Quick Weekend Recap and a Guest Post
Hello Friends! Hope you had a great weekend -- I did! YS2 and I worked on some Halloween decorations while papa was busy at the community garden for their big fall work party, which was a huge success I might add. I think Mr. Yardsnacker fits into his presidential role quite well and the garden has really taken shape with improvements and unity. Anyway,YS2 loved the decorations so much that some are now looking a bit "loved" --hee hee! We had fun making pumpkins and bats and ghosts and other fun things.
Let's get to today's post which is brought to you by guest blogger, Lauren Bailey:
5. The Curious Garden, Peter Brown
This beautiful and vibrant illustrated book follows young Liam as he revitalizes a dying garden found in the middle of a dark and dirty metropolitan city. After Liam nurtures and tends to the garden, the garden starts to grow until it eventually floods the streets of the drab city, converting it into a lush green haven. It is the perfect example to show that even one small person can make a difference in the world. To make the experience more interactive and to help your child reduce his or her carbon footprint, this would be the perfect opportunity to plant your very own garden with your child like I did with mine.
4. Grandpa's Garden Lunch, Judith Caseley
While extremely simple—it's more of a picture book—it's a great way to get your kids to eat fresh fruits and veggies. This is because it tells the story of a young girl named Sarah who has a blast choosing vegetables from her grandparents' garden and then makes a delicious meal from her pickings. While planting your very own vegetable garden could be an excellent way to get your child to learn about healthier eating, another option is taking them to the farmers' market or even just the organic section of the grocery store so that he or she can help "pick" some wholesome ingredients for lunch.
3. George Saves the World by Lunchtime, Jo Readman
George is a pretend cape crusader who one day tells his grandfather that he want to actually save the world. Unsure how to complete his goal, George's grandfather gives him a list of realistic "villains" he can help defeat on a regular basis, such as pollution the landfill. Filled with realistic tips that your child can adopt, the book's main purpose is to teach children that even the smallest tasks such as recycling paper everyday and working to conserve energy can truly help save the planet. Take this time to introduce your child to home-recycling etc. if you wish.
2. Giggles the Green Bean Turns Stinkytown Into Greentown, Lauren Davis
This book, which is fairly new (published in 2010), is the first part of a five book series that teaches children about water and energy conservation, healthy eating habits and recycling—all through the eyes of Giggles the Green Bean. In this first book, Giggles starts off as a seedling that doesn't want to come out of the soil because above ground is a complete mess—there's pollution in the air, the trees are dying, and the sky is gray. With the help of his grandmother and a wise cabbage, Giggles learns five ways to make the environment clean and livable. The author, who is a working environmentalist, promises a portion of the proceeds will go to the U.S. Forest Service Plant-A-Tree Program.
1. The Lorax, Dr. Seuss
While this book is certainly the oldest in the bunch—it was published in 1971— it still has the most impact on small children. In this classic story Dr. Seuss is able to artistically demonstrate the ramifications of depleting an area of all of its resources. The animated version can be found here.
This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for best online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99@gmail.com.
Be sure to contact Lauren with any comments or questions you have or leave your comments below.
Let's get to today's post which is brought to you by guest blogger, Lauren Bailey:
5 Eco-Conscious Children's Books: Get Your Kid to Go Green and Eat Healthy
Confession: My family was not always the most eco-friendly. In fact, we've only recently started eating organically and doing our part to sustain the environment. The transition to living a healthier and greener lifestyle was "different," but relatively easy for my husband and me. But for my kids? Not so much. Not until I introduced the concept in a fun way—through children's books. There are tons of great children's books available that are especially written to serve as a "primer" to eco-living and to get your child thinking about the importance of eating healthy. While your local librarian can help you locate books targeted towards your children's specific age group, the ones listed below are a few that worked their magic on my children—ages preschool to 10-years-old.
This beautiful and vibrant illustrated book follows young Liam as he revitalizes a dying garden found in the middle of a dark and dirty metropolitan city. After Liam nurtures and tends to the garden, the garden starts to grow until it eventually floods the streets of the drab city, converting it into a lush green haven. It is the perfect example to show that even one small person can make a difference in the world. To make the experience more interactive and to help your child reduce his or her carbon footprint, this would be the perfect opportunity to plant your very own garden with your child like I did with mine.
While extremely simple—it's more of a picture book—it's a great way to get your kids to eat fresh fruits and veggies. This is because it tells the story of a young girl named Sarah who has a blast choosing vegetables from her grandparents' garden and then makes a delicious meal from her pickings. While planting your very own vegetable garden could be an excellent way to get your child to learn about healthier eating, another option is taking them to the farmers' market or even just the organic section of the grocery store so that he or she can help "pick" some wholesome ingredients for lunch.
George is a pretend cape crusader who one day tells his grandfather that he want to actually save the world. Unsure how to complete his goal, George's grandfather gives him a list of realistic "villains" he can help defeat on a regular basis, such as pollution the landfill. Filled with realistic tips that your child can adopt, the book's main purpose is to teach children that even the smallest tasks such as recycling paper everyday and working to conserve energy can truly help save the planet. Take this time to introduce your child to home-recycling etc. if you wish.
This book, which is fairly new (published in 2010), is the first part of a five book series that teaches children about water and energy conservation, healthy eating habits and recycling—all through the eyes of Giggles the Green Bean. In this first book, Giggles starts off as a seedling that doesn't want to come out of the soil because above ground is a complete mess—there's pollution in the air, the trees are dying, and the sky is gray. With the help of his grandmother and a wise cabbage, Giggles learns five ways to make the environment clean and livable. The author, who is a working environmentalist, promises a portion of the proceeds will go to the U.S. Forest Service Plant-A-Tree Program.
While this book is certainly the oldest in the bunch—it was published in 1971— it still has the most impact on small children. In this classic story Dr. Seuss is able to artistically demonstrate the ramifications of depleting an area of all of its resources. The animated version can be found here.
This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for best online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99@gmail.com.
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Thanks Lauren! I hadn't heard of some of these books but now I have some gift ideas for YS2 come Christmas time.Be sure to contact Lauren with any comments or questions you have or leave your comments below.
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