A Guest Post from Hannah Walton aka The Cheapskate Mom

Summer is here and the pressure is on to find cool ways to entertain the kiddos that don’t hurt the wallet or the planet. Leave mainstream summer vacation ideas in the dust and you will find that frugality, fun, education and environmentalism go hand in hand. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a wasteful water park or fly half way across the country to entertain your kids – mix nature with some creativity and you’ve got a winning solution for a blissed-out summer. I’ve outlined some exciting for green summer fun on the cheap to get your wheels spinning:

1. Nature Walks Meet Modern Treasure Hunting

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game that uses GPS devices (such as smart phones) to find “treasure” boxes (aka tupperware and other sealed containers). As long as you have a GPS enabled device, you can login online, find some “caches” near you (you will be surprised how many caches are located in your neighborhood!), gather the kids and start your modern treasure hunting adventure. Once you find your treasure box, you leave a treasure behind and take a new one. Caches are everywhere – city streets, parks and hiking trails: geocaching is a terrific way to get the kids excited to be out in nature and looking at their world in an all new light.

2. Gaze At The Stars

Star gazing in the summer can be as simple as lying on a blanket in your back yard and looking up at the big night sky.  You could get a little more fancy by adding telescopes to the mix  – if you don’t have one , ask around at work and in your neighborhood – astronomy hobbyists will often be more than happy to help out and may even volunteer to attend your star gazing party and offer their expertise. Be sure to check your local paper as you may find a free star gazing night being hosted by a local astronomy club where you can check out the night sky in a park, looking through lots of different telescopes zoomed in on all sorts of outer space bling!

3. Make A Movie

If you have a smart phone or a video camera (pretty inexpensive these days), spend a day or a week making a movie. Have the kids write, direct, design, scout out locations and even film their own movie. Have a rule that you can’t spend any money on the movie to get the kids thinking outside the box (by reusing the box): repurpose trash into props and costumes and use nature as your stage. Learn about video editing together – lots of free apps and programs abound on the web – and when you are finally done – have a movie screening night in your home complete with a “red” carpet (that you repurpose, of course). You will always have your Summer of 2012 movie for your kids to keep and remember for years to come.

4. Start A Garden

You can garden if you have a huge backyard or just an old coffee canister with some dirt. Not only is gardening great for the planet – and a wonderful life-long hobby to introduce to your children – it can be great for your wallet as you can actually eat what you grow. You can use found dirt and seeds from vegetables you eat – or plant a garlic clove – you could even get fancy and start composting your food and give every kid a little area in your yard or their own window sill if you are an apartment dweller like me. Gardening is a great way to teach kids about how patience and work pays off big.

5. Have a Low Wallet & Carbon Footprint Summer Vacation

Camping is the perfect way to spend time as a family, have fun and learn about nature while having quite an adventure. Camping means going swimming, meeting other families, long hikes, camp fires and getting creative with camping cooking. Another frugal and green vacation idea is to swap homes – do you have a city place while friends live in the country? Bring up the idea of a week long or even weekend house swap and see what happens – it’s a great way to go somewhere different without paying a lot for not-so-green accommodations!

6. Construct A Backyard Obstacle Course

Get the kids out of the house and into the creativity zone : have the kids plan out an obstacle course adventure. Take old boxes, tires, ropes, coffee canisters, wood (anything goes just make sure to supervise, of course) and then let the crew construct their very own obstacle course – a fun group activity sure to give way to lifelong memories of summer fun from way back when.

The Cheapskate Mom is a mom-focused blog magazine all about surviving the recession in style with lots of eco-friendly and DIY ideas, crafts, giveaways, recipes and projects. For more DIY summer ideas, check out Games For Kids Summer Parties.

This is the time of year when you are bombarded with all kinds of local summer camp offerings. Summer time isn’t vacation time for many parents and you either have to find ways to keep kids occupied or maybe you just want to occasionally. No parent wants to hear the dreaded “Mom, I’m bored!” from their kids. I am one of those mean moms that tells my kids to get creative and use their imagination if they are bored. I don’t feel as though it is my job to entertain them. Yet, I do want to facilitate some special moments and memories during the summer and summer camps are usually out of our budget, at least for all three kids. The next best option may be a co-op.

What is a co-op, and what does it have to do with child care and/or child entertainment during the summer? A co-op can be various things, from a homeschool organization to a group of people who share similar interests. But we are talking about summer co-ops that will act as child care if you need to work or child entertainment if you just want to give your kids some fun summer experiences. This kind of co-op is basically a conglomeration (or co-operative) of parents who get together and share child care/entertainment duties. It’s very much like a do-it-yourself summer camp!

How Can You Start a Summer Co-op?

First, you’ll want to decide what the co-op is all about. Will it have a theme that changes weekly? Are you going to integrate learning, educational projects, fun activities, or a combination of these? Is there a point besides just babysitting? Other parents might be more inclined to commit if you have a general plan in place for what the co-op will look like. However, it may be off-putting if you have every detail worked out and other parents feel as though they have to follow your blueprint without any input of their own. The best approach is probably a loose outline or idea and a request for ideas and feedback.

Next, you will need to start contacting parents in your area. You can start with close friends, then move into your child’s school directory if possible. Based on a 5-day work week, you will need at least ten families who are willing to commit to once a week care (with at least two adults present at each co-op). Invite parents via email, phone, letter, or whatever works best for you. You can also create a private Facebook group for all involved parties so that you can organize better and stay up to date on planning and schedules.

What Activities Should We Offer?

There are all kinds of activities you can offer during your summer co-op! Because of the favorable weather, outdoor activities are possible. You might find it works best to have a theme for each day (Monday is Art Day, Friday is All About Animals, Wednesday is Water Fun, etc.) Here are some ideas.

* Birds – Bird-watching, crafts, and art projects are just the beginning with bird-oriented activities. You could also visit an aviary, collect feathers, make bird feeders, and go on hikes to watch birds in the wild. A field trip to a farm to look at chickens would be fun, or the kids could do a bird theme scavenger hunt.

