Sesame Street Has Always Been Green
Elizabeth FournierWhen my brother and I were five and six, we had a kinship with two rubber puppets. Bert and Ernies likenesses were firmly affixed to our left hands for as much as I can recall, their striped shirts flowing down to our bony, prepubescent elbows. My brothers puppet/role model/nerdy twin, Bert, had a uni-brow crafted into the model of its head, and my sassy Ernie had a sprout of hair that fri...
Read more...CategoriesNaturally Green | Eco Living | Mommy and Me | MultimediaWrite Green with Recyced Newspaper Pencils
Elizabeth FournierAutumn always reminds me of my own school days, and I smile broadly at the memory of sitting outside the principals office of my tiny Catholic grade school, yet again. Sister Bernadette just couldnt get her habit around the fact I was in love. She deemed it inappropriate to write I heart Shaun Cassidy! all over my white pleather Jordache purse with a pink felt pen. I had written the same thing ...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeTips for Going Green at School
Naturally SavvyBack-to-school always comes with a blend of excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and dread. Parents, weary of hearing the millionth Im bored, are happy to wave good-bye to the kids for six hours. Kids are eager to see friends theyve missed, but many would rather do without the whole learning bit. A new school year is also a time to bring up new ideas, and going green is a great option. S...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeGreen Your Home for Baby
Naturally SavvyA new baby brings joy and excitementand, sure, plenty of sleepless nights and dirty diapers and worrying about your baby. Most parents go to great lengths to baby-proof their homes, but many often overlook some key environmental hazards. Babies and young children are particularly susceptible to environmental toxicity because their immune systems havent fully matured and also because their ...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeGreen Lessons from My Mother
Elizabeth FournierMy childhood was probably pretty typical of a young girl growing up in the U.S. suburbs during the seventies: Mom stayed at home with us kids while Dad went to work. Mom was burdened with mundane housework and playing referee to frequent arguments between my older brother and me. She was a member of the PTA and signed on as Den Mother of the local Boy Scout troupe. My mother was trained as an edu...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeCelebrate and Educate This Earth Day
Cara SmusiakOne of my fondest memories as a child is, oddly enough, spending two Saturdays volunteering at a recycling depot. The depotwhich was held monthly in my townwas in an old, small warehouse with bare concrete floors and no heat. The local environmental center ran the depot to collect recyclables that the city wouldnt pick up in the curbside recycling program. I was there with my Girl Guide troop a...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHow to Green Your Baby's Nursery
Cara SmusiakBabies are a wonder. They soak up their surroundings from the moment they enter the world, and their curious nature means parents have to always be thinking about safety. When parents think about safety in the nursery, they tend to think about falls from changing tables, baby getting sandwiched between the rails and mattress, or an infant getting caught up in cords. But the materials used ...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHey Kids! Increase Your Green and Win
Cara SmusiakWhat do Nick Cannon, DoSomething.org, and HP have in common? A little program called Increase Your Green. Increase Your Green is a national campaign to encourage youth to make a difference to benefit the environment--and the prizes for the best projects are pretty sweet. The school with the top environmental project will be awarded up to $5,000 in environmental funding, plus HP computers. And no...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHigh PDBE Levels Linked to Trouble Conceiving
Cara SmusiakHaving trouble getting pregnant? If you've gotten the caffeine habit under control and are managing your stress, the culprit might just be your mattress or carpet. A new study out of University of California at Berkeley and published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reveals women with higher levels of PBDEs in their blood took longer to conceive than women with lower levels o...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and Me5 Reuses for Baby Food Jars
Naturally SavvyBabies are lovely, but then can create a lot of waste. Some parents use cloth diapers and make their own baby food, but there are those times when store-bought solutions are just easier. But you can still reduce waste even when you're relying on some single-use products by reusing whatever you can. Tired parents may think nothing of tossing empty baby food jars in the recycling bin, but thes...
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5 Paint Palette Alternatives for Crafty Kids
Naturally SavvyMost kids love crafting and making art, but when it comes to painting, things can get a bit messy. Paint palettes are a great tool for a budding artist, but the...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeForget Diapers, Try Elimination Communication
Naturally SavvyWouldn't it be great if babies didn't need diapers? There would be no smelly surprises, no need to change a diaper when you're driving down the i...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHead Back to School in Organic Cotton Clothing
Cara SmusiakBack to school: Three words that warm a weary parents heart. Back to school shopping: Four words that stop it cold. Between the paper, markers, pencils, pens...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeKeep Kids Occupied as the Summer Winds Down
Cara SmusiakThe kids are growing restless; you're ready for a break from crafts, the park, board games and toys. And if someone whines "I'm booored..." ...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHomeschooling: Tips for Teaching Green
Cara SmusiakParents who homeschool their children take on a big responsibility, but the educational pay-off can be big. Homeschooling affords opportunities that just are...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeHomeschooling: Green Your Classroom
Cara SmusiakSeptember isn't always a big month of changes for homeschooled kids. Many homeschoolers learn year-round, and others work on a unique schedule. Nevertheles...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeDIY: Recycled Banner for Kids or a Backyard Party
Cara SmusiakMaybe its just me, but it seems those hanging bannersyou know, the ones with the inverted triangles strung from post to post or around a room (also seen at u...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MePool Chemicals Linked to Childhood Asthma Risk
Cara SmusiakWe generally think of infant and children swim lessons as a good way to get kids comfortable in the water, and a way to teach them a skill that could save the...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeGet Green Kids' Rain Gear
Naturally SavvyRain, rain, go away, come again another day. It's the mantra of cooped-up kids and exasperated parents everywhere, but it's pretty hard to avoid rai...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeKids Yoga is All Fun and Games
Cara SmusiakFirst it was the traditional yoga classes, followed by yoga/pilates/tai chi-fusion classes. Then hot yoga took North America by storm. But the newest big thi...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeAvoid Plastics When Feeding Your Toddler
Cara SmusiakWe've all heard the cautions about bisphenol a (BPA) and baby bottles, but what happens when babies become active toddlers, eating solids out of plastic b...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeDIY Cloth Diapers
Naturally SavvySo you're thinking about cloth diapers. First of all-great job! The diaper dilemma is great: Each baby uses around 5,000 diapers before being potty traine...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeGreen Baby Website: Ecorattle.com
Cara SmusiakFrom the founders of Ecorazzi comes super eco-baby blog Ecorattle—and it couldn't have popped up at a more opportune time. With recent concerns over toy s...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeTeach Your Kids About the Earth With Toys
Cara SmusiakBeing the eco-mom or eco-dad that you are, you're probably teaching your kids about the importance of reusing and recycling for a sustainable future. But ...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeOpt for Stainless Steel Baby Bottles
Cara SmusiakYou've baby-proofed the house from top to bottom, purchased a state-of-the-art car seat and, eco-mama that you are, switched to natural cleaning products....
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeTop 10 Green Tips For Children
Joanne CapanoTeaching children to care for the environment is an important parental responsibility that is crucial for their future. But sometimes helping the planet can fe...
Read more...CategoriesMommy and MeStaying Green at the Pool
Robin ShreevesMy family and I have a membership at our local pool. Admittedly, a green pool isnt a good thing. It uses lots of chemicals to keep the water clean. Howe...
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