I was very excited to read The Smart Mama’s Green Guide because it is not often I get to read a book written by one of my online friends. But I have known Jennifer Taggart for awhile now and she really is one smart mama so I knew this would be a good book… and it did not disappoint. There are two books I would recommend every single parent should read and this is one of them.

I got to read this one while I was hanging out poolside. My kids swam while I dived into the details of the toxins that surround our kids from the time they are in mama’s belly to adulthood. Jennifer and I are on the same page (forgive the pun) when it comes to all the toxic products around us. I have been called hysterical by some visitors to this blog because I worry about risk that government tells us is minuscule. But as Jennifer states in her introduction:

If I am willing to die for my children, wouldn’t that mean that I would do anything to protect from toxic chemicals if a reasonable probability exists that might do harm? Why shouldn’t I choose to be safe rather than sorry? Some politicians, bureaucrats, and scientists want to wait to regulate until we have certainty that a particular chemical in a particular product in fact causes harm. But I don’t need to have certainty when a reasonable chance exists that something could hurt my child. I’ll choose and alternate while the rest of the world debates the issue.

This sums it up perfectly for me as well. I will go on being “hysterical” and a few years down the road when that small risk turns out to be not so small anymore I won’t be worried that I played Russian roulette with my child’s health. And I am not even sure how so many chemical exposures can be considered to have minimal risk when you consider that our children are bombarded with chemicals from the moment they are born. According to an EWG study 287 out of 413 industrial chemicals have been found in the cord blood of newborn infants. From birth they are already carrying a very toxic burden and it just gets worse. It is no wonder so many children have cancer, asthma, ADHD, allergies, autism, and other struggles.

This book is a lifesaver because it evaluates all this exposure in terms parents can understand and highlights some of the bigger the issues while not down playing the smaller ones. It has practical solutions for reducing the toxic chemical exposure in your life and home. I found the chapter on lead to be  very informative. I think many times we think of lead as one of those “old” issues. You only need to worry if you have an old house or you buy toys from China but this book showed us why even people in brand spanking new homes need to worry about lead too because regulatory loopholes have made it very possible that lead is in fact in your home.

Another wonderful chapter discusses the dangers of Radon. I admit to knowing very little about this issue and yet it can be VERY serious. That chapter has given me a to-do list to make sure we are not ignoring our exposure to radon. And of course the information about BPA was not new to me but it is the first time I have really seen it addressed at length in a book.

There are lots of great suggestions for making our home safer and cleaner and several of them were great reminders that there is almost no issue we can’t tackle with a little green power. For instance the discussion on pesticides was a great read because using a chemical bug killer would not even be considered in my house but yet the live and let live policy I have with bugs is not the only way… there are natural ways to repel pests.

Other topics discussed are personal care products like lotions, shampoos, and sunscreens. There are so many alternatives available that make it so we do not have to accept those small “risks”. We can choose to be safe rather than sorry. 20 years from now, will we regret the steps taken to protect our kids? Not likely.

Check it out: Smart Mama’s Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child’s Toxic Chemical Exposure

What oh what will kids do in the summer when left to their own devices? I decided to check out the garage to see what my son was up to and found a very pleasant surprise indeed. His love of cars has motivated him to start building his own. He used plaster of Paris to make this car mold and then it looks like he hot glued the wheels into the wheel wells. He painted it black and decorated with stickers.

This boy just amazes me with how smart and talented he is and yet this is a child who struggles in school. His strengths are very much mechanical and architectural and schools just don’t put much emphasis on these interests and strengths. Public school fails him and many other students so it is my job as the parent to counteract damage, be his advocate (on his side always), and use off-school time to help him grow and flourish. And he doesn’t even need much help in that regard anymore… this kid is taking flight on his own.

I don’t know about you but I HATE walking down the toy isles in stores. I know all the plastic is not healthy for my kids or the planet but the flashy, techno toys can suck just about any kid in. My 3 year old son for instance is all about robots these days. I am not quite sure how that happened but since Transformers (which he has not seen) is all the rage these days he cannot help but be over the moon for the robots he sees everywhere. Now he is the proud owner of a few robot toys.

But still I can’t help but look at all those flashy, plastic toys and want something better for my kids… something that won’t break a week later or get tossed in boredom. That is why I stopped taking my kids to stores with me so much and started stocking up on toys that will stand the test of time and get the creativity flowing. When one child is done with them they can be passed on to the next… Legos, wooden blocks, wood tinker toys, puzzles, etc. Toys that are American made are also a big bonus.

My two boys have been delighted lately with the American made toys from Down to Earth Toys, especially the Marble Run. It has provided hours of fun for both boys. It is new and exciting for my 3 year old who is enamoured with the marbles and giggles when they fall down the track. It is stimulating and never boring for my nearly 9 year old too. In fact my older son is spending the weekend with his grandparents and he packed two changes of clothes, his toothbrush, his Nintendo DS, and the marble run.

The blocks and marbles set is “old school” and yet still such a wonderful toy. It allows for hands on creativity as they can come up with hundreds of different ways to build their block towers. It used marbles, blocks, some holes, and some elemental physics to create good old fashioned fun for kids. It helps build spacial, sequential, and organizational skills and keeps kids intrigued for a long time. It is the prefect toy for my oldest boy who seems to love anything architectural. And this toy was designed by an architectural artist!