* Art – This is a broad and almost endless subject for activities! You can paint outside (try throwing washable balls at a big sheet of paper!) and use the hose to clean off. Create a sidewalk or driveway mural with paints and chalk. You could make your own sidewalk chalk as a project. You could also plan a visit to a museum and create artwork inspired by what you observe. Use colored water to spray-paint the surface of sand in a sandbox, sculpt with clay, and create nature crafts like twig picture frames. There are so many ways you could do art with kids that you could incorporate it into all kinds of other activities.

* Water – Make sure that water play is safe; if some kids can’t swim, a trip to the pool could be disastrous. Instead, have a water day with hoses, sprinklers, wading pools, and, to help out parents, car-washing. If the cost of water is a concern, parents can pool their money to cover the cost of the water use. Alternatively there many localities that have parks with water features and splash areas you could take the kids to visit.

* Picnics – Plan an outdoor meal or cookout, and then include games like Frisbee, hopscotch, badminton, horseshoes, cornhole, and other move-about games.

* Parks – Groups of kids can have a great deal of fun at a state forest or park. You can take them all on a wildflower walk, wading in streams and creeks, or just let them play on the playground equipment and partake in the park’s resources (such as miniature golf, paddle boats, etc.).

If you need or want help with daycare this summer or you just want an affordable summer fun experience for your kids, a co-op may be just what you are looking for.

Further Reading: The Kids Summer Games Book & The Kids’ Summer Handbook

Warning spoilers below!

As I mentioned previously we took the kids to an advance screening of The Lorax in 3D this past Saturday. The kids loved it of course, as did I. I went into the experience being skeptical about the depth into which the movie would go to show environmental destruction and the greed/ignorance that motivates it and allows it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movie didn’t pull any punches. It went there. As a movie it now rates pretty darn high on my list of animated films to love, alongside Toy Story and Despicable Me. I laughed and I cried (twice, but they were happy tears) and this is a movie we will be be picking up on DVD for sure, as soon we can. I will also likely take my kids to the theater to see it again. The 3D version was awesome but my youngest has sensory issues and refuses to wear 3D glasses so I want him to experience it again, with less blurriness. And you HAVE to see those Truffula Trees in all their glory. Ever since I first read the Lorax book when I was a kid I always thought the trees were the stuff of magic. Who wouldn’t adore trees that looked like cotton candy???! The movie trees were everything I dreamed they would be.

But I digress…

So what’s the movie about? It is centered around adorable Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), a 12-year-old young boy who lives in Thneed-Ville, a city that, aside from the citizens, is completely artificial and plastic. He has a crush on Audrey who has a fascination with something she has never had the pleasure of seeing in real life… a real tree. You see the trees in their city are all fake and they are programmed to change color with the seasons and be all that you would ever need from a tree but they aren’t real or alive. They also do not provide clean air which is why the powers that be (the mayor and his cronies), thwart any attempt to grow trees or even speak about them because the city and his empire has been built selling purified air to the masses.

Ted sets out to find the one thing that will secure Audrey’s heart, a real tree. He gets some super secret intel from his Grandmother (Betty White) and then he leaves the city to find a tree. There in the tree stump waste land outside the city he meets the reclusive Once-ler, who shares the story of how he met the Lorax, the keeper of the trees. He was just a young entrepreneur back then and he decided he needed to use beautiful Truffula Tree tufts to make a product with universal appeal and demand. This idea eventually causes a downward spiral into mass overproduction, which then leads to the depletion of all the beautiful trees. In a cool twist it was also this event that lead to the birth of Ted’s town as he now knows it since the bad air quality left the door open for another unscrupulous businessman to create the next product in demand, clean air. It also provided a motive to make sure trees stay gone.

In a very groovy musical scene the movie shows the production of the Once-ler’s product and it shows him getting physically larger and larger and also getting greener with greed. I thought the visual was amazing. He literally steps on people below him as he gets larger and tells them to worry about themselves and not what he is doing, all the while he is destroying their shared resources. The 1% versus the 99% anyone? In a hilarious scene he throws one of his products (which looks like a sweater) on top of the Lorax and just then a photo is snapped and captioned with the words “Lorax Approved!” just as the lyrics in the song chime about deceptive advertising. Priceless!

I also loved the fact that it in direct and indirect ways talked about other environmental issues beyond the trees and air quality. The effects of deforestation on animal life is well represented and you will fall in love with all the creatures who lived there. The mayor’s cronies come up with an idea to bottle air and market it much like a beverage. They gleefully tell the mayor that all the pollution caused from manufacturing the plastic bottles will create even more demand for the product. I was really surprised to see such an indictment of plastic and plastic bottles in this film. The water quality in the city is also bad and makes children glow. Their food is not real food but rather some sort of jello-like substance and yet Ted ironically called marshmallows “junk food”. They have fake food just like we do, LOL. Also one of the chief ways the mayor and his bunch keep the public from desiring real trees, vegetation, food, etc is to make it seem dirty and unsanitary. In the uber artificial and sanitary Theed-Ville they are opposed to mess and dirt.

Anyway…  back to Ted. The Once-ler gives Ted the last Truffula Seed and Ted sets out to give it to Audrey but is converged upon by the Mayor and his thugs. Ted knows he won’t win this battle without help so he sets out to remind his town of the importance of nature so that they can join together and bring back the trees.

I will stop there and not give away any ending bits and pieces but the movie was phenomenal. I know it has come under fire from some for the way in which it has been marketed and the partnership and product tie ins that have been associated with it. I cannot deny the validity of those claims but as far as the actual movie is concerned, it is pretty darn near flawless. The movie is more upbeat than the book and the Lorax is not so grouchy and judgmental, which I liked a lot. Overall I think I prefer the movie to the book. Yes, some may think that is sacrilegious but hey, it’s how I feel. I find the book to be a bit depressing and did not find the movie to be so at all. Sure it had its sad and frustrating moments but mostly it was inspirational and encouraging. It gets a definitive A+ from me.

For adults you have the monthly Conscious Box (of which I am a huge fan) but I also recently came across a similar concept for kids, the BabbaBox. If you subscribe then you get a new box every month especially for kids with crafts and activities to keep them entertained and engaged for a few afternoons, and not glued to a TV screen. I like the concept for the obvious reasons… it encourages play, crafting, creativity, TV free play, ect. But I also like it because it gives busy moms, and moms who don’t identify as creative or crafty, an easy way to encourage these activities in their kids without too much brain power. Having such an inventive idea at your disposal during the winter months when the weather may drive kids indoors… bonus.

