Posts from the ‘Activities: at home’ Category

Apr 16

Waste Not, Want Not: Seven Greener Ways to Get Rid of Things

Pint-sized ball or marble run

Written by Green Mama

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—we hear it all the time, right? But, even though many towns have moved to single-stream recycling, we can’t just throw everything into the blue bin. So, what actually goes in there? And what are other alternatives before the landfill? (Can you recycle batteries? Shrink wrap? How do I dispose of expired medications? Electronics? How difficult is composting?)

So, herewith:

Seven Ways to Dispose of Your Stuff Besides Tossing it in the Trash

#1 (Let Someone Else) Reuse

Have things you want to get rid of (clothes, toys, household goods)? See greenHaven’s Second Time Around for a list of consignment and resale shops in our area, or consider selling via Craigslist. Is your stuff a little too worn to sell or maybe in need of a small repair? Throw a swap meet at your house, offer items on Freecycle, or donate to one of the many area thrift shops. Donate books to your local library or to New Haven Reads.

#2 Recycle: The Basics

What is recyclable in your town? Are you sure? Towns change recycling policies all the time, and word doesn’t always get around. You might be pleasantly surprised that all numbered plastics are now recyclable or a type of paper that wasn’t previously now is. Be sure that you are recycling everything you can (and not putting in things you shouldn’t) by checking greenHaven’s Recycling Town-By-Town. Many town sites also offer information about disposal of bulk trash, leaf and brush waste, and electronics (see also #4, below). Read more

Mar 30

A Bird Shop

Written by Cristina Cioci

This imaginative project is perfect for spring. The birds have all come back north and are foraging for things outside to primp their nests. This is a great project to do with kids because they can search the house for biodegradable lose scraps and stuff the balls easily themselves.

It was fun to find all sorts of materials and imagine ways that the birds would use them. Soft felt seems like it would make a comfortable bird bed!

I’ve seen some variations of these bird “shops” as I like to call them. My kid helpers decided these were free stores where birds could make their “house” a “home”. We decided to use yarn as the starter ball but wire is also an option.

Mar 26

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Eggs dyed with chlorophyll, turmeric, and blueberries. (Basket filled with shredded paper packing material.)

Is dyeing eggs part of your Easter tradition? Then why not give a try to natural dyes this year? They’re fun and easy and you’ll feel a lot better when your kids get them on their hands and faces and possibly in their mouths. Plus, as long as you minimize the time the eggs are kept outside the fridge, there’s no reason not to eat them when you are all done! Making these dyes involves boiling and cooling, so prepare them ahead of time. Note that you’ll never get those intense hues that come from artificial dyes, but the pastels from these methods are lovely. Soak longer—around 15 minutes—for deeper colors. Also, not straining the dyes can give you a cool texture, especially with the turmeric.

Yellow: Boil 2 tsp. turmeric in 1 cup water. Simmer 5 min., cool, strain.
Orange-brown: Boil a bunch of onion skins in 1 cup water. Simmer 10 min., cool, strain, add 1 tsp. white vinegar.
Green: Boil 1 cup water, remove from heat. Add contents of 3 chlorophyll capsules (buy at health food stores), stir, cool, strain.
Blue: Boil 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1 cup water. Simmer 5 min., cool, strain, add 1 tsp. white vinegar.
Pink: This is the basic recipe for pink, but I have never gotten it to work. (My dye looks right, but the egg comes out brown. I’m trying fresh beets next time.) If you want to try: Boil 1 cup water with a jar of beets. Simmer 5 min., cool, strain, and add 1 tsp. white vinegar.

I recommend using hardboiled white eggs (anyone know where to buy organic white eggs?). Double-soaking (e.g. in green then blue) can create some nice shades. Again, be sure to keep eggs in the fridge when not dying them if you plan to eat them. And be sure to cover sensitive surfaces with newspaper or rags—these dyes can be just as staining as artificial ones! Some additional options and methods:

What to do with the leftovers? Some ideas:

Blueberry: mix berries into oatmeal, muffin batter, or smoothies. Use dye as basis for a simple syrup and mix with seltzer for a treaty natural soda (with addition of sweetener, you won’t notice vinegar).
Chlorophyll: use dye to water plants
Turmeric: add some dye to rice cooking water for a nice complement to an Indian-inspired meal.

Mar 14

Reading Aloud to your Children

Written by Beth Clay

Do we really need an excuse to read aloud to our children? If so, know that reading aloud raises both receptive and expressive language abilities, both of which predict future reading skills. Reading books with sophisticated language provides a strong predictor of later vocabulary. While it might seem hard to find the time, know that the dinner dishes can wait long enough to share an experience that’s not only good for your child, it’s also a good way to bond, and the memories will last both your lifetimes.

Getting Started

Here’s what you should know when thinking about reading-aloud to your family:

Go for the Montessori approach: read to all your kids at once. Multiage grouping gives each child the opportunity to focus on the components of the book that interest them most, while benefitting from the questions the others ask.
Reach up a grade level or two. No matter what the age of your child, be sure to choose something that stretches beyond his or her current vocabulary level.
Increase the frequency of read-aloud sessions. Every night is perfect, though every-other night is still good. Make it a predictable part of the night-time routine and you’ll find that you and your kids will begin to look forward to it.
Allow for interruptions. Entertain your kids’ questions and ask some of your own. Discuss the text, explore the vocabulary. Begin to work new vocabulary into everyday conversations in the days and weeks after a word is first introduced. See example below of Text Talk (from Pacific Resources for Education and Learning) Read more

Feb 21

On the Importance of Building a Library

Written by Beth Clay

Even Walt Disney, the king of animated movies, had a library to die for. For those of us old enough to remember the lead-in to the weekly Disney movie on Sunday nights, Walt magically, if subtly, demonstrated the connection between the written word and the movies they became by nonchalantly selecting a book off the expansive shelves in his office and setting the stage for the movie that followed.

Growing up in a household of seven kids, we never lacked for books. Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, of course, but also bookshelves filled with poetry, Michener, the complete works of Dickens and a plethora of kids’ picture books and teen paperbacks. I’ve noticed recently that many homes are devoid of bookshelves and the libraries they hold. These same homes have entertainment centers filled with DVDs. What’s happened? Has the glow of the television replaced the glow of the flashlight under the covers after “lights-out”? Even though many of the books on the shelves in my home haven’t been read in years, I like the fact that they’re available to read. That one day, when my daughter comes home from college and drops a reference to Dickens, the book will be at the ready for her to devour.

So it goes with children at any age. We can’t always guess whether they’re ready for a book that previously had been a bit of a reach. Nor can we anticipate when they want to reminisce with the Velveteen Rabbit for one last time. Keeping a library allows a child to grab a book that excites or interests them at any point in time, for any mood they’re in at that time. With February vacation upon us, consider taking some time to visit your local bookstore (often a magical experience itself) and pick up a few books for your child’s library. While you at it, put a new book on your shelf, as well.

Just the Right Book suggests a few books to get your library started. Of course, you can also consider signing up for a Just the Right Book subscription, and have books sent throughout the year that our expert booksellers will pick especially for your child (or for yourself!)

Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom

Paperback, Fiction, Humor

Recommended Ages: 8-12 yo

Like most kids, Frankie Pickle hates cleaning his room. But what happens when his Mom says he never has to clean it again! Frankie and his unstoppable imagination mean fun. He and his side-kick Argyle become explorers swinging on vines, forging paths through piles of clothes, and scooting past lava pits! They perform flawless surgery on a broken action figure! They spend time in the big house. They even become superheroes. But will all this imagining be enough to conquer… the closet of DOOM?