Published on July 8th, 2008
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Can kids really take action on the environment? Can they influence their parents to reduce carbon emissions? Apparently so, says Cool the Earth, a new climate-change enrichment program, launched by a mom in Kentfield, California. The program has already saved more than 8 million pounds of carbon from going into the atmosphere and has influenced 6,000 households to take 10,000 positive actions to reduce carbon emissions. With additional funding in place and a web-based delivery system available this summer, this program—currently running in 25 Northern California schools–expects to expand to 100 schools in the fall (from Texas to New York) and is positioned to become a national model for positive environmental change. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 26th, 2008
The birth of our second daughter was a lesson in patience, teaching me the lesson that all things in life happen in their in their own good time. And that we, for the most part, have little control over many facets in our lives. Waiting, relaxing, and letting things happen naturally are not things I am generally very good at.
You see, Elly was late. True to form of what would be her later personality, Elly just wasn’t ready to come into the world yet. And when I explain that she was one week late, people react that it was only one week. Even my midwife told me to relax and enjoy the last of my pregnancy.
But that was impossible. I was in labor for a week solid. Now don’t go calling it false labor, because if you would have said that during this time your life would have been in severe danger. There was nothing false about this labor.
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Published on June 20th, 2008
For the 8th year in a row, we are celebrating the birth of our children at the river. The river is a big part of summer life where we live. It provides a cool respite from warm summer temperatures, in a community that lacks swimming pools, air conditioning, and half the town lives off-the-grid. The river provides entertainment for children and adults alike, and our parties our a community celebration. This is not your typical children’s birthday party; adults actually outnumber the children in attendance as it takes a village…
Our first river celebration was my Blessing Way. A Blessing Way is an alternative to a baby shower, and it is based on a Navajo tradition. My midwives led our “Humboldt eclectic” ceremony, in which I was surrounded by strong women friends (the men joined us later for food and river frolicking). Each friend brought a candle and symbol of strength for the altar, which was then set up in my home for the birth. Everyone also brought a bead, which was added to a necklace that I wore during my labor. We sang songs, told a collective angel story, and wrapped ourselves together with yarn in a circle. When the yarn was broken, each friend was wearing a piece around her arm or ankle. The yarn was not to be removed until I had given birth, and each time a friend noticed their piece of yarn, they were sent positive energy and thoughts my way. Often, these pieces of yarn will fall off on their own when it is time for the mother to give birth. My hair was lovingly braided to symbolize my new role as mother, and I was treated to a rose water foot bath and massage. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 20th, 2008
Celebrating the Winter Solstice was one of my first posts here at Eco Child’s Play! I’m a summer lover and today I’m practically giddy that there will 15 HOURS of daylight! What a wonderful day to remind our kids that the sun is, ultimately, the energetic source of all we have.
Making small (or large, if that’s your cup ‘o herbal tea!) celebrations out of the Solstices and Equinoxes is one more way to teach your children that there is a rhythm to nature and a rhythm to life. If Winter Solstice is comparable to a “time to weep,” Summer Solstice is the “time to laugh!” (Thank you, Ecclesiastes for the most beautiful words on the seasonality of life…and thank you to the Byrds for putting it to music!)
Celebrate the longest day of the year with seasonal food and fun. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on June 17th, 2008
My children’s birthdays are only two days apart, so we have only one party. That party is rapidly approaching, and though I ask guests to not feel compelled to give gifts and to consider the planet when doing so, my children like to give out party favors to their friends. There is nothing I hate more than coming home from a birthday party with a bunch of dollar store junk we have to get rid of immediately. Now, GreenPartyGoods offers solutions for eco-friendly birthday parties.
GreenPartyGoods explains their company’s motivation for offering parents eco-friendly solutions for birthday parties:
While walking my dog through our local park and watching families disassemble their parties, I was horrified at all the waste that ended up in the garbage cans. Bags of plastic utensils, plastic table cloths, crepe paper and cheap goodies bags filled with dollar toys headed for land fill. This is what motivated me to create GreenPartyGoods.
Here are some of my favorite green party goods offered by GreenPartyGoods:
- Toy Wooden Racing Boat: These hand-crafted, hand-painted wooden racing boats are my favorite party favor and the ones we will be giving to our party guests. Since we hold our party at the river, the boats will be perfect for added water frolicking fun. The boats are made by award-winning Anatex. The wood comes from Germany, paint from Russia, and assembled in China. They are tested lead free by a third party and cost $2.50 a piece.
