The Earth Savers Blog

The Art of Surprise

Holidays are coming quickly and although purse strings are tight for everyone it seems that the season of giving feels stronger and perhaps more important than ever.

Here is a quick, easy, affordable and delightful twist on holiday gift giving that EVERYONE loves so don't limit this idea to children.  It can also incredibly eco friendly as you can re-gift, reuse, and recycle things in your own home incorporating them into this great gift.

How to make a SURPRISE BALL:

What you need: Scissors, ribbon, crepe paper, string or yarn, fabric, and your items.

1) Gather up any smaller sized items that you might want to wrap including pins, misfit game pieces, clips, buttons, coins, keys, poems, lockets, gems, ornaments, jewelry, candy, snow globes etc.  If you are like me ( ok- i can be considered a hoarder) you randomly have most of these things sitting in the house anyways! or you can go to the dollar store, or even make many of the items.  Try to gather about ten- fourteen per ball ( you can really have as many as you like, but it's fun to have at least ten)

2) Make a quick list of your friends and kids in your life and make a mental note of their hobbies, likes, or something personal about them and try to group little items. For example- my friend Mandy loves vintage anything- so i put together some pins, buttons, images, a brooch, an antique key and made the very center of the gift a vintage belt buckle i found for her in an old antique store that cost me about $3.00.  Then there is my seven year old daughter who loves fairies and kittens so her surprise ball had lots of little fun shells, fairies, rocks, a hello kitty eraser, a tiny bottle of nail polish, a tiny butterfly, and a fairy necklace.  Boys love pirate coins, matchbox cars, tattoos, marbles, maps,  silly putty or anything really.

3) Start by taking your largest item (My mother loves to cook so I made a beautiful French toile dish towel into a ball and used it as the center!) and then start to "wrap" the item in string, yarn or crepe paper winding it snugly so that it covers the entire item.  As you go - keep adding a new item to another layer continuing to try to keep the shape (many of mine come out pear shaped but don't fret...they are just as much fun to open!) Once you have made your ball large enough you can add the finishing touches.  I like to print out an image- cut it into a circle and add a strip of ribbon or cut the crepe into a smaller strip to make it look more festive.  Use the glue to fasten your image or a sticker sealing the last loose end or ribbon. It's also nice to put a tag or sticker letting them know to unwrap their surprise being mindful that things will fall out as they go.  They also "travel" very well so keep this in mind when you need to send a gift through the mail.

4) You can really be as creative as you want with these - giving them as hostess gifts, party favors, or creating a great tradition for other holidays. 

If you would rather skip the fun yourself and order one, you can always order your extra special surprise ball through me @ [email protected] for $15.00 each but be sure to get your order in by December 18th.

 

Mission Bird House- Activity for KIds

The real reason that you should build a house for a bird is that you'd be doing them a huge favor.  Birds all over the world are losing their homes and dying out, and certain birds have already become extinct.  We need to protect the ones that are left and you can be the hero that builds a place for a bird family to stay!

First a few facts:

Many birds migrate meaning that they can fly for tremendously long distances at different times of the year and because there are not enough trees or grasses in cities for all the birds to make their nests in- they have no place to "rest."

If the weather turns bad in late spring as it can sometimes do, birds who have flown back from the South to the North for the Summer months are left in frigid cold with no protection from the elements, so if you make a place for them to stay they might even make it "home" enough to raise a family right in your own back yard!

Kids absolutely love the wonder and beauty of birds, and their nests. They are fascinated by the little eggs, and how they hatch. Grab your kids and a a milk carton and find a good place to work together on a backyard birdhouse or two for your family. They also make a great gift!!

Materials:

• Empty (rinsed) half gallon cardboard milk carton

• Scissors

• 2 ft of wire ( medium grade- it needs to hold the birdhouse up but be pliable)

• Waterproof packing tape

• Dried Grass or leaves

• Hammer and nails

Step 1: Cut open the top of the carton
Step 2: Use the scissors to cut out a hole the size of an oreo cookie in one side of the carton for the "door" unless it already has a built in "spout" or hole in which case no need...
Step 3: one the other side of the carton make 2 holes with the nail - the top hole 1/3 way down from the top of the carton, the bottom hole also 1/3 up from the bottom
Step 4: Put the wire through the nail hole through the top hole along the inside of the carton and out the bottom hole
Step 5: Make a bed for the birds by putting the dry grass in the bottom, close the top and seal it tight with packaging tape
Step 6: Now take a walk around the yard and determine your "spot" - and if you can choose a spot close to a house window so you can watch..even better!
Step 7: hammer two nails into the tree about 1' apart one above the other and wrap the wire around the nails nice and tight so that the house stays in place
Extra: You can always embellish by using water resistant paint for decorating and of course use little dowels as "perch" areas outside their doorway

Now you are ready to wait and watch and see if your feathered friends will come to rest....