And the lack of parental brain power required part, it’s no small thing. When you decide to do some crafts with kids you have to plan it out, scour the Internet for ideas that are fun yet doable, buy the stuff you need, and go to a specialty stores many times to get them. Then you try to clean the house a bit so you actually have clean work surfaces. Even so, you could end up with a big fat mess at the end, with crafts requiring massive space and time for paint to dry and you may wonder why in the heck you even decided to do this in the first place. Some of us are just not overly crafty and the work it takes to provide those experiences for your kids can be daunting.

BabbaCo, the company behind the box, set us up with a sample box to test out recently. As soon as you open the box you get an inventory of what is inside. Each activity or craft comes in a separate bag with corresponding instructions so you don’t have to worry that your kids will just dive in and lose pieces that you may need for later. It is all very organized. Our box had a Thanksgiving/Gratitude theme and like all boxes it had 4 components: Create, Explore, Story Tell, Digital. The Create part gives them 3-4 activities where they can craft and/or create. Explore seeks to engage your kids with the world and nature. Story Tell is accomplished with a story or book. Digital hooks you up with interactive learning opportunities and BabbaCo approved downloads.

In our box we got 3 gratitude projects… a serving tray to paint and decorate, a trivet/hotpad to personalize and decorate, and a DIY thank you cards. I liked that all 3 of the crafts could be used as gifts. I thought that was really timely for the season. It also came with an empty journal and a disposable camera so that a child can take pictures of all the things they are grateful for and then after they are processed, put them inside the journal. The storytelling part came into play with a copy of the book Giving Thanks. It was an excellent book that fit the theme but also incorporated a great message about wildlife and nature. It was our fave part about the box actually and got me wondering if there is a good book of the month subscription opportunity out there.

The last part was digital. You can either scan a QR code found inside the box or visit the link they give to access the corresponding digital content. There you find video and pdf files with step by step instructions for each activity (if you need it). It also links to iPad/iPhone apps. In this case it was a Dora Thanksgiving online activity (free) and a decorating cookies app. If you have one of these devices then you get the app free with a code from the box. I have an Android phone so if I wanted the app I would have had to pay. I am one of those uncool mommies who does not let my kids play with my phone and they will not get a smartphone of their own OR a tablet until they are old enough to pay for them I suspect. So, we didn’t do the app part.

The best part of the box IMO is that it also has a little gift for mom in it. Woot! This is a very clever idea! My gift was a stainless steel Tea Infuser and two bags of premium, caffeine free herbal tea. I am not a tea drinker so I will be re-gifting it but it is the thought that counts.

In the end we had fun with the box and I know my youngest would love to keep getting them. He is almost 6 and the suggested age range is 3-6. The camera/journal was a bit beyond him but I also suspect that he is on the autism spectrum like his older brother, so that could be a factor. I really like the idea and the presentation but I also think that the box could use some greening. The plastic bags that house each activity have to go, in favor of paper ones or comparable. The crafts themselves could also use some help in this regard but I do realize this product is designed to cater to eco conscious families.

If you are interested in ordering  you can use code: ZB2367U for 20% off. Does this box look like something your kids would enjoy?

I have mentioned dozens of times how crazy I am about the game Wildcraft. It is a game for the whole family that teaches about herbs and natural healing. Read my complete review here. It is just a perfect way to integrate fun with learning and my whole family just loves it. One obstacle for many though, is price. It is something I have had to come to grips with myself since the cheapo games from big toy companies can be had for $10. Quality games though can cost 5 to 10 times that, though Wildcraft does not actually. It was created by a Dad who just wanted his kids to play something more valuable than Candyland and it is sold direct from his family to others. There is no big toy manufacturer behind it.

The regular price ($39) is actually very reasonable but I still keep my eye out for the annual sale that comes around the holidays and I just recieved word of it this morning. From now until Friday at midnight you can Wildcraft for only $19 AND you get a host of cool bonuses including:

*  The “Herbs for Children During Cold & Flu Season” video.

*  A revised eBook by Rosalee de la Foret
 called “Herbal Gifts.” Make your own gifts!

*  A customizable herbal children’s book. You get  the Word file, you fill in the blanks, print it, and
 give it as a gift to the little ones in your life!

*  Dandelion Activity eBook

*  Herbal Medicine Chest Chart (located in game)

*  Herbal Roots Zine Kids Activity Magazine

This is a perfect Christmas gift. Enjoy!

Attn: Giveaway at the bottom of this post

It’s what is on our mind this time of year… back to school, or back to homeschool… whatever the case may be. We start thinking about scheduling, curriculum, activities, new Fall clothes, ways to stay on budget, and much more. It is also the time of year when I get lots of school related gear to review as a blogger. Many products and pitches don’t make the cut but others I find really helpful and the above are some of the winners I spotted this year.

We are doing a mish mesh of schooling stuff this year. I have one child who will be home most of the time, minus therapy sessions at a public school. He started attending last year for speech and developmental delay issues and they helped him so much it just amazes me. He is now 5 and could technically enter Kindergarten but I opted to keep him home and send him to the special needs program again. He will be gone for about 2 hours a day.

My daughter is very much looking forward to returning to her public school. She thrives in this environment, just as I always did. The girl is much like me. Although I don’t recall asking my mom to do a photoshoot of me in all my back to school fashions. Whether it is new clothing or thrift store clothing, the girl loves fashion. Here are some of my fave shots from the fashion show…

Isn’t that no poo hair gorgeous?

My oldest boy was all set to be homeschooled for another year and then an amazing opportunity kind of fell in our lap. I met an amazing lady a few weeks back and spilled my guts to her about our horrific public school experience in regards to this particular child. This angel just happened to be a kick butt lawyer who then pulled some strings to get us the chance to enroll in a unique private school. Instead of an hourly requirement the kids earn credits and thus he will be at school for much less time than his sister in public school. The approach is similar to Montessori with all grades being intermingled and there is also one on one time with tutors from OSU. The meals (a catered breakfast and lunch) are designed to exceed the lax state standards and be extra nutritious. Instead of a bus with dozens of students, a private car service transports the kids to and from school. There are also uniforms, which I happen to think is a good idea. The school sounds amazing so we figured that it was definitely worth a try. So, that is what out school year is shaping up like. We needed a mix of supplies for 3 very different schooling approaches.

