First up we have two current Tree Hugging contests happening:

1. For kids – A Cute & Reusable Kid’s Shopping Bag from Envirosax Contest
2. And for parents & babies – BabyBam Collection contest

This week the biggest Tree Hugging focus was likely our look at consumerism, materialism, and how it all relates to kids and green living. We had some good conversations about this going on, so don’t miss any of these posts:

• Raising Green Kids In A Commercial Culture
• Commercials Are Everywhere
• Eco-friendly Ways to Reward Kids
• As a parent, do you understand the impact of the need for stuff?
• Tips for Talking With Your Kids About Purchases
• If you’re so against having stuff, then why show all these products on this blog?
• Kids & Shopping – How Kids Can Be Smart Consumers

Other stellar posts:
Find out if “You Live In One of the Greenest Cities”

We learned about a killer blog geared toward green college students.

We remembered Climate Counts; and no they didn’t die, they’re just so cool that we like to re-visit them.

We hugged both a cute Scimitar Oryx and my fave the Lilac Tree.

Green Your St. Patrick’s Day Party and the St. Patrick’s Day Blog Carnival just in time for tomorrow (at least I think it’s tomorrow).

Candied Flowers! Yummy and beautiful.

One Small Step: Digital Subscriptions

Peggy did an awesome review of CleanWell’s Kid-Safe Hand Cleaning Products – are they worth it? Read her review and find out.

Lastly:

Welcome to any new readers here at Tree Hugging Family this week, we’re very glad to have you here. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tree Hugging Family, also we have a poll going on about global warming in our sidebar, and we’d love for you to vote.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

When kids are rewarded with things, they may develop a longing for more things. No, I’m not a psychologist, or even a parent, but I’ve seen this happen several times. Plus, I was once a kid. : )

Children can learn to associate happiness with gifts and treats that are usually made of plastic and might require batteries. And worse, this habit of rewarding with toys teaches excessive consumerism. Yes, kids need toys, but maybe not as often as they get them.

Successes, such as doing better in school or overcoming a problem behavior, should be celebrated. Yet, it’s also desirable to avoid “buying” your kid’s behavior. Doing what’s expected just because should be the goal. Yes, I know that is probably a very difficult thing to accomplish!

Here are some alternatives to toys as rewards:

•Extend the bedtime by 30 minutes for one night.

•Grant a day off from regular chores.

•Allow a friend to spend the night or let your child spend the night with a friend.

•Indulge with a special activity like skating, camping, bowling or visiting the zoo.

•Read an extra bedtime story.

•Help your child choose a toy for a child who doesn’t have toys, and donate through a local charity. This activity may be a little too tempting, but it does teach moderation and a charitable attitude.

•Serve a favorite dinner, snack or dessert. (With the growing childhood obesity problem, use this reward very sparingly. Avoiding fast-food meals that come with toys would be wise as well.)

•Ask your child to pick a reward. You might be surprised.

If you hold off rewarding with toys, birthdays and other gift-giving holidays will seem more unique, and the toy chest may not overflow with abandoned toys that didn’t hold interest.

How do you reward your child? Do you have any toy alternatives to add?

Bowling photo credit from flickr.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family