1. Green Halloween Treats: YummyEarth Organic Lollipops

There are a lot of wonderful ideas for greening Halloween. From reverse trick-or-treating to trading  junk candy in for good organic goodies, there is a lot you can do to make this holiday still full of childhood joy without limiting your child’s trick-or-treat bag to recycled pencils.

After all the Halloween scares of my youth involving razor blades in candy, parents are hesitant to accept homemade treats.  A great alternative is to hand out organic candy.

YummyEarth Organic Lollipops are made from real fruit extracts and are gluten and corn free.

Ingredients

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Non-gmo Citric Acid, Organic & Natural Flavors (Watermelon, Lemon Oils, Pomegranate, Mango), Organic and Natural Color, Red Cabbage, Purple Carrots.

Would I buy this product? Yes, and I do. My kids really like these lollipops, better than the organic YummyEarth Organic Gummy Bears.  I like that they are on a stick which makes me worry less about chocking hazards compared to organic candy drops.

2. This Little Piggy’s House

Any parent knows that a large cardboard box is a child’s best toy!  This Little Piggy’s House takes this concept one step forward by actually making a house designed by architects (who happen to be parents) from cardboard. It assembles quite easily and is worth hours and hours of entertainment.

Once upon a time there was a family of four little Piggies. Mama and Papa Piggy sent the three older Piggies out into the world, but they missed Mama and Papa Piggy. So the three Piggies built their homes just down the street.This Little Piggy wasn’t old enough to follow his three brothers, and he looked out the window and saw his brothers’ houses made out of straw, sticks, and brick. He couldn’t wait to have his own house, so Mama and Papa Piggy helped him build his own house out of cardboard.

We’ve reviewed other cardboard houses before, but I prefer This Little Piggy’s House. The blank cardboard inspires more creativity than kits that already have an outline of decoration to be filled in like a coloring book. My daughter has found that water colors are the best way to decorate, and she has filled our house’s flower box with paper flowers.

This cardboard house is quite large (my six-year-old could crawl inside). It would provide a great place for children when they need an enclosed place to feel safe and secure.  “It will provide a place your child can call his/her very own.”  Even though the size is designed for toddlers, my nine-year-old was extremely interested in its construction and decoration, and it inspired dramatic play.

Would I buy this product? Yes, if it was cheaper.  I think that $60 is a bit steep for cardboard.  I would buy this toy if it was half the price, but it is much larger than other cardboard play houses we have reviewed.  Plus, I love the fact that it will easily be recycled when the time comes.  My kids are certainly happy with our This Little Piggy’s House!  In fact, my daughter just said, “This is one of the coolest things we have gotten for the blog.”  Dad called it “super cool”, until he heard the price and then said he should go into the cardboard box business.

3. Bioserie Bioplastic Case for iPod Touch

You may be wondering why I am reviewing an iPod touch case on a blog for green parenting, but our family’s iPod Touch is indispensable.  From listening to music to learning apps, I have no problem allowing my children to play with this tech toy.

Like any expensive gadget children are allowed to use, an iPod touch needs protection.  Bioserie has created the “world’s first Ipod touch cover made from scientifically advanced bioplastic materials derived entirely from plants instead of petrochemicals”.

Bioserie iPod Cover consists of a unique blend of biodegradable and environmentally friendly components (100%), all derived from plants and annually renewable natural resources

Cleverly placed discreet feet on the sides and corners protect your iPod Touch?s glass screen from touching surfaces during facedown placement.

Sleek and Slim, Provides protection without bulk

Contains Ingeo biopolymer, under license from NatureWorks LLC, derived from plant sugars and made in the USA.

It does not hold dust or stick in your pocket like silicon cases and the fine texture pattern on the back improves grip.

This cover fit perfectly and snapped right into place.

Would I buy this product? Yes.  It costs about $30, which is a bit pricey, but I would gladly spend the extra money for the protection of our iPod touch, especially one made from bioplastics.