One of the best back to school finds for us was Naked Binder. They have binders and folders made from 100% Recycled materials and they are recyclable themselves. They make their binders, folders, and tabs in Des Moines, IA in the US of A out of FSC certified, 100% post-consumer waste binders board, 100% cotton cloth, a few FSC certified papers and metal rings.  No plastics, vinyls or toxins. I like the natural and “naked” colors personally and they are super durable. Honestly my kids will be lucky to get any of the products sent to us for review because I want to snake them for my home office. They get an A++ from me as they are but if you want to personalize them for your kids I would suggest stickers.

And while we are on the subject of great green companies… Annie’s Homegrown, Stonyfield YoKids, Honest Kids, and Seventh Generation have teamed up to help families toss their brown bags this back-to-school season by offering a free Kids Konserve lunch sack with the purchase of participating products now through September 30, 2011. These re-useable lunch sacks are washable and made of recycled cotton and eliminate a great deal of waste that would otherwise occur from the use of daily paper or plastic lunch bags.

Consumers are invited to visit Annies.com/bts11, print out the form then mail in proof of purchase of all four brands. Eligible products include:

Any Annie’s Homegrown item
Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt 6-packs or Squeezers
Honest Kids Organic Drinks 8-pack carton or 64-ounce bottle
Seventh Generation Disinfectants (sprays or wipes)

These could already be on your shopping list for school lunches or for school supplies (the wipes) so the bag is a nice bonus. A

I also found two books that mesh well with this time of year. The first is Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo. It is a clever children’s book that uses the idea of little monsters (which my 5 and 7 year old loved) to teach concepts like the alphabet. The professor is searching for the elusive Zipperump-a-Zoo but he doesn’t know what one looks like or where to find one since no one has ever seen one. The book is a lot of fun and the ending was laugh out loud funny. B+

And I already mentioned Playful Learning once but it deserves another mention. It could easily be incorporated into preschool or homeschool activities and curriculum and I would highly recommend that after having had some time to read through this amazing book. The idea that meaningful learning can be achieved through play is well documented. What better way is there to teach then by making it fun and relevant to kids? Kids are natural scientists, artists, authors, mathematicians, and scholars. It is a drive innate in them to make sense of their reality and parents can leverage that natural curiosity and playfulness and channel it into a love of learning. The book is broken up into several helpful sections:

Nurturing Young Authors
The Joy of Reading
Mathematics at Work
Scientific Investigations
Exploration of Art and Artists
Growing Globally
Raising Citizens of Tomorrow

Instead of sitting down and thinking about how you can teach math today you can pull out this book and identify which playful activity you think would best help them grasp certain math concepts on their own. Its a wonderful resource and even if your kids attend school away from home you can still do these activities during evening and weekends hours because it’s learning disguised as FUN. A++

Sooo… that brings me to the giveaway. The folks behind the Annie’s Homegrown back to school promo have offered to give away a Kids Konserve lunch sacks w/ coupons from all participating companies (seen above) to 4 of my readers. If you want one please leave a comment below and I will choose random winners next week. If you comment with your Facebook profile please be sure to include your email in the comment section so I can contact you. Good luck!

Getting ready to go back to school can bring a lot of mixed emotions; grief over the loss of summer, relief for the parents, dread for the kids, and it can have some green-minded parents shaking their head over the sheer amount of items (clothes, shoes, school supplies) that their kids seem to need to buy – and re-buy, each and every year.  Even when you homeschool you typically still buy some new stuff around this time because this is when it is readily available and on sale. Is there a way to green the return to the school scene? You betcha!

Luckily for us treehugger parents, there are several ways that you can turn a green eye on your back-to-school shopping and actually feel good about your reduced carbon footprint, and several have been included here.

The Green Scene for Back to School Clothes

Kids seem to grow a mile a minute, and sometimes it seems nearly impossible to keep them clothed without spending a fortune; add to that their insistence on being ‘hip’ or fashionable, and it can seem that trying to hopeless project go any shade of green.

For the seriously green-minded parent, there are a growing number of green-minded children’s clothing stores that are cropping up all across the US. From stores that use all organic cotton or hemp to stores that remake vintage clothing for today’s kids, there are plenty of choices available. I watched group deal places like Zulily and MamaSource all summer for deals on organic clothing. Those items work well for the limited amount of “new” stuff I buy each year and it is not so much a need for new as it is a need to help support companies making greener options so they stick around.

If you want to get your kids really “into” the greening of their closets, try taking them to a thrift store; some of the upscale thrift stores have styles and brands that even picky teenagers can’t complain about, and you’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief that you are helping planet earth as much as possible. We went on our annual back to school thrift store trip this past week. I got so many adorable clothing items that my 7 year old daughter is happy to spend hours in her room trying them all on and figuring out all of the combinations she can make. The most we spent on anything was $5.99 and that was for a brand new with tags 3 piece outfit (shirt, skirt, and alternating pants). Most of the clothing we bought was $1.99 a piece and we only bought nice stuff. Then we came home and freecycled their clothing that doesn’t fit anymore so that we can help other families keep it green too.

For shoes I recommend Simple Shoes. They have some very nice, eco friendly choices for kids.

There are also other components of fashion beyond clothing, especially for girls. My daughter usually starts out the year with some new piggy paints, non toxic nail polish and some natural lip gloss or balm (no lipstick yet!). She gets jewelry such as beaded necklaces at yard sales and garage sales and pretty soon earrings too since she will start this year with pierced ears.

For backpacks we use the same one from year to year. My youngest son will be going on year two for his Crocodile Creek Pack for his speech therapy sessions. My daughter decided to freecycle her backpack of 2 years for a new one this year. I didn’t complain because it was an iCarly backpack (which I objected to with no success) and this year she wanted an unbranded horse/pony backback. I still consider it a success.