Pots for Painting and Giving

Kids love the magic of growing plants and vegetables, and the experience can offer keys into the mysteries of living things, and open into a wide world of cross pollinating subjects like beautiful flowers & bumble bee's. Growing a garden or simply conducting a few garden activities can pave an avenue to so many great conversations to inspire wonder and appreciation in even the smallest child. 

As spring gets underway here in New England start by decorating flowerpots and putting plants in them, or planting seed's and watching them grow as spring progresses with your children.  You can create living gifts for special friends, family members and neighbors and use the opportunity to impress upon your children the gift of nature, and sharing that gift with others through this particular activity. 

Spring.

I've been so very lazy about writing lately, and I apologize.

I've had a very interesting past month and btw...is spring here yet?  THANK GOD.
I've just never in my life been so grateful to say goodbye to a Winter season in my life, not that it wasn't packed with fond memories of mounting bills, bitter cold endless days and an over all feeling of doom and gloom brought by the media who needlessly to gave us the blow by blow every second on our failing economic situation, as if we could not notice.   I am in the process of closing our flagship retail store in Newport Rhode Island...but we will still be online at http://www.littlebits.com and I look forward to seeing what opportunities arise now that I will be less occupied...boo hoo.

So- Bah- Bye Winter! Hello Spring!

Sun....come visit often.  Crocus buds, poke those colorful purple heads into our gray brown New England landscape. Energy and vitality, laughter, and abundance are all welcome here.

Spring...you've never looked so good- and to celebrate a month early-the kids and I already dyed eggs to create some color in your honor. Bring it ON.

 

Recycle Crayons For A Rainbow Of Color And Fun

Ever wonder what you should do with the carnage of broken crayons that end up in every corner of the house? Here is a great idea that is practical, easy and fun for the kids.

1) Gather all your broken crayons and take the wrappers off
2) Cut them into small pieces.
3) Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
4) Fill the muffin tin or a candy mold with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces.
5) Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.
6) Allow the tin to cool; then pop out the crayons, and they're ready for use.

Tips:

• If you don't have a muffin tin to devote to crayon making, you can line your regular muffin tin with foil cups.

• Cover your workspace with Newspaper- the melted wax can be quite messy and we are working with kids after all (wink wink)

• Recycled crayons make a great no-cost gift or party favor! The kids love them.

• Try using candy molds or any other fun shaped baking tin for really cool shaped crayons!

Rainy Day Activity For Kids

Many of you have heard about my own personal battle with "giblets" mentioned in one or several of my earlier posts. FYI: IF YOU HAVE KIDS...YOU HAVE GIBLETS. They are the little "things" that kids somehow aquire, are attracted to, and have utterly no value. You can't sell them, you can't eat them, you can't seem to ever get rid of them.

My Definition (and I am thinking Wikapedia should define it this way) : Giblets are usually the size of or a little bit bigger than a marble. They float around the house without a home, and they "junk up" drawers, counter tops, and litter the bottom of toy baskets. They are the undefinables...the bat with out a cave, the beach without a wave. The onsie's of toys that somehow lose their other parts and haunt the house with their tiny insignificance!
They come in the form of but are not relegated to: stones, legs, plastic gumball toys, shells, bit's bouables, broken do-dad's, buttons, marbles, and game pieces etc. etc. etc.

If you want to have some fun with the kids and save your sanity too on a rainy day? Here is what you should do!!!!

1. Grab a jar or small container with an opening no larger than the mouth of a jar ( Hint: If it does not fit in the jar...it's not a giblet)

2. Hand the jar to your kids and send them on the hunt for all of the "Pieces of things" like a big treasure hunt.

3. They will run around and busy themselves finding the loot for at least 20 minutes or more: ( They get REALLY into this!)

4. Have them bring their findings BACk to a table and have them take turns showing what they have found.  This is the part where you want to aknowledge and reward them for finding the missing game piece for shoots and ladders that has been missing for the last 6 months. Take those pieces that need replaceing and put them back to complete the set or game or whatever and then assess the rest.

5. Now that you have all these pieces left with no home...ask the kids what they think should be done with them? Talk about their memories of certain things. For instance...when I did this with my daughter Manon she found a plastic tiny horse that she got in a gumball machine that was a treasure on the same day that she accompanied her dad to the hardware store and ...blah blah blah.... it will generate conversation, and memories that might be sweet to hear about.

6. Talk to them about creating an art piece or a collage with the pieces. Is there anything that they could make for a special family member for Christmas? Can they use any of the pieces to make up a game? Maybe they just want to keep their jar by their bedside as a visual of things that they can add to as giblets are found. It's also common for the jar to sit for weeks and we find ourselves needing a random object...Lets look in the giblet jar!

7. Use your own imagination or inspire your kids imagination to use the pieces for virtally any creative idea.

8. Have fun and enjoy the rain!

Good Vibes..... Zach a.k.a. Energy Saver

•

• Zach is the most “electric” of the characters. He is charming, witty and charismatic. He gets things done quickly, is innovative and inventive, and loves anything that goes fast. He is obsessed with cars, facts and statistics and especially loves sharing his ideas with others.
 

