This little guy is the water drop, Waverly. He is here to teach you about protecting and preserving water. Waverly has two friends, Lola the Flower and Scout the Cloud. Lola is an expert in trees, flowers and plants while Scout is all about our air.
Each Idbit Starter Kit comes with: Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a great time of year for trees and kids–all of a sudden, these big, stable background pieces of summer are starting to CHANGE! They’re turning colors, and delicious things are ready to be picked from them, and leaves are falling off of them–awesome! It’s a great time not only to make some autumn crafts with kids but also to read with them about trees and leaves, reinforcing the concept of seasonality, educating them about botany and agriculture, and celebrating and honoring the natural wonders in their own backyards.
Here’s what we’re reading this month: Read the rest of this entry »
Have you ever taken a look at New Moon Magazine? If you are the mother of daughters, especially age 8 to 12 (and beyond), this is a magazine worth buying, reading and talking about with the girls in your life.
As a teacher, I am always on the lookout for quality non-fiction for pre-adolescent girls that doesn’t contain articles about How to Flirt, What to Wear, What to Eat, and How to Pout, sandwiched between glossy ads for make-up and clothes picturing air brushed women and girls. So when I came upon New Moon in our school library and paged through it, I saw a beautiful magazine with girl art, articles, book and music reviews and more. Here is a sample of their monthly offerings:
“Go Girls: Girl activists, adventurers, and athletes
Global Village: Girls internationally teach readers about countries and cultures
Women’s Work: Features women in careers girls can aspire to
Herstory: Historical women with fascinating life stories
Fiction: A new story featuring girl characters in every issue
Body Language: Honest, accurate information about our bodies
The Last Word: Inspirational messages from accomplished girls and women
plus Ask a Girl, Dear Luna, book reviews, cartoons, and more! ”
Read the rest of this entry »
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life
Halloween is over and the winter holidays are approaching. Whether you celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or another winter celebration, the coldest season is typical a time for exchanging gifts. Although I am sickened by the consumerism associated with the holiday season, I do like to give gifts. Of course, a handmade gift always comes from the heart and has special meaning.
We would love for our readers to make further suggestions of eco-friendly gifts by leaving comments to this post.
Recently on our sister site Feel Good Style, we talked about creating happiness for us and everyone around…In reading it, did you discover the free creative lesson plans and questions for awakening kids minds? They are so fun! 
For example, lesson plan idea number one for getting off to a great start with a new team (both in the classroom and out) is: Read the rest of this entry »
This post was originally published on Eco-Libris blog on November 3rd.
Last September we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books.
During the time of the contest (you can participate until December 1st, 2008 - see more details here) we review the first four books that were published so far. So far we reviewed Little Monkey and Little Panda, and today we have the pleasure to present you with the third green little book.
Our book for today is: The Polar Bears’ Home: A Story About Global Warming
Author: Lara Bergen
Illustrated by: Vincent Nguyen
Ages: 4 - 6
Description: Come along on an Arctic adventure with a little girl and her father and learn all about polar bears! This 8 x 8 storybook shows how global warming affects two baby polar bear cubs and their family. Includes tips for kids on what they can do to help slow down global warming. This 8 x 8 paperback book is perfect-bound and will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy-ink. The paper is FSC certified. Read the rest of this entry »
There’s something about November that always make me a little crazy, and I’m not talking about leaf blowers. It’s all that Christmas cheer! If you walked into a mall today or turned on your TV, I’m sure you noticed that all of the ghosts and goblins have already been replaced with happy elves and bobbles. In fact, even before the pumpkins started rotting and the costumes went back to the thrift shops, the jingling had already begun.
With my Scroogy wait-’til-December attitude you can imagine how irritated I was to find a Christmas library book in my daughter’s school bag on Halloween Eve. “Why didn’t you pick a Halloween book?” I asked, as she placed the Night Tree on my lap. She shrugged and looked at me as if it was no big deal. It wasn’t until after reading the charming tale that I forced myself to apologize. Read the rest of this entry »
I have been known to hide my children’s books from them. My girls have a preference for doggerel, and each child has at one point fallen in love with an insipid, poorly-rhymed, awkwardly-rhythmed book that I have then had to read to them approximately 1,000 times an hour–”I’m Sally the Cow/I eat grass and hay/I sit in a field almost all day,” etc.
Fortunately, my kiddos have a voracious appetite for books, and there’s room for me to intersperse my own choices. Children’s literature is also terrific for introducing and reinforcing a value system to children, and so I’m always on the lookout for pro-breastfeeding, pro-babywearing, handicraft-oriented, environmentally sound books to positively reflect the same values that I try to model and teach. Here’s a set that encourages respect for the Earth as a nurturing entity: Read the rest of this entry »
Divided into Land, Ocean, and Wildlife, Earthwise Kids offers sustainable gift sets that are great for children and the planet. Each set comes with:
At $32, these organic gift sets are affordable, and the books and t-shirts can be purchased individually. They are made in the USA, which cuts down dramatically on their carbon footprint by eliminating overseas shipping. These products would make a great gift for any family, and they may just inspire a family to go green.
Like many of the companies we feature on Eco Child’s Play, Earthwise Kids was started by a mother (just like this blog). Read the rest of this entry »
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