Green Lunches for Green Kids

Lunches are a big part of your child’s school day, so why not focus on creating lunches for them that are based on organic and local grown foods? Local bakeries for the breads, farmers markets for the fruits and vegetables, or at the very least organic products from your local grocery store. I like to stock up on Apple Butter during the Fall days of our Farmer’s Market and it makes an appearance in lunches quite often. Local apples are another favorite as well as pumpkin soup (served cold) made from local pumpkins.

As you pack lunches use recyclable lunch bags or lunch boxes instead of paper bags. Even the pickiest kid can’t complain about the new metal water bottles with the awesome designs that can be used to send their drinks to school. You can even send green smoothies in them for a powerhouse of nutrition. For the best lunchboxes I recommend LunchBots, Tiffins, or The Laptop Lunchbox. I love that the laptop lunchbox has lids that can be used on some compartments so you can send pumpkin soup or chia seed pudding and not have it make a mess.

If you have teens that don’t want a lunch box you can give them a stylish reusable bag and some Planet Wise sandwich wraps. They can be used for more than just sandwiches and they are an eco friendly way to wrap foods. Plus the wrap can be unfolded and used as a placemat. Cool! Teens also like Built NY bags. They are funky and stylish while still be functional.

For more eco lunch ideas check out Bento Lunchbox.

An Eye on Green School Supplies

School supplies are perhaps the hardest thing to consider going green with when it comes to back-to-school shopping, but making wise choices can actually make a difference in the long run. When shopping for filler paper, notebooks and pencils, don’t settle for the cheapest products available, but choose instead items made from recycled paper and wood. An alternative paper notebook I like is the Writersblok Bamboo Notebook made from bamboo pulp. Also conventional stores usually have a greener notebook available it just costs more than the virgin paper notebooks for some reason.

You can buy eco pencils or dispense with standard wood pencils altogether and opt for a mechanical pencil where the only thing you have to worry about are the graphite refills. The same holds true with pens. While the solid case pens may be the cheapest, try choosing some refillable retractable pens instead. We have some Smens Scented pens made from newspaper and recycled plastic that my kids will be using this year. EcoPencils makes colored pencils too. This Terracycle pencil bag made from recycled juice bags would be an awesome way to carry them. ;)

And whatever you do, try to keep track of your mainstays from year to year. Re-using things like rulers, calculators, protractors the like may seem time consuming, it can make a decided difference, not just in the cost of your back-to-school supply shopping, but in how much it saves the planet to not have to deal with one more plastic calculator or ruler or protractor in the landfills. Throughout the year you can find these items at yard sales too.

For more info check out my main green school supplies page and this letter to the teacher.

Part of the Green back to School Carnival.

Looks like I have some new games to add to my mammoth post on green board games. Educational Insights was kind enough to send me a trio of their educational, green games for my children and I to play with for Earth Week and beyond. All 3 games are printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper. They have wood and paper pieces, no plastic and they are really rather sparse in gadgets and “stuff” overall. They are very much minimalist games. Another plus is that all three have a nature theme going on.

Number Hunt – The game board is a jungle. The object is move through the jungle using the wooden die to roll numbers. You add the number on the die to the number on your current space, do the math, and move along the path to the finish line. Some spaces have no number. Instead they have a collection of bugs that need to be counted so you can figure out the number value of that space. It is great for preschool age kids (like my little guy) who are working on counting and my 7 year old enjoyed it as well, even though the math was a little to young for her. My kids also like that this game and one of the others uses the same paper “pieces” so they could be the same character for both games. My youngest son was the fox and my daughter was the owl.

Reading Roundup – As the name would suggest this game encourages reading and word recognition. My ten year old son even played with us because the overall theme was fun for a more advanced reader too. Each player gets five cards that lay face up in front of them.

Each card has a word on it and you move through the game board trying to land on spaces that have the matching words. The spaces with words are attached by lassos but you have to move in one direction. It is strategic because you need to plan your moves ahead so that you can hit all your words and turn over the corresponding card. Once all your cards have been turned over you need to follow the lassos back to your home base, each player (up to 4) has their own. It is easy enough for younger kids but the strategy part might need to be learned. Taking your words out quickly, while moving on the board as little as possible, is really the key. Very enjoyable though! I even liked playing this one.

Woodzy Words – This game is much like Pick Up Sticks, everybody remember that classic? Well these sticks are bit more substantial and they have words on them but the principle is the same. When you successfully pick up one of the sticks you read the word aloud and when you are finished you need to make a sentence with all your words. Continue to play until you bump another stick or get stuck on a word. The player with the most sticks at the end of the game wins. The cool part is that the words are 30 Earth-friendly vocabulary words like habitat, ocean, soil, etc. We really enjoyed playing this one as well.

All 3 games rock but I would LOVE to see advanced versions of the first two… because I do think they are phenomenal for education and learning during play. They get an A+ here.

Just wanted to share a VERY cool product I came across at Hearthsong. It is a hanging art gallery that a child can hang in his or her room on their door to display their artwork and spotlight it in and organized and attractive way.

With this great display, kids can open their own rotating art gallery AND finally have a display place for their latest drawing or painting. They just slide five of their favorite masterpieces into the pre-fitted openings (one 11″ x 14″, four 8″ x 10′) to proudly show-off original artwork. Windows open in the back with Velcro® to easily insert and remove artwork.  It is constructed of sturdy paperboard and acetate to protect those valuable one-of-a-kind originals and hold artwork securely in place.

As the mother of kids who LOVE to paint and draw this would be such a fabulous way for them to display their work shy of sticking it to the wall and peeling the paint off OR having their little sibling rip them. If your kids REALLY love to draw you could even get a couple of them. For two or more they are only $10.98 so pretty nice in price.

Hearthsong is a fave place of mine for unique kids projects and products and I was there checking out this awesome garden fort when I ran across this gallery. Simple and yet so functional. I think my 5, 7, and 10 year olds would all love one.

If you have artistic kids and you want to add another element of social awareness to your lives (and who doesn’t) you may be interested in a kids design contest being run by The Company Store in honor of their 100th anniversary. I rarely post about things like this but their concept just rubbed me the “right way”. Giving cool comforters to kids who are homeless or going through home transitions just seems like a great way to give needy children a sense of home no matter where they are.

