Resources for families
Making environmentally friendly choices when you have a family has the power to have an exponentially greater positive impact on the planet.
CLASSROOM & LEARNING TOOLS
8 Ways To Teach Climate Change In Almost Any Classroom | Anya Kamenetz | NPR | April 25th, 2019
Backwoods Mama | How to Nurture Your Young Budding Naturalist: Books, Tools, and Resources
Plastic-Free July Inspiration: Zero Waste Classroom
Single-use plastic: Eco party packs help cut plastic waste | Lucy John | BBC News | April 21st, 2019
Waste Free Activities Ideas for Schools
Zero Waste Teacher | Less Waste World
EDUCATION & AWARENESS
Demonstrate compassion and kindness towards all living creates - large and small. Fostering compassion is paramount in raising a thoughtful kid.
Attend wildlife education seminars with your kids so they can learn about all the unique species in the world and how to coexist with them.
Visit a Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center.
Teach kids to appreciate all creatures and not to fear them. Learning about the unique traits of insects, arachnids, reptiles and rodents helps grow an appreciation for all things in nature.
Participate in River and Beach Cleanup - Mark your calendar for the Costal Cleanup Day.
When in nature leave it cleaner then how you found it, always pick up trash whether it is yours or not.
Always “Pack Out Your Trash” when in nature.
Tour your local Recycling Facility.
Visit the local landfill to grasp there is no “away” when we throw things away. The trash remains.
Teach kids the names of trees and what makes them special.
Learn, along with your kids, about native and endangered species, especially species in your area because it is easier for them to relate to them.
Go for trash walks - picking up trash - make it a game to see who can gather the most.
Plant trees - plant MANY trees.
Grow house plants; they are natural air purifiers. Let your kids start with house plant cuttings and watch them grow in a glass of water.
Grow fruits and vegetables - have your kids plant and harvest your crop.
Encourage your kids to use less water. Teach them where the water from faucets actually comes from.
Teach kids about the importance of organic produce.
Have a toxic free household - research the products in your home with your kids through EWG.org.
Educate your kids on plastics and how they are not good for animals, the environment or our health.
Build bird houses and bat houses.
Encourage your kids to find "non plastic" items in stores.
Try to adopt as many plastic free household items as possible, avoiding plastic toys and household items.
Enlist your kids to grocery shop “plastic free” and “zero waste” to get them to start thinking about their waste.
Track your trash with your kids - they can start making the connection to their consumption and waste.
Take your kids to Farmers Markets to learn about who grows the food they eat.
Read with your kids - for a list of good books for the young naturalists click here.
Compost with your kids - it is great for them to see how much food waste we all end up with. They can see firsthand how it biodegrades and can be reused as a soil enricher, rather than producing methane gas in a landfill.
Consider adopting backyard chickens to reduce waste and intimately connect with these wonderful animals. Be sure to learn all that is entailed in this commitment prior to bringing any home.
Visit a Farm Sanctuary - meet and appreciate the animals as sentient beings.
Attend your local Wildlife Center’s open house.
Encourage your kids to do a Lemonade Stand to support a charity of their choice.
When adopting an animal go to a shelter - over 1.5 million shelter animals are killed each year in the US.
Spay and neuter your pets.
Cook and bake with your kids using plant based ingredients.
If you see a feral cat or stray teach your kids about TNR - Trap | Neuter | Return - to help end the cycle of over population. If the feral cat is near your home feed them.
Cultivate in your kids an appreciation of the natural balance inherent within nature - a film that demonstrates this nicely is The Biggest Little Farm.
Make it a movie night-as a family watch documentaries which focus on environmental issues. A great one is, "The Serengeti Rules".
Get out in nature to appreciate all it has to offer. “Take nothing but pictures - Leave nothing but footprints - Kill nothing but time.”
GETTING INVOLVED
Roots & Shoots - a Jane Goodall organization
GIFT GIVING
Remember that what your child wants more than anything else is to be with you, not objects. Babies will never remember the countless things you buy them, but the bonds you build by being close to one another are timeless.
As kids get older I encourage you to be creative with gift giving. Here are some ideas for memorable lasting gifts.
Art Classes - We have a wonderful non-profit art cooperative that teaches art classes of all kinds and kids of all ages love it!
Build Something Together - Bird House | Wagon | Cardboard Forts
Cook Together - Create cooking lessons - give the gift of a Child’s Cook Book.