•He grew up and went to public school in inner city Detroit, Michigan, home of the Motor City. In school, he is always in the principal’s office because he cannot sit still. During summer vacation, he taught himself how to program computers and today, wants to build a place where kids like himself can meet each other and share ideas, no matter where in the world they are.

STATS
Fav Hobby:           Building Computers

Favorite sport:     Cross Country Running

Favorite Food:     Cold Pizza

Favorite Animal: Cheeta

Best Known For:   Getting things done quickly

Eco- Peeve:          Leaving the fridge door open

Future:                    Wants to be a solor power whiz when he grows up
                          Sign:                         Sagittarius
                          Element:                 Fire 

Floating in... Lets Give a Warm Welcome for Alison Atmosphere Saver

Alison is an Earth Saver for the atmosphere.

STATS

Favorite Hobby:     Bike Riding
Favorite Sport:          Hang Gliding
Favorite Food:        Popcorn
Favorite Animal:     Albatross
Best Known For:      Being a Tom Boy            
Eco Peeve:             Idling Cars and Automobiles
Sign:                       Gemini
Element:                 Air         
  

Alison is always keeping us on our toes, guessing about what she will say or do next.  She is wonderful and mischievous, and a tomboy at heart. She is gregarious, and impressionable with a passion for uncovering the truth at almost any cost. She is daring, bold, and fiercely loyal. From Big Sky, Montana, she loves the rough and tumble.  Alison is a  contradiction, and a  champion for the underdog. She will be a powerful personality for teaching others the importance of diversity and the acceptance and tolerance of others.

 

The Artful Dodger....Penelope Paper Saver

                          STATS
                         Favorite Hobby:  Origami
                          Favorite Sport:   Zip lining and tree climbing

Favorite Food:   Bananas and apples

Favorite Animal: Monkeys

Best Known for: Using old materials creatively to make new             things

Eco Peeve:      Excessive Packaging + throwing things away             that can be used again

Future:            Wants to be a famous children's book writer
Sign:               Libra
Element:         Air             
 

• Penelope is an artist….she loves being creative, and reuses old materials to sculpt or create her latest masterpiece. She is an observer and a doer. She is a dreamer and very individualistic in her style. She has been especially focused on photography and the use of collage lately, and is always trying new mediums and exploring how art imitates life. 

 

•Born in Rhode Island, she often “hangs out” at the RISD campus dreaming of the day she will become an art student, and often tries to impress the big kids with her ideas and artwork.  

                                       

DOBEDO and the Nature Table

Children receive and process information at a much more rapid rate than the Gen X or Gen Y generations combined. Due to this fact, when it comes to teaching our children about the importance of conservation, we have to really first understand that the knowledge that they gain, must be applied knowledge and not just what you can read to them or what they see on TV or on the internet.

Similarly to the concept of balance, a child can be told what it's like to ride a two-wheeled bike and how it works until the cows come home, but until the experience solidifies and the concept is applied does the child really fundamentally understand what it is, and how it is done.

When it comes to the concerns we are facing as a global community now, we have to realize that the "being" of green is once thing, and the "doing" of green is another. Kids need to "Do", to "Be," but more importantly they have to understand the fundamental workings of nature and it's cycles to really comprehend what the being and doing is all about. If they don't get this basic understanding, teaching them the value of conservation is too subjective and will not be actively applied. There is also the worry of what experts are calling Nature Deficit Disorder.

One way to really help children understand and "be" first related to nature is to celebrate it in your home with a nature table. The goal is to create awareness and appreciation for the seasons and which "cycle" nature is in. This will allow them to "be" more conscious of nature, her gifts, and wonder at her rhythms.

Find a low level or waist high table and use this as your platform from which to display the objects, drawings, findings etc. and this will be a place that your children can safely touch, contribute to, and wonder about without mom or dad being fearful of anything being "messed up." It's important that children be able to explore the objects on the table, think about them, draw them, reference them and play with them. My children have spent hours playing with the natural objects and acting out a vignette between something on the table and some season that is currently at play.

In any case it's a nice to have but not need to have the following objects:

• Silks or cloth to cover the table and in any shade that relates to the season at hand (oranges, and yellows for Fall; yellows and Purples for Spring; green and pinks for summer)
• Nature notebooks that stay with the table or come out on nature walks with you and the children
• Colored pencils for drawings in the book
• Seasonal findings such as leaves, sticks, pine cones, acorns, gourds, pumpkins, shells, sand etc.
• A vase for sticks or flowers

Once a week you might want to take the kids on a nature walk through a park, beach or down the street and just collect things that they might consider little treasures. Kids love to looks for little things that they can then proudly display.   Here is a picture of ours....it's very early autumn here so we have no leaves or pine cones collected just yet, but we will add to it over time. In our notebooks we will press flowers, draw pictures about the season, or glue magazine pictures or photos in. I keep their nature notebooks and date them so we can look back every year.