Their Kids’ Design Contest, is a program geared at inspiring creativity while supporting art education and charitable work among America’s youth.  Under this initiative, The Company Store will accept original artwork from children 12 years and under.  The winning piece will be transformed into a comforter print for their ongoing Buy One, Give One Comforter Donation Program, in which The Company Store donates a new comforter to a homeless child for every comforter sold. Submissions can be uploaded to www.Facebook.com/CompanyKids.

If you are looking for some after school art ideas this may be a fun one to try…

Sometimes the perks of being a blogger are pretty darn nice. This past weekend my brood of five all went and saw an advance screening of Gnomeo & Juliet in 3D. Much thanks to The Owens Group for the tickets. Anyway, I don’t have to write about it obviously but this particular movie, in addition to being VERY good, was actually very “green” in many ways. That surprised me but I guess it shouldn’t have.

The main characters are all lawn ornaments… ceramic mushrooms and frogs, pink flamingos, and of course Gnomes. All of these characters have great pride in taking care of their environment and making sure everything stays beautiful. There was a lot of eye candy in the way of prized flower beds, secret gardens, fountains, and the like. So while that wasn’t what the story is primarily about I loved that most of the story takes place outside as the Gnomes seek adventure in new places, wanting to make it beautiful everywhere they go.

The actual story is… well… a new take on Romeo and Juliet. The blue gnomes and red gnomes are at war because their respective homeowners are. Juliet takes off one night to nab a beautiful flower she saw in abandoned greenhouse down the road and she runs into Gnomeo. Both are in disguise since they are involved in mischief to some extent and they fall in love before they find out that the other is supposed to be their mortal enemy. Thankfully the whole suicide stuff was left out of this particular movie!

Anyway, it was really quite good. My 3 kids loved it (5, 7, 10) and my husband and I did as well. LOVED the references that went over the kids heads… like a line from Brokeback Mountain, Elton John in Gnome form, a Borat style swimsuit, and a play on an American Beauty scene. Oh and I was very happy to hear the voices of James McAvoy and Jason Statham.. my faves! I probably would not have chosen to see this film if not for the free tickets. I guess I need to stop being such a cartoon snob.. or so my husband would say. ;)

Will you being see this film?

Most parents want to raise children that are empathetic and that show they have social consciousness. We hope to guide our children into adulthood to be people that care about their planet and about their fellow man. The very first thought that occurs to me along these lines is raise them to appreciate my political beliefs but politics rarely solve anything in this day and age, everyone has their own agenda. The most important thing has to be showing by example what it takes to be a good citizen of our planet and our community. Being a secular family, we have to look for opportunities that fall outside of religious organization. Here are some ways to include kids in our social and planetary awareness activities:

1. Each month (perhaps on a specific day) go through your pantry and donate a small box of food to your local food bank or shelter. Have the children pick the items, box them, and then accompany you to deliver them. The car ride is a great time to discuss being homeless or hungry.

2. Volunteer at a food bank or pantry. Usually children have to be 13 or older but this is an excellent way for them to connect the dots and see the people faced with these issues.

3. Once every other month (or more frequently if you desire) take your child to the store to buy a few pet supplies to donate to your local animal shelter. Auctions and garages sales are also good places to get these supplies. You can also make items that the shelters need, such as blankets. It doesn’t have to be much.. perhaps just a bag of food. Take your child with you to donate these items and then stay awhile to visit with the animals. You may find that your children look forward to this event with much anticipation.

4. Along the same lines as the above… see if your child would like to forgo gifts at their birthday party and request pet donations instead. The guests could also make homemade dog biscuits to donate as well.

5. Once a month reserve a time to go to a local or state park, waterway, or some other nature area to pick up garbage. Seeking out garbage is a great way to clean our natural spaces and spend time as a family. My kids (4, 6, and 10) LOVE to go on our own private clean-ups. Local communities also have organized events. I know Ohio does.

6. Go through older toys, clothes, and sporting equipment quarterly to donate to area homeless shelters. Make sure to include your kids in the selection and donation process.

7. Have a family garden? Plant a row for the homeless. One whole row of your garden can be used to grow produce for your local food bank. The kids can water, weed, harvest, and deliver. They will have a great sense of pride in raising food to feed other people.

8. Let your children see you in acts of everyday kindness. If they see your concern for the homeless man under the freeway overpass, the way you delivery groceries to the family crisis center, or your need to stop for a lost animal to check their tags, they too will learn compassion for those less fortunate. The best way to help our children with social and planetary awareness is to model it ourselves.

I am reading an excellent book right now called The Power of Half. It is about an amazing family who, after being motivated by their 14 year old daughter, sold their Atlanta mansion, moved into a house half its size, and donated half the sale price of their original home to a worthy charity. And that was just the beginning. It is about finding happiness by learning to live with less so others can just live.

]]> http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/10/13/ways-to-raise-social-and-planetary-awareness-in-kids/feed/ 5 http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/10/11/sarahs-silks/ http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/10/11/sarahs-silks/#comments Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:10:53 +0000 Tiffany http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=5240

My daughter was due for a new costume for Halloween this year. She told me in advance that this year she was going to be a “Love Fairy”. I am not sure exactly what this means but she wanted something pretty and frilly, preferably in pink, with a heart wand. The folks at Sarah’s Silks delivered with a lovely silk costume that is part princess, part fairy, and oh so lovely.

Essentially these costumes use playsilks to make costumes worthy of creative play and they use natural, earthy materials as well. So many conventional costumes are made of plastic based polyester and they are often itchy and uncomfortable. We have had store bought fairy costumes before and they almost never last much beyond Halloween because they are not fun to wear and they get destroyed easily. This costume from Sarah’s Silks will last for a long time and it is completely comfortable to wear. Silk is very sheer and delicate looking but is actually quite durable and will last for years of creative play if cared for properly. They can be washed with mild soap and water and then hung to dry.

