Green Options

I recently found the book Choose to Reuse (a green touch & feel book) while looking for an environmentally sound gift for a two year old.

What I like about this book:  It’s produced sustainably.  This fun story carries the message of reuse, which is the ultimate in recycling.  In the story, a box becomes a princess castle and an old blue towel becomes a superhero cape.  This delightful story entertains youngsters while giving them ideas for playtime and teaching a valuable lesson.

Our house is over-run with books because I fully believe in the value of reading.  I also believe that owning books (and reading them together) is vital to a child’s development.  (Disclaimer- Yes we do borrow a lot of books.  We also frequently purchase secondhand books).  If you are looking for a way to shed a few books (to make room for more, of course) or you want to start a service project with your children, check out EnviroMom’s suggestion for reusing old books.

If you own a few books which are beyond repair, here are some tips for reusing much of the book (remember to recycle whatever cannot be reused).

Yes, I’m back… hopefully on a regular basis.  I’ve been MIA since my Mother passed away in April from ALS.  It’s taken time to put the pieces together and let go of the anger enough to formulate coherent thoughts that others may actually want to read.

That said, I spend each day home with 8 children aged 9 and under which helps distract me.  There are many hours in a day and that becomes apparent when you spend that much quality time together!  I’ve been putting together some ideas to help us break up the day.  Apparently, these kids can only spend so much time riding bikes and climbing the cherry tree.

I’ve decided to share activities we enjoy in the hope they may save you the hair pulling experiences I have had.  We have many ideas, so they will be broken up into a several part series.  Hopefully, you can implement some of them in your daily routines and perhaps even leave a comment or two with your favorite activities!

As always, our activities focus on being outside, exploring nature, family time, conservation, reuse and safety!