Best kid quote of the week…
“For the president to talk out but not just say what we should do but what will happen if we don’t stop littering…We should have one day a month that should be green day. Start putting a lot more commercials about the environment. Start putting posters up and I know it may sound extreme but maybe even paint the White House green…We should star putting a program about “green” on national TV also, so we can inspire other states, communities, families and countries.”

That’s what one child said when asked about how the public should be …read more

Handing over some major power is one good way to get a kid to do something, and it’s no different with green living. The kid with green power is going to be more involved, more in control, and thus likely more on board than the kid who just gets lectured about green living. Following are some ways to empower your kids in their efforts to live green.

Assign labels to smaller kids: Normally labeling kids is lame, but assigning them to be on light patrol, recycling king duty, or giving them another cool eco-label is fun and makes their job of …read more

Kids aren’t simply born loving nature. You’ve got to help them to develop an appreciation for nature, so in turn they want to protect this planet. Good ways to do this include:

Hold a family hiking day once a month.
Encourage more outdoor minded field trips at your child’s school.
Plan games and activities that encourage outdoor time such as bird watching, rock collecting, plant identification, nature scavenger hunts, and more.
Get involved in your local community garden, or if you have the means, planting a garden at home.
Plan green travel – i.e. for family vacations, plan a camping trip vs. a trip to …read more

I know we just had a product review yesterday, but I’m up to my eyeballs in green goods, so we’re gonna roll with one more review this week (no more tomorrow I swear).

Product: Curiosity Quest DVDs – Sanitary Landfill and Steinway & Sons Piano (both Telly Award Winners).
Cost: You can purchase these DVDs for about $20.
Reviewers: Eight year old Cedar + me.
WHAT IS CURIOSITY QUEST:
Curiosity Quest is a nationwide PBS television program that explores what viewers are curious about. In each show, host Joel Greene (a fun and likable fella), ventures on a quest to answer viewer’s letters of curiosity.
The …read more

Today I’ve rounded up some links you’ll enjoy. All of them meant to make the summer a little more green and fun.

Via Design Sponge
If you made this DIY twinkle board with LED lights and reclaimed wood it’d not only be totally imaginative decor for a child’s space but eco-friendly too. I love this idea.
Next a video game review I posted elsewhere – Plants vs. Zombies. I couldn’t decide if I should post this here or at my gardening blog, but because it’s not technically a green product, I reviewed it at my garden blog. However, I really think if you’re …read more

Inhabitots is holding a really nice eco-minded family contest this week – PERFECT for readers here I think.

If you have the cutest eco-tot on the whole planet you should enter – I know some of our readers here have super cute tots so this means you. Plus the prize is really great…
The winning Eco-Cutey will be featured on Inhabitots and Inhabitat, and will receive an Inhabitat shirt and a $50 gift certificate to the Inhabitat Shop! The Inhabitat shop has all sorts of amazing eco-gear, clothing, and decor items for adults and little ones, so winning means you could kick …read more

I recently read a good article by green papa Chris Riemenschneider called “Green parenting is not always easy“. In actuality the article covers more of why green parenting was easier then Chris thought it might be. I.e. cloth diapers – kind of tough, but not so bad. The piece did get me thinking though, is green parenting harder than not?

It’s a tough call because the things that make you a green parent are debatable. For instance are you greener if you use cloth diapers but fail to recycle, or are you greener if you recycle, grow and hand make your …read more

If your little ones are going to be online, they should at least spend some of that time learning about green issues. Following are some fun websites for kids that talk about eco-topics in ways that kids will love…

I Buy Different: One of the best eco-minded sites for tweens and teens in my opinion. This site focuses on how what we buy and how much we buy have a huge impact on the environment, buying choices, and how kids who buy smart can find products and services that use less water, trees, and fossil fuels while decreasing air and water …read more

It’s actually always fun (and smart) to be a green nature kid; but there are some extra cool times that all kids and parents should know about. This time line of best green times can help you keep your kids green and out and about in nature.

Twilight is the best time for… A night picnic. Plan an green evening picnic during the warm months (or bundle up if it’s chilly) then wait around to stargaze. Right after dusk is the best time to stargaze and the best location is as far from city lights as possible. Post-dusk is a cool …read more

In honor of Earth Day, PBS KIDS GO! is airing 5 special eco-friendly episodes of Arthur. This event kicked off today with an episode called the “The Cherry Tree” – “Muffy will do anything to have a gigantic Dream Bouncy Castle at her birthday party, or so she thinks. When her favorite cherry tree is cut down to make room for the castle in her yard, she starts to have regrets. Then to make matters worse, she learns that cutting down trees contributes to climate change as well!”

To learn more about green living kids can tune into the “PBS Kids …read more