My daughter’s costume is a princess dress-up, a cone hat, and a heart-shaped wood fairy wand with a silk streamer. Her first run as a Love Fairy was this past weekend at a Halloween party we attend every year. She floated along granting love wishes and accepting candy as payment. It was quite precious and I think the thing I love MOST about costumes like this is that children get to create their own “story”. She didn’t dress up as a trademarked character that she must imitate. She got to create her own persona, her own imaginary world, and her own story. In that sense these costumes are similar to toys. They open a doorway to creative play. This particular “toy” will surely be a part of our lives long past Halloween. I look forward to meeting princesses, fairies, pixies, elves, gypsies, and all other manner of fabulous folk in the future…

]]> http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/10/11/sarahs-silks/feed/ 1 http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/09/01/raising-minimalist-children-in-a-society-of-excess/ http://naturemoms.com/blog/2010/09/01/raising-minimalist-children-in-a-society-of-excess/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:24:22 +0000 Tiffany http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/?p=5053

There is a growing trend toward minimalism and voluntary simplicity. I have written about it many times here. We made a huge leap towards minimalism and a more simple life last year. We moved from a large house in the suburbs to a small 1000 square foot house in the city. We downgraded to one car and we got rid of 50% of our belongings. You kind of have to when you move into a smaller place. It was a wonderful experience and has helped us see more clearly what kind of life we want to shape.

We are moving again to a better area of town and a slightly nicer home but it is only 300 square feet bigger and lucky for us that wiggle room translates into better closet space (so we can ditch our dressers), a dishwasher, and an extra bathroom. Once again we chose a place that is right next to one of the major Metro Parks because being close to nature is what we value. It was only after living so simply that we can move into this equally modest home and feel like we are living luxuriously. And because we don’t want to move tons of stuff.. even if it is way less than what we had a year ago… we have given away or sold another 50% of our stuff.

Another benefit is seen in the kids. They use to be big time beggars for new stuff and they rarely showed appreciation when they got the stuff they wanted… it was just expected. Now they ask for a lot less and they appreciate what they do get, more.

When you choose to raise your children in a frugal, non-consumerism sort of way, you are going against a powerful advertising media. Images of the latest movie and its accompanying toys, video games, and action figures are all over the walls, cups, trays, and containers of fast-food restaurants. Television commercials tempt your children with compelling advertising, making your children think they just have to have the latest cereal, candy, video game, or toy.

Some families are collectors every modern convenience there is. You take your child to Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s house, and the Smiths have every imaginable gadget. Your child gleefully plays with the electronic games and toys, thoroughly enjoys the big plastic kitchen, and watches all kinds of DVDs. You may even feel guilty, thinking you are depriving your child of all this fun.

What can you do to counteract the materialism that still dominates much of our culture?

* Don’t feel guilty. Modern parents are made to feel as if they are depriving their children of “the best” if they don’t sign them up for every lesson, take them to every movie, or buy them every brain-enhancing toy. Advertising companies are paying billions of dollars to make you think this. It is not reality… it is a fictional version of reality they are selling. Let it go. Don’t “buy” into it. You are not depriving your children; you are enhancing their mental and emotional development by letting the real world around them captivate and interest them. Do you think the Smiths’ kids are really better off because they spend all their free time in front of a television or playing with a DSI?

* Minimize media first. This includes movies and television. After all, it is advertising that manipulates us into thinking we need this and that. If possible, get rid of cable entirely. We opted to get Netflix and stream it to our TV via our Wii.. which was a gift. We get a lot of gifts now from family who think we are deprived, LOL. Anyway, the Wii is not played very much. Instead they use it to get on demand movies via Netflix. No commercials!!!! You can also choose to limit TV to DVDs or videos, preferably those that you check out from the library. And speaking of the library…

* Use it! The library is there for a reason. Plan a trip with your kids at least once a month. Stock up on books and other materials, and take advantage of free library programs. Many local libraries host various children’s activities from storytime to matinee movies to live music.

* Involve your children in cleaning clutter and donating to charity. Let them help, but make limits and rules so they don’t end up keeping everything. Give them a box and tell them you expect them to fill it with stuff they don’t use or play with. Tell them you are filling your own box too and do it. You can also Freecycle the boxes of toys if you prefer.

* When you do go to the Smiths’ house, talk to your children beforehand. Let them know that the Smiths have a different lifestyle than you do. Don’t be critical of them, but help your child “own” your frugal lifestyle by emphasizing that minimalism is your way of life. I tell my kids that our minimalist lifestyle is what allows us to have season passes to the zoo, science center, water park, ect. It also allows us to take vacations and it allows them to go fishing a couple times a week, like they love because mom and dad don’t have to work as much as the Smiths do. We value life experiences and spending time with family more than accumulating “stuff”.

* The Smiths are nice, of course, but it’s helpful to look for families with children who have a similar minimalist philosophy. When your children get together, they can enjoy being creative together and won’t come away with “green eyes” of envy.

It is not an overnight process to change things if your kids have developed a taste for living a life of excess but it can be done and everyone can be a lot happier for it. We are not against buying things that make our life easier or more enjoyable but we are against mindless consumption and raising our kids to link their self worth to how much cool stuff they have.

What about you? How do you counteract the effects of media and modern society in your home?

Another day, another lunch box to review. This is a Warmables set and the general idea behind it is too allow you to pack warm lunches, perhaps even dinner leftovers, so that you can pack healthier lunches overall. The set comes with a BPA Free plastic container and lid, a cloth bag of cherry pits that retain heat, and the blue insulator pouch that keeps the heat inside the bag with the food.

While I can’t say that this is my favorite lunch set-up I can see reaching for it when I want to pack something that will stay pretty warm.. like the Hot and Sour soup in the photo. Japanese wheat noodles, mushrooms, scallions, and peppers… just wouldn’t taste good cold. Having a soup thermos would work but frankly would not get used much and the cherry pits really seem to work better at keeping stuff warm. LOVE the cherry pits bag idea.

I would like this set even more if it had a more aesthetically pleasing design and the food container was not plastic. Not sure metal would work but the food container looks like something you could get at Wal-Mart for $1. The container and insulator pouch are also pretty small and you would need a separate and larger bag if you have other food to pack. You pay as much for this set as you would a Laptop Lunchbox and you get a lot less IMO.

While I like the idea, I think this particular product will not get much use by us. We will likely donate the container and bag to someone who will get more use out of them. The cherry pits I like though and will use those in future lunches or even my coat pocket during winter. ;) If you struggle with packing warm lunches then this set may be helpful to you.

