If you read here regularly you’ll know that I’m not totally on board with any of the earth-minded holidays. It’s the whole too-little, too-commercialized, too-much-at-once issue. Earth Day, if celebrated correctly would be celebrated each and every day. This Earth Day make it a goal to live green 365 days a year. Following is an easy green calender of ideas for you and your family…

APRIL
Learn: About indoor pollution and how to keep your air fresh and healthy. Double points for researching the benefits of growing your own fresh air.

Plan a goal: On Earth Day, plan your green goals for …read more

As April showers flow, your kiddos can still have some eco-fun. Below are some great green rainy day playtime ideas.

Get outside in spite of the rain…
Nature Experiment – Make Your Own Rain Bowl
Be a killer storm tracker. Have your kids track April showers and storms with these resources; kids can look up forecasts at Accuweather, build their own rain gauge, learn how to make their own weather station, or learn all about lightning. Really you don’t need any extra tools to track storms though. Kids can use the counting method and track a storm’s distance easily.
Learn to make a rain …read more

There are plenty of sustainable toys to be had. With summer coming soon, it’s time to think about which toys are a good idea for fun. In my opinion a recycled box, the great outdoors, and a basic tree for climbing make great summer toys for green kiddos BUT if you’re looking for some special toys that go beyond found treasures check out these summer toy picks…

Ping Pong Catapult – fun outside with some action! This toy is a cool idea for older kids (small parts make it bad for very young children). This natural, non-toxic wooden ping pong catapult …read more

Hey there Tree Hugging Families – hope that your first day of spring is looking bright. Mine is gray and cloudy (ah, Oregon) – but I like the rainy weather, so it’s all good for me.

Being that it’s the first day of spring, I’ve gathered up some eco-friendly ideas and links for you to help you celebrate in style.
First a few Tree Hugging Family classics…

Spring Nature Photos
60 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Spring
Candied Flowers

And some news from other fine places…

Green your spring cleaning from Co-op America.
Pop-up flower card – use recycled materials.
Eggshell plant pots.
Organic spring gardening.

Other ideas…

Get outside with a camera …read more

Getting your baby or young child out into the spring weather is a smart plan; start early with nature adventures to instill a love of the planet in your tot.
Spring is still chilly so plan for double layers that are easy to take off if it gets too warm. Sometimes even a hat is in order. You want your little on to have fun and enjoy being outside. If she’s chilly, she may associate being outside with uncomfortable.
Try feeling the wind. Hold your tot up in the breeze and allow her to feel the wind on her cheeks. Point out …read more

You know, we’ve been pretty focused on green baby month this September, but babies aren’t the only thing happening right now. With October almost here, and thus autumn ready to kick into high gear, we should discuss some cool weather green issues.

Of course we’ll have some new fall green feature posts coming up, but first let’s take a look back at some past Tree Hugging Family (but still worthy of a read) green-minded autumn posts.

Weatherization Assistance Programs
Nature Themed Autumn Craft
Fall Craft with Pumpkins & Flowers
Homemade Spicy Apple Air Freshener
Send Organic Flowers This Autumn
Easy Ways to Save Energy During the Chilly …read more

I’m one to talk; here in Washington it’s seriously sweater weather. Kind of chilly. For the rest of you, here are some beat the heat ideas that can help your house and you stay cool without blasting the AC. And no, none of them involve you surprising me with a visit here in WA. I’m not up for cleaning the bathroom for company.

Turn on the bathroom vent fan. This allows that warm shower air to escape. If all you’ve got is a bathroom window, take an early morning shower, or late evening shower, and open the window.  You could also …read more

I’m not too into talking about bugs, unless they’re all cute like a lady bug or caterpillar, but I did think that I should point out some great kid-friendly sites related to bug bites and stings.
The following are written for kids and gives them the information they need if and when they get bit by a creepy crawling critter.
Bug Bites
Hey! A Brown Recluse Spider Bit Me! (egad)
Hey! A Scorpion Stung Me!
What to Do if You’re Bugged by Bugs
How do I Avoid Ticks?
Also some more fun based buggy sites:

World’s …read more

It’s almost redundant to call summer camps “green” or not. Most summer camps for kids have a heavy environmental and nature based aspect. Kids are outside, doing activities in the fresh air, and so fourth. That said, there are some camps in particular that focus more heavily on eco situations; be it going green, water conservation, forest ecology, homesteading, and more, some camps make a point of pointing out the green all summer to happy campers.
If you’re looking for a greener summer camp for your littles, there’s still time. Check out the following resources:
Maine: Blueberry Cove Camp – part of …read more

We all know that we need to make sure our homes are properly weatherized in order to save money, keep your family comfortable, and save our resources.
What if you want to make positive changes but can’t afford it? Most changes you can make to save energy and conserve resources are inexpensive but when you add all the changes you should be making up it can be a drain on your budget. This time of year it’s especially hard to scrape together extra money because you also want your family to have a nice holiday which may mean time off from …read more