happy earth day, today and every day

From all of us on the NaturalKids team on Etsy... may today be a day of connecting and reconnecting to nature and celebrating our earth as we protect it for generations and generations to come.

(photo above by Fairyfolk)

We've tried to make it a little easier for families to choose all-natural, eco friendly gear for their kids and homes by having a gigantic 56-shop-wide sale, so please check our shops out for all the details or search on Etsy for "naturalkids team earth day".



And you can receive a free e-book filled with tutorials, kids crafts how-tos, ideas on connecting to nature and fantastic, wholesome recipes... just by finding a drawn gnome hidden in the listings of so many of our shops.

Happy EARTH DAY!

the greening of a family

Today's post about Earth Day and raising eco consciousness in our families is from Amy Turn Sharp of Little Alouette - you can visit their lovely shop of heirloom wooden rattles and toys here.

(photo above from Little Alouette)

Earth Day 2010 celebrates the 40th anniversary of a wonderful movement started by Senator Gaylord Nelson. He had a great idea and kept working at spreading the word in a grassroots way, starting with a Scholastic Magazine article that the schools across America read and shared. It seemed that everyone began working together to focus on starting this special day. It started small but has grown into a promise by many of us to protect and nurture Mother Earth.



photo via Flickr

I love the story of the movement being started by the small ones! Yay for wee ones and educators! You can start today to make life a bit greener in your home in simple and affordable ways. The greening of a family can start slowly with simple deliberate actions.


photo via Flickr

Here are some ideas for raising eco consciousness in your family:

• Make your own household items like detergents and cleaners. I made laundry detergent last year and have fallen in love with the economical and greener clean I get from the mix. Check out our blog here to find out how!

• I like to use vinegar for most of my cleaning. You can dilute it and add water and presto you have a perfect cleaner that is very inexpensive. Baking soda is perfect all-purpose scrub and won’t harm little ones. I love using natural products and I find that adding essential oils can give you a fresher scent and mood lift while cleaning.

• If you can give up a paper towel addiction turn to washable cloths and kitchen towels. I love micro fiber cloths!

• Teach your children well! Talk about recycling and head to a local landfill and recycling center for a field trip. Have a simple recycling center in your home and let even the youngest place items in the bins. Label bins with pictures and word and encourage your children to recycle each day. Try out backyard or kitchen composting. For a load of fun and science try vermicomposting! WORMS! (We do it and it is a blast!)

Art for kiddos- talk to kids about thinking first about the supplies we have in the home for art. The recycling bin is a perfect place to check first.

Check out the Crafty Crow for amazing recycled art activities!
I found this amazing Springtime fun on the site this week....


boats from cork!



Save those corks!

Another fun activity for Earth Day and beyond is stamp making in the recycling bin

You can start small and teach your children that tiny steps in the right direction will help us all and truly honor Mother Earth.

Thanks! Amy Turn Sharp of Little Alouette xo

Be sure to check out Little Alouette's beautiful teething trees, made from Ohio maple wood (and much love), and all the other beautiful handmade pieces in their shop.

Earth Day how-to :: make an upcycled shipping envelope {and another GIVEAWAY!}

Earth Day is just around the corner, and the NaturalKids team here on Etsy is having a huge (56 shops!) sale and promotion to celebrate. With the Earth as our muse, today's tutorial is timely and fabulously functional. It's by Kat from katsinthebelfry, her lovely shop full of gnomes, toys, kits, crowns and more.

Oh, and you can enter another beautiful GIVEAWAY of natural kids toys and more over at the beautiful blog, NaturalSuburbia







(a beautiful playsilk from PolkadotDragon, a felted snail from MuddyFeet and a wooden iron from PrettyDreamer)

Now onto the tutorial....
New (upcycled) shipping envelopes - the tutorial, by Kat

People have been emailing, asking about the envelopes I talked about recently. Since I needed to make a few the other day, I thought I'd photograph the process for you.

*prepare the bag: carefully remove the handles, & toss them into your recycling bin. Next you'll need to cut the bag open; do this by cutting down one corner seam, then around the base. now your bag should lie flat.



* place your item on the bag, & measure 2 inches around. you can either cut out 2 of of this size, or fold your bag over, then cut once. i did the latter here. definitely fold if your item is bulky.



*with your machine set to zig zag, stitch around three sides. leave a bit of a seam allowance, & don't forget to back stitch.



*slip your item in. make sure you ease it to the bottom of your envelope, so you don't accidentally sew through it. for a bit of padding you can first wrap your item in some of the tissue you saved from your birthday prezzies.



*sew the fourth side closed, back stitching once more to avoid ravelling.



*if your bag has a fancy design, as does mine, add a label for the address.



*a reminder to recycle your envelope would be a lovely addition. perhaps i should have gone with a color not in the bag's design.



*make more! my bag made 1 small, & 1 large envelope.



these are fun to make, & take very little time. happy envelope-making!
~peace.

Here's something lovely from Kat's shop!



Sunee, a Shakespearian wooden doll, clothed in Shakespeare's writing, and sweet as can be!

Happy Earth Day!

April 22 is Earth Day and the Natural Kids Team is celebrating in a big way. 55 member shops are having sales, promotions or giveaways. Check out the complete list of shops here.

To help you celebrate, many participating shops have generously donated several of their earth friendly items to be given away to a lucky winner. There are a total of five Natural Kids Team giveaways this month and one in May, including one on our own Natural Kids Blog.

This Earth Day giveaway features terrific earth friendly items from Knitting Momma, Curly Monkey, Muddy Feet and Elemental Handcrafts. These items are all crafted using natural materials and are a beautiful way to connect your child to the earth, naturally.



Knitting Momma has donated a hand knit ball. This hand knit woolen ball will provide lots of fun for toddlers and preschool age children. This ball is knit with wool and stuffed with natural stuffing.



Curly Monkey has provided an organic onesie, silk screened with a sweet eco print, using non toxic ( lead and phthalates free) soft water based inks.



Muddy Feet is donating a tiny felt snail. Perfect for a pocket or to add to a playset, the snail is hand sewn using plant-dyed wool felt (70% wool, 30% rayon) for the body, hand felted wool for the shell, and cotton thread. They measures a whopping 1.5 inches long (well, just over), and are about 3/4 to an inch inch at the widest and tallest.



Elemental Handcrafts is providing a gift certificate for a personalized wooden baby spoon.



To enter is simple, you must be a follower of the Natural Kids blog. Leave a comment stating that you are a follower and leave a contact email.

For additional entries:
~ become a fan of Natural Kids Team on Facebook
~ tweet about the contest (maximum once per day)
~ visit Knitting Momma, Curly Monkey, Muddy Feet and Elemental Handcrafts and leave us a comment telling us your favourite item(s) from each shop

Remember to leave a separate comment for each additional entry and remember to please include your contact info. Contest is open until April 22, 2010 at midnight. A winner will be announced on April 23, 2010. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn.

There is another Earth Day giveaway on one of our member's blogs, featuring more of our talented members' items: visit the Magic Onion's blog for more details. Stay tuned for details on our other upcoming Earth Day giveaways. To find other earth friendly items from the Natural Kids Team, search "Naturalkids team earth day" on Etsy. Happy Earth Day!