Mabel’s Labels… me love you long time.

I am raising a real “girly” girl and that is kind of hard for me because I am a total tomboy. I let my hair air dry with barely a comb through. I wear no makeup. I like really old tees and flip-flops. I love action movies. My older son and I have tons of stuff we can do for mother/son days but finding something to do with my daughter is a bit harder for me.

When asked what she would like to do for some mom/daughter time, I am inwardly groaning at her answers… makeovers, ear piercing, coloring on her hair, manicures, and pedicures. This is alien territory. I think I would rather have some teeth pulled before I will wear a set of acrylic nails or sit through an air brushing session.

But as long as I don’t have to sit in the chair I have opted to take my daughter for a monthly salon day. There won’t be any hair coloring but I can deal with children’s manicures and pedicures. I don’t want to squash her interests just because they are not mine. Although I am very nervous about all the potential for exposure to chemicals. We can request nail polish without nasties since many brands make safer polishes and I can use safer polish remover before we go, so that the nail techs don’t have to use theirs. But when they poured some blue powder in her foot bath today I had NO idea what was in it. I will have to research these things.

All in all though, I think the big smile on her face all day long makes the time well spent. She made new friends, chatting with all the little old ladies getting their blue highlights and foot massages, and the stuff she told people! Geez Louise! She told the lady next to her that she toilet papered people’s barn on April Fool’s Day… WITHOUT bothering to mention that this was on Farmville!!! Everyone there thought she was hysterical.

The biggest surprise of the day was that I have to admit that even this tomboy mom wouldn’t mind having some of that cute toenail polish! I might find myself in that chair next to her after all.

My daughter singing for a street vendor…

Dinosaur rides…

Ferris Wheels….

Story time outside…

A downed tree makes the BEST play place…

And carnival rides can be re-created at home with a hammock that swings…

And a lovely summer afternoon in a hammock is the perfect time for a little snooze…

A couple years ago I compiled big lists of BPA free kids cups. Most of us were used to giving our kids plastic sippy cups to avoid spills but when we found that BPA or Bishpenol A had the potential to harm our children we sought better options. Our demand for better products was so loud that MANY companies reformulated their products to offer safer cups and many new companies popped up to fill this need as well. Still for many moms, myself included, there was still something missing.

Yes we had safer cups but they were made of plastic.. which frankly can have other issue besides BPA. While I gave moms who wanted plastic options they needed I scoured the net for stainless steel cups and I bought up small mason jars at thrift stores for my own kids. With out mix of stainless steel tumblers and little glass jars we made do, but I DID miss the sippy cup option!

Now a company has stepped to the plate to provide an answer for us picky moms… a glass cup with plastic sippy attachment, and a sleeve to prevent breakage. It is quite simply the most awesome safe sippy cup I have yet seen. I am really loving it… the EIO Glass Cup for Kids.

The design is similar to what we now see in glass baby bottles. It has a silicone sleeve that prevents breakage of the body.. which is glass. The top portion is BPA, Phthalates and PVC free plastic with a small hole in the inclined area. There is no spout or valve that is impossible to clean or that allows for mold growth. It is dishwasher safe. The BEST part though is that the lid fits on to virtually any 8 ounce canning jar!!! Yes… if your cup breaks (which is unlikely IMO) you can replace with a canning jar, easy peasy! I just love the whole concept, especially the part where I do not have to buy another cup if the part most likely to break, does in fact break.. I can just use a caning jar I already have. The top plastic part is very sturdy and unlikely to break IMO. The sleeve is nice but not really a necessity.. if it were to rip somehow, the cup would function just fine without it.

Up until we got the EIO cup we were just using open cups (both metal and glass). We had lots of breakage, which was no biggie really but the spills were getting out of hand. Since we have started using the EIO that issue is gone, thank goodness. We have the green cup but there is also purple and orange and I am considering getting one for my 6 year old too because the cup does not have a babyish appearance and it would help with dinner time spills. This cup is great for older kids too.

I don’t like using plastic or buying new plastic but I will buy “smart” plastic. Something that will be reused over and over again, that will last, and that makes it easier to use less plastic overall. This cup definitely qualifies.

All in all, I am pretty excited about his new innovation. Some companies see a need and they do the bare minimum… like take the BPA out of their existing cups. Other companies see moms who are concerned with not only the chemicals but also the reliance on plastic and the move towards other materials and they come up with a solution. I love the EIO cup but I also love the fact that one company stood up and took notice of what I (and other moms like me) wanted in a kids cup and they delivered. It should be no surprise to anyone that is was in fact a mom who invented this cup… a mom that wanted to empower her kids to use REAL, earth friendly dinnerware at the table.

Much thanks to Kathy Haskell of EIO for the awesome product and for sending me a sample cup to review at my request.

A reader recently emailed me and asked about a concern that came up among her local moms group. Some moms insisted that sidewalk chalk has lead in it and others insisted it doesn’t. So which is it?

Well the connection between sidewalk chalk and lead became headline news in 2003 when several stores recalled chalk for lead. The good news that there haven’t been major recalls since, indicating that reformulation has occurred. BUT the chalk that was recalled was not major brand chalk like Crayola it was off brand or generic chalk made in China and used by stores as their own “brand”. I believe Target was one of the offenders in the 2003 recall.

These days the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. (ACMI) certifies 3 brands of chalk as lead free and safe for children.. Crayola, Prang , and Rose Art. These are well respected brands and you can feel at ease using them. Personally I would avoid off-brands you may find at discount stores like Big Lots, or those found in cheap gift baskets (like Easter baskets) or cheap art sets. If it doesn’t have a recognizable and respected brand… I wouldn’t buy it. Chances are they won’t contain lead but I err on the side of safety just in case. I also prefer Prang to most of the other brands. They are more expensive but they also have more sustainable products (such as their soybean crayons) and their web site has tons of safety data  on each product they sell. You can also make your own sidewalk chalk and take charge of the ingredients yourself or buy homemade chalk made by artisans on Etsy, who I am sure would be happy to disclose their ingredients.

All in all I think parents can feel at ease letting their kids play with sidewalk chalk but as with ANY product we have to stay informed and be vigilant. In the meantime encourage your kids to get outside and “create”.