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Published on May 7th, 2008
Mother’s Day began when social activist and poet Julia Ward Howe wrote the original Mother’s Day Proclamation after the Civil War in 1870.
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
This day began as a call to action, and it is only fitting this Sunday on Mother’s Day families take action on climate change and let their voices be heard. 1Sky is asking mothers and their children to create images to send to Congress urging them to remember the implications of climate change on the next generation. The images will be compiled and be taken to DC to be displayed and given to Congress. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on May 1st, 2008
Parents are often looking for a healthy alternative to the standard, sugary, preservative-filled birthday cake for their baby’s introduction to the wonderful traditions of birthdays. We’ve heard from parents looking for ways to buy an egg-free cake, to those seeking recipes for “healthy” cakes, or even whether to make/buy two cakes (one for Baby, one for adults). To answer the last question first – there is no reason to create extra work for yourself, make or buy one cake, relax and congratulate yourself for making it through the first year! Most people will be gracious guests and enjoy whatever is served. And let’s not lose sight of the real reason for the birthday cake - THE PHOTO. We do it all for the precious scrapbook shot of your cake-faced little one delighting in being the life of the party!
Here are some ideas that keep the tradition of the birthday cake treat, but add some healthy twists (you can use these ideas for any age!):
Egg-free: If your baby has not been introduced to whole eggs by their first birthday, this is probably not the occasion to give them a try. Many egg substitutes contain eggs, so to be safe, look for cake and frosting mixes labeled “vegan” which are free of all animal products. You’ll need to go to a health food store to find these products. Or jump on the Internet, Vegan Baker is one company that offers cake and frosting mixes. If baking is not for you, many urban cities also have vegan bakeries too – check the Yellow Pages or ask someone at a vegetarian restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on April 21st, 2008
Tomorrow is Earth Day, and here at Eco Child’s Play, we have a full week of posts to celebrate every day being Earth Day. This week, we will be featuring mostly posts about outdoor fun with your child. Children need to experience time outside to appreciate our Earth and witness its beauty firsthand. Look for posts about gardening with your child, outside art projects, human sundials, music in nature, etc. We hope that our readers will also leave comments sharing their great ideas for outdoor fun with their children.
Related posts:
A Birthday Garden
Four Hiking Activities For Your Children
Camping With Your Kids
Published on March 10th, 2008
Whether you are Christian or not, children love to hunt for a basket full of goodies on the springtime holiday of Easter, which this year falls very close to the spring equinox. My childhood memories of Easter are filled with fake, green plastic grass, gross gooey marshmallow bunnies, and of course, the ubiquitous chocolate bunny. My children’s Easter gifts are a much more eco-friendly than those of my youth. Here are a few ideas I have come across this year for an eco-friendly Easter:
- Green Gift Ideas: Stubby Pencil Studio is now carrying wooden toys. The Spinny Speller is great for teaching children phonemic awareness and reminds me of the homemade phonics mediators my grandmother used to make for her first graders. The Made By Me wooden kits are perfect for little hands to decorate and assemble. Both toys are made in the USA. Stubby Pencil recycled cards and eco-art supplies also make nice additions to your child’s Easter basket. The cards now come in eco-friendly packaging consisting of a custom button/string tie envelope made from 30% post consumer recycled paper and green seal certified.
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Published on March 9th, 2008
In my earliest memories, I was already recognizing excessive packaging. An experience that stands out was my love/hate relationship with Paas Easter egg coloring kits.
I would ask my grandmother, “Why do those tiny dye-things need such a big box? I don’t even use the rest of the stuff, and I have my own crayons.”
To which she replied, “So people don’t steal them.”
Consequently, that answer was given to me many times over during childhood, yet I noticed rolls of breath mints and tubes of lipstick eluded this logic. Nevertheless, I was optimistic each year that my eggs would be just as bright and blemish free as those on the box (they never were), and continued to wonder what would happen if I ate one of the tablets. Odds were that it would not taste like a SweeTart, turn my mouth blue for a week, and could even lead to possible gene damage. Such is the industrialization of a holiday. Read the rest of this entry »