I would like to buy another set or two and see what they could come up with when they combine them… it would be an awesome site.

This is a non violent educational toy. No one is blown up for laughs and there are no toys guns as is so common in today’s toys. As the box says “Our best hope for a healthier, happier, world is in the quality of the learning environment we provide for our children today.” The maker is TEDCO and they have lots of other toys we are going to have to explore.

I highly recommend the marble run for green kids, just be careful with the marbles if you have kids smaller than three!! Enjoy!

My daughter loves the themed cookbooks for girls from Barbara Beery. She has the Pink Princess Tea Parties book and the Mermaid Cookbook. They are not only visually stunning they are SO MUCH FUN! If you have a daughter I can think of no better time than cruising some delicious theme recipes and making them together. They would also make a themed birthday or other party a lot easier and a whole lot more fun.

Recently my daughter got the newest book: Green Princess Cookbook: Sweets and Treats to Save the Planet. A perfect match for any green family I think. It has info on making food that is local, fresh, organic, homegrown, and even cooked with solar power. I actually hoped it would be a bit more green then it actually is, but oh well. I thought the processed ingredients and sugar content was a bit too much but I can adapt the recipes as needed. Or not… then I can just cringe as they eat refined sugar and petro chemical dyed sprinkles. The book did recommend though that you can get vegetable based food dyes and sprinkles… they just didn’t have any at Kroger and sprinkles isn’t something we usually have in the house. Next time I am at Whole Foods I will pick some up.

Some of our fave super yummy recipes include: Solar Power Strawberry Lemonade (which we are making tomorrow), Sunshine Sorbet (which we can make a raw version of), Organic Orchard Salsa, Eggs-actly Frittatas, and the Power Up Fruit Cup.

Today we made the Strawberry Chopstick Pops. We had to buy sprinkles and vanilla yogurt. Next time I might try a banana macadamia nut dip instead of yogurt. We already had organic, local strawberries, nuts, shredded coconut, and bamboo skewers.

We basically just skewered the strawberries, dipped them in yogurt, and then sprinkled with sprinkles, shredded raw coconut, and crushed raw pecans. I meant to throw some flax meal on them but forgot. ;) Then we stuck them in the freezer for a few hours and they made a tasty frozen treat that is pretty healthy. Next up she wants to make Baby Butterfly Cupcakes but I have to buy a cupcake pan because we don’t have one. I also have to buy candy.

During clean up my daughter decided to eat the remaining yogurt in a bowl with sprinkles but only got half way through it. Yogurt is waaaay to sweet for us. She loves this cookbook though and it provides lots of mother-daughter kitchen adventures.

Every year parents in this country spend hundreds, and more likely thousands, of dollars on toys, games, and activities to engage and entertain their kids. These “things” may be great for keeping young minds and bodies active, but many of them are unnecessary. Kids need structured play yes, but they also need “free” and unstructured play and this is easy to do when the world’s largest playground is right outside your back door. Why not let them play outside?

Every toy, book, and TV show that comes out has been designed and redesigned several times in order to make it educational and entertaining for children. Millions of dollars are spent trying to find the best ways to market to your kids and hook them for life.  The great thing about nature is that, while being entertaining and stimulating to the imagination, it’s also educational and stimulating to their minds in a way that toys cannot compete with. Nature can teach children the basics of science, economics, and creativity. 

It’s affordable too! Depending on where you live, exploring nature is usually pretty inexpensive, if not completely free. It may mean adventuring in your backyard, a local park, or perhaps going to the local nature preserve or state park (which usually have low cost fees or memberships). This way, you don’t have to pay for expensive toys (which lose their luster quickly), jungle gyms, or memberships to expensive entertainment centers, but you still get the benefit of stimulating and educational play. Cheap is a mom’s or dad’s best friend in this economy.

Nature makes kids think. Lately there’s been a trend in education towards inquiry based learning. Researchers have found that if students explore and experiment to figure out answers on their own, they’re going to learn more efficiently, and retain more of that information. It also helps them develop skills to be able to learn things on their own later. What better environment to learn things than out in nature.  There are lessons for kids of all ages to discover about the world around them. 

It may also help the planet. Children will not protect what they do not love. What better way to help do your part than to get your children interested in their own planet than right now when they’re young and impressionable? What might be a fun time for them now, might be a future hobby, career, or world saving invention. At the very least, the nature play they experience now, can motivate them to protect the environment for their own children later on.

Nature play is also fun. Nature gives kids a chance to use their imagination and be free to just be kids. Other forms of entertainment seem like they work to help them grow up and mature faster than what is normal.

While unstructured play outside is great for kids, you can also find a lot of places offering structured classes and learning sessions for kids that focus on the natural world. Check your local park, science center, zoo, or museum. There’s a good chance they have classes you can sign up for, and since many of these places are not for profit, they’re usually affordable as well as informative. 

Spending time in the outside world is so important for developing minds. It can also be a great escape for you as well. Take your children outside and create some memories and learning experiences.

Required Reading: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

Talking to Fireflies, Shrinking the Moon: Nature Activities for All Ages