Go Green- Healthy Living for your Family and the Planet

Great Site for Checking Toxic Chemicals Before Buying Kids Products and Toys

sharon — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:41:42 -0500

We are very excited to let you know about a site we just discovered called Healthy Stuff. It's a site that gives you immediate access to research done on Children's products and Toys, including car seats. The site is extremely easy to use and the information is presented in a simple coding system with graphics even a child could understand. It shows which products contain lead, arsenic, cadmium, chlorine, mercury and bromine and to what degree it is present in that product.

At HealthyStuff.org you can search by product, by brand or level of concern, for example, your concern of lead in a product. There's even a spot to "tweet" the results you've found so you can quickly share the info with your contacts and friends.

It is certainly no wonder that so many developmental problems are increasing in children and that cancer is a constant threat. But with this website, we all can benefit by choosing products and toys for our children and grandchildren that we know have the least amount of toxic chemicals. Please be sure to spread this info on to friends and family. HealthyStuff.org

Inspire Creativity in Kids With Eco-Friendly Art Supplies for Back to School

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:49:54 -0500

Make going Back to School more fun and help the environment while helping kids be creative with some of these fun art supplies when shopping for Back to School products. We found these great pencils, crayons and more at the Stubby Pencil Studio.

We love this set of color pencils with thick leads and oversized triangular barrels that offer rich colors and are nearly unbreakable and they come packaged in a reusable tin. These jumbo size hexagonal pencils with clear finish are made from reforested wood. The 12 brilliant colors with extra thick leads will impress anyone that handles them.

NEW for back to school are Smart Smencils - pencils made from 100% recycled newspaper and scented with peppermint. Science has confirmed that the scent of peppermint stimulates brain activity and improves concentration. Recent studies showed increased test scores in children who were exposed to the scent of peppermint during testing. Smart Smencils will give your kid's brain a boost!

Eco Friendly Baby Bottles with Silicone Sleeve

sharon — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:39:09 -0500

Not only are these glass baby bottles a great choice for the environment but the bright, colorful silicone sleeves take worries away from breaking glass bottles. Designed by a pediatric physical therapist and an integrative designer, we think they have hit the spot with these baby bottles. Gosh, I don't even have a baby and I'd like to display the whole group of bottles as a design statement! But I will definitely be giving these as baby gifts in the future.

Bottles have a silicone nipple that is latex-free and non-toxic. The sleeve provides a good gripping surface during feeding and also a great tactile experience for your baby. Made by Lifefactory, these baby bottles are bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonate-free.

Cozy Eco-Cuteness - Organic Cotton Pajamas

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:22:11 -0500

Put on your comfy pajamas to lounge, relax and nest. Nourish your soul and the Earth with eco-friendly and organic cotton pajamas. In sizes for mom, kids and baby there are plenty of adorable styles for the entire family. Cotton that is free of pesticides will help you sleep better at night knowing that baby is sound asleep in pure 100% organic pajamas. For the women's pajama styles check out the exclusive deals from Gaiam.com

They are offering free shipping on purchases over $25 through June 1,
2009 with online coupon code, TheFind4.

Styles shown from upper left clockwise:

Womens Solid Organic Flannel Pajamas, Sale $59.99. Gaiam

Under the Nile Organic Layette, $24.00. Land of Nod

Bamboo Pajamas starting at $24.00. WildFlower

Womens Jersey Knit Pajamas Sale Price $39.00. Gaiam

From our friends at www.thefind.com- check out other cool kids, moms, and fashion finds and deals at blog.thefind.com.

Kids Craft Projects Out of Household Recycled Materials

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:35:03 -0600

Here are some great kids' craft projects, and activities that are easy to make, use household materials, and are fun and colorful! If you are not already doing so- you should find a corner in the garage where you keep used plastic bottles, paper towel or TP cardboard cylinders, old pillowcases or fabric and any other neat things that could be considered trash, but are perfect for creative, fun art and craft projects with your kids. Kids love making things so why not collect items they can go through when you are ready to do a project and let their imaginations go wild. In our house my kids often make robots and monsters out of recycled items and glue. Here are a few of our Art and Craft Projects that use Recycled Household Items. We also try and think of things that will encourage kids to move their bodies or allow them to use their imagination or creativity. Use these ideas or make up your own.

Monkey Bank out of Used Plastic Bottles Make this great bank for kids to keep their change by using recycled parts, stick on foam and paint. Great project that is super cute!

Fun Bowling Set from Recycled Plastic Bottles Get your kids up and moving by making a mini-bowling set out of small plastic bottles. Paint them fun, bright colors and get bowling!!!

Earth Day- A Few Quick Ideas to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids this Evening

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:43:40 -0500

If you are like most families, just because it is a day to celebrate Protecting Our Planet and trying to make positive changes in our lives so we use less energy, water and create less waste, pollution and carbon does not mean you have extra time to do an Earth Day Activity with your kids.

Here are a few quick and easy ways you can celebrate or talk to your kids about Earth Day that you can fit into Dinner-time or at your house without extra supplies, or buying a planet or going anywhere.

We know the earlier we involve our kids and talk about being a responsible steward of the Planet and our house, kids will learn and want to help save money and help to Protect the Planet and natural resources.

Here are a few Easy ways to talk about Earth Day and a few simple things your family can do to help save money and save water, gas, energy or waste without spending a dime, or making much effort or big time commitment.