4. Eco-Friendly Stationery Snail’s Pace

In this day and age of emails and texting, written correspondence has fallen to the wayside. The Monks at Abbey Press have created a line of eco-friendly stationery and wrapping paper made in the USA from 100% post-consumer fiber Forest Stewardship Council paper and printed with soy inks.

Drawing on the monks’ 143 years of printing expertise and a long history of stewardship over the land, Snail’s Pace has created a collection of socially- and environmentally-responsible paper goods — notecards, greeting cards, stationery, journals, gift bags, wrapping paper and more — featuring designs that celebrate the artistry of God’s creation.We invite you to slow down and rediscover the written word.

These cards and paper products are really cute and learning to write letters is becoming a lost art form our children should learn.

Would I buy this product? Maybe.  I usually have my children make the cards we send, but that is an additional step that sometimes makes them not want to write.  The wrapping paper is really nice, but I have such a hard time buying products made from paper that may only see a single use, depending on the recipient.  At $3 a card, the cards are a little bit expensive, but definitely worth the extra expense for the peace of mind of 100% post-consumer content.  My hesitancy only stems from the fact that I never buy cards, and well, I mostly email (oh, the shame!).

5.  Zoe Organics Handmade Skincare Products for Baby

Zoe Organics is a company you can trust!  Four out of five of their products have earned a perfect zero hazard score on Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic database. The company is also a signer of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.  Furthermore, the company takes social responsibility seriously:

Zoe means “Life” and more specifically, “Life as God intended”. Our mission is to celebrate and protect the lives of our children, family, community and planet. Passion for human rights issues, especially with regard to women and children, has always burned inside of me. Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of the inexcusably high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity across the globe.

According to statistics, a woman dies giving birth every MINUTE somewhere around the world. Even worse, most of these deaths could be prevented! The loss of our mothers has a devastating effect on our families and communities…

Zoe Organics is partnering with the White Ribbon Alliance by donating ten percent (10%) of each purchase made on our website to their efforts of raising awareness and promoting safe motherhood.

The White Ribbon Alliance is an international coalition bound together by a common goal: to ensure that pregnancy and childbirth are safe for all women and newborns in every country around the world.

We have have had the pleasure of testing out three Zoe Organics products:

• Organic Baby Massage Oil:
  

  Infant massage is a lovely way to bond with your baby. Our calming blend of nutrient-rich oils is a perfect way to moisturize baby’s delicate skin and welcome sweet dreams…

  Ingredients: Prunus armeniaca (apricot kernel) oil*, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil* olea europeaea (extra virgin olive) oil*, lavendula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil*, anthemis nobilis (chamomile) essential oil*.

  *certified organic ingredient

• Gentle Hair & Body Wash:
  

  Our old-world style castile soap is as mild as you will find. Made with pure, organic oils of coconut, sunflower and castor seed, and naturally scented with lavender and mandarin essential oils.Our Gentle Hair & Body Wash is not a detergent. It contains no surfactants (chemical foaming agents) so we package it in an air foaming pump, which delivers the perfect amount of sudsy soap for your little one…

  Ingredients: Aqua (water), saponifed cocos nucifera (coconut) oil*, helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil, ricinus communis (castor) oil, citric acid, rosmarinus officianalis (rosemary) extract, lavendula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil*, citrus reticulata (mandarin) essential oil*.

  *certified organic ingredient*certified organic ingredient

• Organic Baby Balm:
  

  A truly versatile balm that effectively protects, moisturizes and heals skin naturally…

  Ingredients: Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oil*, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil*, beeswax*, lavendula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil*, vanilla planifolia (vanilla absolute precious) oil*.

  *certified organic ingredient

Would I buy these products? Yes.  These are wonderful, trustworthy products.  The prices are reasonable ($10-$16) considering the high safety ratings and percentage of organic ingredients.  As one product description states, “as sweet and gentle as your baby”…that’s the perfect description of Zoe Organics!

Disclosure:  The products described above were sent to us as free samples, unless noted differently in the review.  Prior assurances as to the nature of the reviews, whether positive or negative, were not given.  No financial payments were accepted in exchange for the reviews.  The reviews reflect our honest, authentic opinions.