly gooey texture compared to commercial Play-Doh, but it is still moldable and shapeable. The big difference between Play-Doh and Happy Fun Dough is the latter’s complete natural ingredients and recyclable metal packaging. Made from water, flour, salt, cream of tartar, canola oil, and citric acid, Happy Fun Dough is safe and handmade. It comes in green, natural, brown, orange, pink, and yellow. Alternately, a gluten-free version made from rice flour is available for parents and children with celiac’s disease, although it is made in the same facility that uses wheat. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 1st, 2009
Art supplies are wonderful and versatile. What other items offer fun play, creative expression, and learning all in one…for very inexpensive prices?
With art supplies children have the world at their fingertips. There is so much that can be done, be made, be transformed…but with toxic ingredients like lead showing up in kids’ products you want to be sure that the creative supplies are not only fun but safe for the little ones.
Stubby Pencil Studio offers the biggest selection around that I have found, of eco-friendly, non-toxic art supplies and old fashioned games and toys. Perfect items to stuff in Easter baskets.
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Published on March 26th, 2009
Helping your children to create a love for nature will help nurture their love for the Earth. In return, they will care more for the environment and have a deeper understanding of the importance of being eco-friendly. Investigating the nature close to your home is the perfect way to start! If they care for the nature that they see every day it will carry on to their love for nature everywhere. We love to investigate our neighborhood and the beauty right around us. The girls and I go on “Nature Photography Walks” where we take two cameras and take pictures of things that strike our fancy along the way.
Read the rest of this entry »
Yes, I’m back… hopefully on a regular basis. I’ve been MIA since my Mother passed away in April from ALS. It’s taken time to put the pieces together and let go of the anger enough to formulate coherent thoughts that others may actually want to read.
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