Since this was one of my favourite Christmas traditions growing up, I was excited to keep it going with my own children. Though we kept to the program in previous years,  I made a few important changes this year. Not only did I use a whole wheat blend and cut out some of the sugar, I skipped the food colouring for the icing and experimented with natural colours.

Read more of this story »

My own kids only know the store bought advent calendars. They expect chocolate.

Read more of this story »

Well it happened. The first snowfall of THE SEASON. As we nestle into our new home in Ontario, we must face the fact that winter Tis the season more often than Tis not. Ditto for the white stuff, which will soon become brown stuff as everyone likes to remind me.

Though my husband and I have little use for snow (a White Christmas Day would suffice) our kids are excited to have a new use for their sand toys. The other day as I stepped away from the window to grab the camera and prove to my friends in the west that we are in fact nuts, my daughter scooped up a generous helping of snow and licked her mittens right down to the wool. I laughed and told her to stick her tongue out to catch some flakes, knowing her little brother would watch and do the same. But, as I snapped the photo the green meanie suddenly came over me…Is it safe for kids to eat snow?

Read more of this story »

At our house, belated Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without Aunty Andy and her homemade Maple Apple Sauce. The original recipe was from Canada’s very own Chatelaine magazine. Auntie has adapted it over the years, whipping it into its current perfection. Serve it with a little ice cream or granola and you’ve got yourself the perfect Thanksgiving dessert, breakfast, or post turkey snack.  Print this recipe and keep it close to the stuffing one you always look for.

Read more of this story »

How long must your banana be? Well, according to the current EU regulation, anything shorter than 14 cm is unworthy of sale. (I’ll save you all the conversion…that’s 5.5 mushy inches.) Pears are a different story. They must have perfect skin free of all blemishes in order to be deemed good enough for European markets. Okay, what happens to the rejects?

Read more of this story »

With my Scroogy wait-’til-December attitude you can imagine how irritated I was to find a Christmas library book in my daughter’s school bag on Halloween Eve. “Why didn’t you pick a Halloween book?” I asked, as she placed the Night Tree on my lap. She shrugged and looked at me as if it was no big deal. It wasn’t until after reading the charming tale that I forced myself to apologize.

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »

During Honey Week on our sister site, Meridith Melnick wrote:

“One-third of the food we consume comes from pollinators. Bees are responsible for pollinating almonds, apples, soft fruit, and berries among other crops. Without them, we will lose more than honey (a tragedy in its own right!), we will lose a large portion of the biodiversity we now enjoy on our plates.”

Read more of this story »

How to Make Crayon Doodlers (Recommended for Age 3+)

• Peel the paper off of old broken crayons (This may sound tedious but I found it to be a great stress reliever!)
• Preheat oven to 300
• Help your children separate the broken crayons into fun colour combos in muffin trays
• Turn heat off and place muffin tin in the oven
• Bake for about ten minutes (or until liquid forms)
• Place tray in the freezer for about half an hour
• Take out of freezer until doodlers reach room temperature
• Flip tin over and bang out doodlers (onto a soft surface such as your hand or lap-not a counter)
• Get colouring!

But, you may need to experiment a little. . .

Read more of this story »

My favourite recipes are those that can be adapted in so many ways that they almost never taste the same. To keep it healthy (and kid friendly), whenever a recipe calls for flour I use a combination of whole wheat, all purpose, and wheat germ, plus some flaxseed. I keep a large bag of this combo flour in my fridge and use it in cookies, pancakes, bread, and muffins. My husband was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure, and was told to cut salt out. I was surprised to learn that you could buy no sodium baking powder and baking soda. We use Featherweight. 

My preschooler is going through a meataterian phase (can a phase last two years?). She won’t eat fruit or vegetables in their bare naked state. These muffins have both, plus no added sugar or salt. I call them Cinnamon Muffins, because my daughter associates cinnamon with yummy. (When it’s time to add the cinnamon, make sure your picky eater is around to help!)

Recipe for Jumbo Cinnamon Muffins after the jump.

Read more of this story »

I am not a pillow expert. All I knew about pillows before today is that you’re supposed to change them regularly because of dust mites. (Yuck I saw that Oprah show.) During my research on how to recycle old pillows (make dog beds) I discovered that there are many eco-friendly pillows to choose from. The cool thing about eco-friendly pillows is that they are made from renewable resources and last much longer than cotton, polyester, and down filled ones (the kind I’m sending to the dump because there seems no alternative-sewing machine is packed). The uncool thing is the price. The investment for a full family will be substantial. Even the kiddy pillows are pricey. This brings me to the question of the day:

Is your child ready for an eco-friendly pillow?

