July 23rd, 2008

Summer Child's Play the Green Way

Posted by Cassie Walker

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Ah, the dog days of summer. For kids, it’s a time of shoeless-ness, lemonade drinking, and fishing down at the pond. What’s that you say? You don’t have a fishin’ hole, and your kids prefer video games anyway?

If you’re like most parents – who aren’t raising Tom and Huck – you might need some new ideas for keeping kids busy and entertained, while maybe educating them a bit. With a green twist, of course.

Use your outside voices, for a change

Summer is the perfect time to get outside with your kids to do some exploring. Try taking them for a hike (for the uninitiated, hiking is actually just walking, with really nice scenery). No matter where you live, there is bound to be somewhere near you that would serve as a lesson in nature for your kids.

For example, there are national parks in nearly every state – try the National Park Service  site to find one near you – as well as state parks and nature centers. Some parks have Junior Ranger programs, encouraging kids to explore, complete activities, and answer questions to achieve the status of Junior Ranger. Along the same lines, some nature centers, like the Santa Catalina Island Interpretive Center in California, offer activities and even day camps designed for kids.

Of course, you don’t need structured activities to have fun on a hike. Try a twist on some old car games, like you used to play in the back of your parents’ stationwagon. Have your kids make Bingo cards with things that you might see on a hike, like a creek, a giant rock, a Mockingbird, or an oak tree, and play as you walk along. Or, try a version of “I Spy” using the colors around you. Create games that teach kids to identify trees or birds.

Another great way to help kids understand how nature works can be found in your own backyard – a garden.  Kids love to watch the vegetables that they planted grow (and let’s face it, so do adults). Whether it’s a full organic vegetable garden, or just a few peppers and tomatoes in containers, gardening educates children as to where their food comes from. If they don’t seem into it at first, try some ideas from A Child’s Garden: 60 Ways to Make Any Garden Come Alive for Children by Molly Dannenmaier.

As veggies ripen, decide together on some fun, healthy treats to make, and fill in the gaps in ingredients with a trip to the local farmers’ market or a “u-pick” – a farm that lets you pick food yourself. Involve kids in cooking and you’ve completed the journey from farm to plate. A few side benefits for parents include lower bills at the grocery store, and the chance that your child will actually be willing to eat (or at least try) a few vegetables.

If you need some activities for the average summer afternoon, think about all of the things that would be too messy for indoors, and do them in the yard. Use old newspapers to create paper mache masterpieces. If you have scrap lumber lying around, work with your kids to build a simple pair of stilts (two 2×4s with blocks nailed to them will do) and let your kids paint them before touring the back yard like giants. Use the lumber or other discarded materials to build sculptures for indoors or out. Or just blow bubbles - with biodegradable soap, of course.

If your kids are old enough to play outside alone, teach them some of the games that you used to play. We recently heard a somewhat disturbing story about a group of bored 10-year-olds who had never heard of tag! Seriously. King of the hill, freeze tag, and red rover don’t take any equipment, batteries, or electricity…you can’t have a lower environmental impact than that.

Another way to get older children up and moving, while simultaneously educating them about nature and the importance of philanthropic work, is through volunteering. Whether it’s cleaning a beach or planting a tree, it’s satisfying for people of all ages to feel that they can make a difference. Check out Volunteer Match for local organizations that fit your needs.

But, it’s too hot to go outside

Sometimes, parents need indoor activities to keep kids entertained. For a lazy summer afternoon, check out a few green-themed books, like the award-winning Gaia Girls, by Lee Welles (for ages 9 and up). Described as “Harry Potter meets the Sierra Club”, it’s the first in a series that follows four average girls teaming up with Mother Earth to fight environmental destruction. Green girl power? We love it!

From a completely different vein come Katsumi Komagata’s three-dimensional story books. From the life cycle of a salmon to what clouds are made of, these tactile, ethereal creations involve readers with texture, color, cut-out shapes and windows. Meant to be shared between parent and child, the books are available only in Japanese (with a separate English translation). Somehow, this adds to their unique universality. 

With back-to-school fast approaching, it may also be time to consider some new duds. But first, see if you can make the old ones new again through embellishments like patches or stitching. We’re not advocating a bedazzling revival here, but involving your kids in repurposing worn-out clothes or popping into a thrift store for some vintage additions might make for a fun rainy afternoon of dress up.

Toys, the old standby

After the recent scares about lead-tainted toys, it’s understandable that as parents you want to make sure that your child’s playthings are as safe as possible. Fortunately, several companies are providing new alternatives to disposable plastic toys.

For one, Fat Brain Toys offers a large selection available for purchase online, including toys made with bamboo, renewable wood, vegetable dyes, and recycled materials. Their tagline, “Smarter toys = smarter kids” speaks to their philosophy in regards to toys and the creativity that they inspire. From “Grow Your Own Plants” (a Venus Flytrap? Cool!) to Earth-opoly and a model fuel-cell car (even cooler!), they seem to have something for everyone.

Another company, Green Toys, Inc., has taken a different tack, making old-school toys from recycled milk jugs – think tea sets and beach toys. With no BPA or phtalates, they are a healthier alternative to traditional plastic wares. Plus, as the Green Toys folks put it, the toys are “way good” for the environment, and are made in the good old US of A.

Whatever you choose to do with your children this summer, there are ways to green it up. 

Related features:

Green Kids Are Healthy, Happy Kids
Eco-Friendly Toys & Games
A Green Nursery for Your Baby

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