Eco Child’s Play

Here’s a safe family friendly way to ease the itchies from bug bites, Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Bug Bite Relief.

I’ve had the chance to sample this handy little roll on and I keep it close to use during the inevitable event that someone gets bit by something. Read the rest of this entry »

Tadpoles are actually pretty neat pets to have around for a while. You don’t have to keep them forever, for one thing (unless you accidentally catch yourself a non-native tadpole, but we’ll talk about that in a minute). They’re a little less work than your average fish, and they are really interesting to watch.

When my girls and I rescued some tadpoles from a tractor rut in a u-pick bluebery field outside of town, I was not very excited about our new foster pets, and after stopping by the big-box pet store to purchase all the tadpole infrastructure, I was even less thrilled. But after having these little guys around for a while, now, I have to admit that I adore them, right down to their cutie froggy faces.

Here’s how you can get some froggy faces of your own to adore for a while: Read the rest of this entry »

Fireflies have always been one of nature’s most beautiful and intriguing miracles. I could still spend hours and hours on a hot, dark summer night tracing the paths taken by the fireflies in my parents’ backyard. The fun, of course, comes from tracing the path between “blinks”, when the firefly fades to black and you are left guessing as to where they’ll appear next.

Perhaps this nostalgia explains why, when I saw the “Firefly Watch” site from the Museum of Science, Boston, I was both transported and transfixed.
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Your kids may do this all the time but do you ever kick off your shoes and run barefoot through the grass?

I am very anti-shoe (yes, I am a barefoot hippie-neo-hippie actually, I am very into hygiene).

Being outside without shoes can feel to some like going about naked. There are people who never walk around outside without shoes. Gasp! Yes, I know, horrible isn’t it? How can you connect, really connect to Mother earth without feeling her beneath your bare feet? Read the rest of this entry »

I’m getting older. I realize this because the arrival of summer just doesn’t matter as much as it did before. Beyond serving as an indicator for when I can stop wearing sweaters and when I need to start giving up my weekends in favor of weddings, summer brings little in the way of day-to-day change.

That’s not the case for the younger kids in my life—little cousins, nieces, nephews. To them, summer is the light at the end of the tunnel. There are no weddings (or at least, nothing they need to plan for). There’s only opportunity.

I am fascinated by what “opportunity” means to this generation. When I was young, I had two non-religious opportunities to get involved. I could volunteer at our local hospital, or I could volunteer with our local congressman. I ended up doing both—and feeling fulfilled by neither.

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Earthworms are child-friendly. They’re accessible in any good patch of dirt and they neither bite nor run away. An interest in earthworms can boost any kid’s interest in a number of other useful subjects, from biology to science to ecology, and be a part of any number of hands-on, experiential learning activities, including environmentalism and organic gardening.

It’s also a good time to expose a kid with an interest in anything they find in their yards to the wide world of information gathering–you want your kids to understand that whatever they want to know about, there is information to be had and they are capable of either finding for themselves or interacting with those who can find it for them.

In other words, whenever a kid has an interest, barrage her with books. Even a subject as prosaic as the lowly earthworm is the star of any number of storybooks, nonfiction books, reference books, poems, songs, books on CD, web sites, audio programs, and documentaries. Read the rest of this entry »

Our kids will go through ice pops like water in the summer… well, let me restate that, they will eat as many as I will let them regardless of the weather outside.

During the hot days of summer, I want them to stay hydrated and I also want them to get good nutrition.  We are drinking lots of flavor infused water and gobbling up all kinds of frozen creations.

We like commercial molds because they contain all the necessary pieces and use a smaller space in the freezer.  However, ice cube trays & cups work well also.  For reusable “sticks” opt for plastic spoons or other easy to clean item.  We go through about 24 a day so I just toss things into the blender until its full, leftovers can be a nighttime snack!

Make a bunch every night, this is a good post dinner/before bed activity.   The kids love to choose the ingredients and help mix everything up.  There are a few simple ways to go about this…

Frozen Pops Read the rest of this entry »

Applying eco-friendly insect repellent on my son’s skin is like applying sunscreen:  he hates it!  Luckily, we rarely need it do to a predictable evening wind on our property, but when we go camping or visiting friends, it’s a different story.  He’s also a compulsive scratcher, so avoiding the mosquito bites all together prevents this problem as well.  Don’t Bite Me! offers a unique approach to this problem with a skin patch.

Don’t Bite Me! is a skin patch that offers up to 36 hours of protection from insects for your entire body, and it is safe for children. It has only two ingredients:  vitamin B1 and aloe!

Don’t Bite Me! uses a discreet, all-natural transdermal skin patch to deliver a blend of protective Vitamin B1 and aloe combination throughout the body. Excess B1 is secreted through the body’s pores, creating a scent that is almost undetectable to humans, but offensive to mosquitoes.  This scent forms a protective barrier around the body that shields the user from mosquitoes and other biting insects. Aloe, the other active ingredient, accelerates the absorption of the B1 and serves as an anti-inflammatory. Don’t Bite Me! is also environmentally friendly and waterproof, perfect for lakes or pool parties!

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Editor’s Note: This is first in a “Kids Did” feature series by Suneet Bhatt, co-founder of Dream Village and Social Symmetry. This series will explore what kids are doing around the country to help their local community environment.

Times are changing. I went to elementary school in the early 80’s, and I remember participating in the shift toward the disposable society. Instead of Tupperware sandwich containers, I started getting plastic wrap. Instead of a Thermos I started getting Capri Sun (my main squeeze) or some other juice box. Everything was wrapped in plastic. And everything ended up in my stomach or in the trash can; sometimes directly, and sometimes by way of a ricochet off of say, the face of a close friend. Kids will be kids.
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It never fails that when you are out with your kids that something messy happens. It can be a spilled drink, a food mishap, or even stepping in something not so pleasant at the park but what do you clean up with if there’s not a bathroom in sight? Many conventional wipes are made with polyester, wood pulp, binders, fillers and all kinds of chemicals but Jamar Labs offer a variety of eco-friendly wipes. Read the rest of this entry »