Create Together - Do an art project together, these gifts are more memorable for kids.
Explore Nature - Have kids go on a Scavenger Hunt - give them things they need to find. Pinterest has great ideas if you are not sure.
Fairy Garden - One Christmas we did a treasure hunt and surprised our daughter with a fairy garden. She played in it for years!!!!
Fun with Friends - Meeting up with friends and their parents at destinations is always fun for kids. We have explored state parks, local trails, creeks, rivers and beaches.
Coupon Books - The kids can redeem coupons for: Movie Night | Ice Cream | Sleepover with a Friend | Game Night.
Solve the Mystery - For the family detective it is fun to create clues and cyphers to decodes - they can be words, math problems, or history.
Surprise Destinations - For many birthdays we do destination trips.
Treasure Hunts - My kids love treasure hunts. My daughter asks for them at every birthday.
MISC.
School Lunches | Backpacks | School Supplies
PURCHASING POWER
Using your purchasing power to support green, eco-friendly businesses can help send the message to retailers to go green. For resources on green businesses and what certifications to look for click here.
ARTICLES | BOOKS | VIDEOS
BOOKS LINK: for kids | teens | families
30 Inspiration Books for Raising Outdoor Kids | Backwoods Mama | December 27th, 2018
How Beach School help children learn without realizing it | BBC | May 14th, 2019
The Story of Cosmetics | The Story of Stuff Project
The Story of Microbeads | The Story of Stuff Project
The Story of Microfiber | The Story of Stuff Project
Where Your Plastic Ends Up- The Story of Plastics | The Story of Stuff Project
THINGS TO DO
10 Creative Ways to Be Zero Waste With Kids | Courtney Jay Higgins | The Good Trade
31 Day Zero Waste Challenge for Kids | Going Zero Waste | September 24th, 2017
50 Easy ways to save the planet | The Guardian | August 2002
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Tips for Kids | Douglas Lober | ReuseThisBag.com | October 26th, 2017
How we became a zero-waste family | Alex Mlynek | Today’s Parent | January 8th, 2018
Planting for Pollinators | Kids Gardening
Visit the Parks - a wonderful place to explore.
Zero Waste with Kids: 20 Ways to Start | The Parenting Junnkie
TOYS | BIKES | GIFTS
Avoiding plastic toys is a huge start in minimizing the trash that ends up in the landfill. To keep our sanity we also stayed away from anything that was electronic or had batteries. Kids actually thrive with less and can be overstimulated by having too much stuff. The old staples of simple cloth dolls and wooden blocks for babies and toddlers are a great way to keep your house from being overrun with kid stuff, while also allowing you to maintain a peaceful living space. Having a small curated collection of toys for your child can ensure your child's belongings are toxic free. By having less, you are also offering a calm, serene living environment for them. The other great thing about these simple toys is they last for generations!
Bella Luna Toys - Wooden Toys - no plastic, no batteries - 100% imagination.
Cleary Bikes - I cannot say enough good things about this amazing brand, they only build kids bikes and they do it so well! My kids love their bikes and they learned to ride and handle them with such ease thanks to this amazing design.
Eeboo - A nice boutique brand with great matching games | card games | puzzles | art supplies.
Holztiger - Beautiful craftsmanship and quality - wooden animals - available in the US from various retailers.
Mighty Nest - A great site for eco-friendly gifts & toys for kids.
National Geographic Gemstone Dig Kit - This has a little plastic in it but it was such a huge hit with kids I wanted to include it.
Oompa - Simple, safe, natural, organic, sustainable toys - checks all the boxes.
Remo - For musically inclined children.
Scandiborn - Beautiful, simple, Scandinavian design for toys.
12 Plastic-free Kids Toys For Safe & Sustainable Gifting | Emily Torres | The Good Trade
WEBSITES & RESOURCES
Environmental Working Group Clean Fifteen - Produce that tends to be safe from pesticides.
Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen - Produce with pesticides.
Environmental Working Group - Tapwater Database - check for pollutants in your water supply.
FACTS | Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxic Safety
FACTS | Tool Kits, Guides and Resources for Child and Family Health
Parents for a Safer Environment Reducing Toxic Exposures
Regeneration Napa County - Interactive Sustainable Actions
Resilient Neighborhoods - Less Carbon | More Community
SASS | Safe Agriculture Safe Schools
SixClasses.org | Green Science Policy Institute - Videos on the Six Classes of Chemicals to Avoid