Pick a few items that you believe your family can do and let your kids be in charge one of the new ideas. Start Dinner off by telling your kids that today is Earth Day which is celebrated April 22nd every year around the world. Tell them about it, why is it important- things like by paying attention to how much water we use, the lights, and garbage we throw away makes a difference to how much money we spend every month and to our Planet.

Talk about how walking or biking places or using less chemicals, pesticides helps the Earth and animals. Discuss at Dinner ways your family can make a difference and plan to take 15 minutes after dinner to put an action into place.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a Walk or Bike Ride to a Nearby Park or Store- talk about how you cut down on gas use and money

Earth Day Crafts, Activities for Kids- Recycled Crafts, A Lesson in Saving the Planet, and Printables

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:08:07 -0500

Earth Day is a great day to teach your kids about the Earth and ways to protect it by participating in an Earth Day Event or planting a Tree or flowers, making a craft out of recycled materials or figuring our ways your family can conserve energy, water or waste. We have many ideas of Craft Projects that use Recycled Materials, Planting Ideas and more. We also have links to great Earth Day information and educational Coloring Books.

Remember, if you miss Earth Day on the 22nd, any day is a great day to do a project that educates and helps to protect the Earth.

Ideas for Earth Day:

Go Clean Up a Nearby Park or Beach

Take a Nature Walk

Plant a Tree or Garden

Learn How to Garden without Harsh Chemicals

Start Recycling

Make a Craft out of Recycled Materials

Make a Family Plan to Save Water and Energy- Make Checklist

Save Water and Energy

Earth Day is celebrated April 22nd. This is the 38th year the US celebrates the Environment and looks for ways we can help protect our environment and the planet.

Events are scheduled at parks and schools around the country

Recycling Materials for Future Craft Projects

sharon — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:50:13 -0500

You can be a great example to your kids and show them what recycling is really all about on a personal level that they can help implement. Start saving items that you might normally discard that can be used for some of the fun projects here on Ziggity Zoom.

Although most of the preschool craft projects here at Ziggity Zoom make use of inexpensive materials, by saving items that you might normally dispose of not only will you be recycling but saving money as well. Save items in a tucker tote or cardboard box marked "craft projects" but always be sure to wash and thoroughly dry any containers or lids that were for food products. These are some of the things to start saving:

Yogurt cups/ lids
Plastic caps
Egg Cartons
Toilet paper tubes
Corks
Stray socks
Buttons
Bottle Caps
Extra straws

To inspire even more creativity, ask your kids if they have any of their own ideas for using some of the collected, recycled materials. Maybe they will want to make a free-form robot, monster or mermaid. Encourage them to do this and praise them for their efforts. Children's art has such a wonderful, naive quality to it. It is actually one of my favorite art forms.

It's amazing what wonderful creations can be made from discarded and saved items. From our activities section you can choose fun things to make, such as a pirate or princess castle from toilet paper tubes, a colorful bowling set from fast-food drink containers, or a cute puppy sock puppet from a stray sock. Be sure to check out the projects in detail and to check back often as new projects will be added regularly and you might find some new materials to start recycling!

Easy Environmentally Friendly Ideas for You and Your Family-How to Be Green

kpfitch — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:21:56 -0600

Even You and Your Family can Go Green with very little effort.

As a mom, I am always thinking of ways to make sure my kids learn to appreciate the land and our Earth. I am also a parent who wants to make sure I am bringing the least hazardous products into our home and, of course, I want to do my part on trying to minimize the negative impact we each have on the Environment.
I believe, for most of us, going green is a process. We begin by taking a small, often simple step to do our part and over time we become more educated about what other things we can do that will make a difference to our homes, our yards, our waterways, our land, and the Earth.

I will give you 3 very simple steps you can do to save energy, minimize toxins in your house, and in our environment,reduce waste, recycle, and save money.

My hope is that you get your kids involved. Tell them the reasons you should recycle, reuse items and save energy. When you get everyone in your household on board, they are usually great helpers.
Even kids can be conscious of saving water by turning it off when scrubbing hands, turning off the lights when you leave the room and helping to recycle.

Save Energy-Replace Light Bubls
Recycle Glass, Paper, Plastic-Reduce Waste
Reduce Toxins in Your House and in the Enviroment-Switch Cleaning Products

By now, most of you have probably heard that by changing from standard or halogen light bulbs to Compact Flourescent bulbs (even just 1 bulb) you can make a huge impact. So You Know Just How Big of an Impact?

Switch to Cute Kid-Friendly Cloth Napkins for your Kids and Family

kpfitch — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:37:11 -0600

Does your family go through a ton of paper towels and napkins?

Here is an easy way to save money and help out the environment at the same time. Buy 1-3 packs of brightly colored, cotton cloth napkins, bar towels or wash clothes and a few dish towels. Use the small cloth napkins or towels for your family at breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of using paper towels or paper napkins and use a dish towel to dry hands after washing them. Just remember to switch out the hand towel daily for a clean one and let air dry between uses. The cloth napkins are great because you can let kids pick their own color or assign a favorite color to everyone in the family. Just make sure to have enough to get through several meals before you have to wash them. At my house some of the cloth napkins need to be washed after 1 use and others can be used again before being washed.

The cost breakdown- the average family goes through several rolls of paper towels a month. My family was using at least 1 roll of paper towels every week and some weeks we were going through them even faster. In an average year, we spend $60.00-80.00 on paper towels and create several trash cans full of trash from those paper towels. By using cloth napkins and dish towels, in place of paper towels most of the time, you can cut down on your trash, your monthly cost for paper products and help to reduce our use of paper goods that come from forests.