Guest Post | Eco-Mothering

Make Your Vacation Sustainable by Choosing Green Hotels

By Donna DeForbes | July 11, 2013 - 5:30 am | Travel

This is a guest post by Sam Marquit of Fair Marquit Value. Environmental sustainability is not just a project for big businesses and corporations. Everyone can take action through voting with his or her dollar. By vacationing at eco-friendly resorts, visitors show businesses the types of companies they believe in. After years as a commercial contractor, I know this works. In the last few years I have seen a rise in environmentally sustainable businesses. As more consumers demand greener companies, hotels are responding to that demand. The Marriott —one of the largest hotel chains in the world—is making an effort to go green by conserving energy, reducing waste and using environmentally friendly materials. One example: greening their key cards. Each year, a hotel with 100 rooms will throw away an average of 10,000 key cards… or 50 pounds of plastic. To lower this waste, the Marriott invested in key cards made … Continue reading →

Be a Greener Babysitter with These 4 Eco-Friendly Kid Activities

By Donna DeForbes | July 2, 2013 - 5:30 am | Arts and Crafts

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Eco-Friendly Babysitting Ideas | Eco-Mothering.com

This is a guest post by Christine Maddox. An eco-friendly lifestyle promotes sustainability. Whether or not the family you sit for follows that lifestyle, as a babysitter you can introduce earth-friendly projects that are also fun and educational for the kids. Potato Power A favorite activity among many kids is discovering that potatoes can become batteries that can be used to power an LED light bulb or clock. This demonstrates that the ability to generate power is all around us. The simple experiment is cheap requiring not much more than a potato, a penny, a galvanized steel nail and a few alligator clip wire units. Experiment with other foods as well; citrus fruits supposedly produce more power than potatoes. Follow these steps for making a potato-powered LED clock. Solar Energy Experimenting with solar power is an affordable option for introducing children to sustainable energy. The cost of solar panels have … Continue reading →

Keep the Family Busy with an Active and Outdoorsy Summer

By Donna DeForbes | June 25, 2013 - 5:30 am | Beyond Childbirth, Nature

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This is a guest post from Allison Davis. The kids are out of school for the summer! Keep the family entertained and active by embarking on these fun summer activities. Backyard Camping Trip Pitch a tent and pull out the sleeping bags, flashlights and lanterns. If you’ve got a fire pit or portable grill, you can cook your meals over a real fire. Don’t forget the chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers! Sit around the fire at night and tell ghost stories or sing campfire songs while indulging in S’mores. While sitting fireside, play educational games about health such as Kool Smiles dental bingo or download coloring pages from oncoloring.com. Down and Dirty in the Vegetable Garden The North Dakota State University “Food Wi$e” page and the Family Nutrition Program promote hands-on experiences for kids. Gardening teaches kids about science, reading, math, organization and responsibility. Kids may be more interested … Continue reading →

How to Build a DIY Fairy Garden

By Donna DeForbes | June 11, 2013 - 5:30 am | Arts and Crafts, Nature

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This is a guest post from Jessica Nattamai. Gardens are more than a place to grow food and flowers. They can become an imaginative space for kids to take part in creative play while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Furthermore, digging in the earth allows children to be in immediate contact with diverse life forms: worms, plants and cocoons can all be discovered. Luckily, most children aren’t hesitant to get their hands dirty. All they really need is a little inspiration. Creating a fairy garden is the perfect project to inspire imagination for the whole family. Simply adding stones, small plants or homes turns an ordinary garden into a place of magic! Here are a few tips on making a fairy garden. Collect Your Materials A garden, natural space or a container with a drainage hole (A wine barrel, tin basin, planter or even a salad bowl will work … Continue reading →

IMAGINATION LAND: Getting Active and Creative with Your Kids

By Donna DeForbes | May 21, 2013 - 5:30 am | Kids Going Green

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This is a guest post by Amanda Daniels. If your kid is anything like mine, he loves to dress up. And not just for Halloween but for birthday parties, holidays and, well, because it’s a Tuesday. If he can get to his rain boots, Batman cape and T-ball uniform, he’ll wear them to school, the store, to bed, wherever. And who am I to say: “No. You can’t wear that?” His little mind works in wonderful ways I can never understand. However … I can play along. I can step out of my adult world and have some fun with the little guy. The saying, “wisdom begins with wonder” has never rung more true. While some kids get caught up in TV and video games, others are playing yoga tag and jumping in mud puddles with friends. Parents tend to enroll their kids in a sport or two or three … Continue reading →

4 Tips for Teaching Children to Garden

By Donna DeForbes | April 23, 2013 - 6:00 am | Home and Garden, Kids Going Green

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Tips for Gardening with Kids | Eco-Mothering.com

This is a guest post from Sara Dawkins. Getting children interested in gardening starts with making it fun. Instead of focusing on the hard work and heavy lifting, start out with some fun stuff to get kids enthusiastic. Here are a few tips. Choose Fast Plants One of the biggest obstacles for kids and gardens is the time it takes to let something grow. That’s why it is a good idea to start out with fast-growing plants like beans, which are often one of children’s favorites. Herbs and sunflowers also grow fast, rewarding children quickly for their hard work. Go Big If a long-term garden is in the works, and you have to room, a great way to encourage children is to pick large varieties of vegetables. Huge pumpkins and watermelons, towering sunflowers, and tomatoes bigger than their heads will wow kids. Big foods and big gardens can impress upon … Continue reading →