Read more of this story »

This is why I love Jackie Silberg’s book 500 Five Minute Games. Quick and Easy Activities For 3-6 Year Olds. Silberg’s book is great for preschool teachers, but also for moms and dads who tire easily of young children’s games and toys. Before getting this book I often felt tempted to pick up the phone or put on a movie when my preschooler’s games got repetitive. There’s only so many times in a day you can sincerely answer yes to ”Wanna play hippos?”.

The eco-friendly aspect of Silberg’s book is simple; the activities in it require almost no stuff. Apart from a few experiments that call for simple household items like a bowl or a flashlight, the majority of games and activities in the book require only the world’s most precious resource: children. (Some games require a few kids, but I have been able to adapt most of them to 2 player by either becoming a participant or inviting a stuffed hippo or pony into the circle.) You can also scan each page in a matter of seconds and get the game going before any attention is lost. My daughter’s favourite game from Silberg’s book is called “An Interesting Story” and is from the Language Game section. It goes like this: 

Read more of this story »

Squirties aren’t as cute as they look

We had them all: Santa duck, sailor duck, golfer duck, you name it. I didn’t realize how dangerous rubber ducks were until the first time black goo squirted out of one of them. I recommend the ban from the beginning, because before you know it your bath will be infested with these hard to wash sea creatures that double as hazardous teethers. Choose bath toys that can go in the laundry, or PVC free ones without holes that can drip dry. Here is an extensive guide to safer bath toys.

Read more of this story »

If we lived in California, we would most definitely use RecoPacks from rentagreenbox.com, a company that takes zero-impact very seriously. Not only do they scour the landfills for trash that is difficult to recycle, such as old car seats and bottles that once held bleach or laundry detergent, they also deliver the containers (when you rent them for a buck a week) in a truck that runs on veggie oil and bio fuel. When you’re done you simply place the RecoPacks on a “poopy pallet” (made partially from the shells of old diapers) outside your new home and the veggie truck picks them up. No secret dumping of boxes in the cover of darkness necessary.

Read more of this story »

Though we’re excited about the change and the opportunity to be closer to family, my husband insists that we’re going to need two cars. I think “need” is too strong of a word, though I’m close to admitting that it will be difficult living with one car when the kids get older. Still, I want to try, and this is one eco-battle/financial scrap I’m determined to win. Here are our arguments. What do you think my chances are?

Read more of this story »

At first I thought it might be possible to do my time right here on Eco Child’s Play by writing a post about WHAT NOT TO DO when throwing a birthday party. However, I got side-tracked reading all of the eco-entertaining DO’s already covered, including the used book donation idea which I loved. This got me thinking that a theme party might be a great way to reduce waste, and convince guests and co-hosting partners (spouses and children) that environmentally friendly can also mean fun.

Here are five eco-friendly theme parties to consider for your next family bash:

The Take Home party

Reinforce a no-gift policy by asking each guest to bring one item they no longer use. As each guest arrives and places their donation on the table, give them a number to decide who gets to pick their take-home gift first.

Read more of this story »

Being green is more difficult when you’re on the go, isn’t it? As my mom used to say, one of the hardest things in life is learning to just say no. Here are some of my new no’s for on the go:

Say no to receipts for things I would never take back

I use debit for almost everything and my purchases show up on my electronic bank statement. I’m not going to take back gas, or my daughter’s haircut, or the new crown on my dead tooth, so why do I need a receipt?

Say no to plastic bags for produce

I need five apples, four pears, and a bunch of bananas. Do I need three plastic bags as well? No. The clerk may get annoyed, and she will have to touch my fruit, but so did the teenager who stocked it and I’m planning on washing it well.

Read more of this story »

I was excited to learn about  The Imagination Factory, a website dedicated to helping children turn solid waste into art.  Marilyn Brackney, founder of The Imagination Factory, is an artist and educator  out of Columbus, Indiana who has been reusing materials for art projects for many years. In 1996, she launched her website where she helps visitors learn how to use trash for activities such as drawing, collage, and sculpting. The site also offers educational information for kids, such as  how to be a paper saver. Brackney believes that it is often the children who inspire the adults to be more environmentally conscious. 

Read more of this story »

Read more of this story »