Have you been looking for a super fun way to get your children involved in composting? Or a great activity to get your children involved in Earth Day? Eben and I made a children’s see through composter which turned out to be a great way to show him how composting works. Not to mention, a super fun way to spend the afternoon. It is very easy to make and since it is see through, your child can see the composting happen right before their eyes. Jump over to my blog at Cascadian Farm for the directions and enjoy a fun afternoon with your child. Then come back and tell me what you think. If you decide to build one, I would love to see pictures. You can upload them to the Sweet Greens Flickr Group.
Would you build a see through children’s composter? Do you think this is an activity that your child would enjoy?
Looking to add beautiful green lifestyle books to your family library? Jump over to Inhabitots and check out my favorite Eco friendly books that every home bookshelf should have.
P.S. Looking to add a little colorful whimsy to your home, check out this beautiful mobile that I also found for Inhabitots.
Every Valentine’s Day, instead of surprising Eben with chocolates and candy – I surprise him with a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt. Every year the prizes that he finds during the scavenger hunt are the same – books. Books that I have scoured my local thrift stores for -sometimes it takes me months to find enough books that are in great condition and that I know he will love. This is probably his most favorite family tradition – he looks forward to it every year. It’s great fun and super simple to put together, read on to check it out.
What you will need:
thrifted books
paper from the recycling bin to wrap them in
colorful scrap paper
pen
How to get started:
1. Choose several books that your child will get really excited over. Eben loves graphic novels and comic books – so this will be my focus this year. I picked up a handful of Garfield, The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes comic books. He will go berserk!
2. Wrap the books in fun paper from your recycling bin. I used leftover Scholastic book order forms.
3. Make several colorful hearts (depending on how many books you have + a couple extra).
4. Star by writing a “welcome heart”, such as; Hi, Happy Love Day! Follow the clues, one by one, you’ll find a surprise each time you find one! Secure this heart on the front door or whatever door your child comes home from school in or the place where you want to start the scavenger hunt.
5. Place the second heart, right inside the front door – with the first clue on it. Write a different clue on all of the other hearts, each clue should direct your child to the next clue and so forth. I like to really spread the clues out so Eben has to go upstairs and downstairs, inside and outside over and over again. (Just make sure to do the scavenger hunt yourself one quick time to make sure that clues make sense!)
6. With each found clue, leave a wrapped book.
7. Place the last clue in the family room or a room that the entire family can join together in – watch your children unwrap and devour their books.
Do you have a special Valentine’s Day tradition that you surprise your children with? I would love to hear about it, please share your tradition in the comments below.
Do the winter blues have you planning a little getaway to find some sunshine? If you decide that you would rather build sandman than snowmen and plan a mid-winter vacation, remember these 10 simple ways to make your trip more Eco-friendly.
1. Reuse It: Use the same linens and towels throughout your entire stay at the hotel, bed and breakfast, Airbnb, swap or friend’s home. My guess is that you don’t change your linens and towels everyday when you are home, so why do it on vacation?
2. Pack Lightly: If every passenger packed just 10 pounds lighter, 350 million gallons of jet fuel would be saved. And better yet, take a staycation or travel by bus or train.
3. Go Digital: You have already, right? If not, now is the time and have no film waste!
4. Take an Eco-Adventure: There are many types of excursions that have fewer passengers and give you the opportunity to actively engage in the environment.
5. Choose an Eco–Friendly Stay: Eco-friendly hotels, bed and breakfasts and Airbnb’s use 20-40% less energy than conventional hotels. You can find an Eco hotel here.
6.Tag It: Use your own luggage tags and forget the paper ones that the airport offers. Better yet, make your own from recycled items found around your home.
7. Go Online: If everyone started using E-tickets and online itineraries the airports would no longer need to print paper ones – just think of the paper and ink that would be saved!
8. Rent It: When choosing a rental car, pick a hybrid or take a hybrid taxi. Better yet, choose an Eco-friendly hotel that is right in the middle of where you want to be, then ride or bike your way around.
9. Refuse It: Don’t use the complimentary shampoo, soaps, cups, napkins and other freebies at the hotel. If everyone used their own personal care products and brought their own reusable cups and napkins, the hotels would stop offering complimentary and disposal ones. It’s a step to towards ridding our planet of one-use items.
10. Take It: Pack items that you can reuse over and over again while on vacation. Such as, your own water bottle, reusable napkins, personal care products and a coffee mug.
How do you make your vacations a little more eco-friendly?
* Sandman creation and photo courtesy of Eben Lyon
Have you been looking for a super fun way to get your children involved in composting? Or a great activity to get your children involved in Earth Day? Eben and I made a children’s see through composter which turned out to be a great way to show him how composting works. Not to mention, a super fun way to spend the afternoon. It is very easy to make and since it is see through, your child can see the composting happen right before their eyes. Jump over to my blog at Cascadian Farm for the directions and enjoy a fun afternoon with your child. Then come back and tell me what you think. If you decide to build one, I would love to see pictures. You can upload them to the Sweet Greens Flickr Group. 
