More Ethical Products for Kids

Imagine how much money you would have to spend if you had to buy a crib, raised cot, daybed a junior bed and a longer bed while your kid grows. However, this is exactly what most of us do as our kids are growing.

One of the niftiest and greenest pieces of furniture to come along for kids in a long time is The Leander Bed. This is a functional bed that can be taken apart and put together again to turn into several different types of sleeping platforms including a full crib with rails and a long formal bed.
Another nifty gadget that has been around for a while are Color-Changing Eco Lamps. These are soft little plastic 'ghosts' that you plug into a wall. If you press the ghosts belly and it turns green then you have switched it on for an hour. If it is orange then you have switched it on for over four hours and if it is red you have switched it on for over eight hours. I like this product because it teaches your kids about conserving energy and timing energy usage. It is made by a company called Tio and it is not much more expensive than a night light.

One of the messiest baby accessories to deal with are plastic baby bibs. Finally a company is making biodegradable baby bibs. Cocoboheme's bib feature big beautiful pictures of chickens, pigs, frogs and other animals. They are made out of potato starch and are solvent free. This means that your baby can suck on the bib without you having to worry about he or she eating chemicals. You can use them more than a couple of times before you have to throw them out and after you do they do not leave a big stubborn carbon foot print like typical plastic baby bibs.

Did you know there are companies out there that are now making eco-dough, eco-fingerpaint and eco-puzzles? Eco Kids, which is a family based company based out of California is now making all of these things out of plant and fruit extracts. The play dough and paint is made without toxic metals, dyes or chemicals.

All of the containers the toys come in are biodegradable and the puzzles are made out of Radiata Pine which is a wood that is sustainably forested in New Zealand.

It is nice to buy products for your children that do not have you feeling guilty about a thing.

Even More Free Ways to Have Fun with Kids

In the last few blogs we have been discussing ways to have fun with kids without spending money; interestingly many of these types of activities are very healthy for your relationship with your child as they are also very bonding. They also require more creativity then just sitting in front of the television.

One way to entertain very young children is to simply mix up some bubble solution and blow bubbles. Young children also love playing with clay or play dough. You can make your own play dough out of flour and water.

Most kids are old enough to understand the principles behind scrap booking. Give them a subject and ask them to create a scrapbook devoted to it. Teach them how to press flowers and make simple cards and book marks.

You can also get them to decorate their own T-shirts or other clothing using markers, glitter and fabric paints. Creative kids really enjoy making collages and jeweler out of macaroni. Spray paint it gold to make it extra glamorous for the kids to work with.

Another great project for kids is to decorate the front sidewalks with chalk drawings or to decorate the side of flowerpots with paints. You can also teach them how to grow rudimentary plant cuttings or how to grow an avocado from scratch in water.

Many cities and towns have free concerts in their towns and parks. Going out to socialize with others and listen to free performances is a very good thing to do with any child of any age.

If health is a concern then consider going to Yoga class with your child. Many kids also really enjoy being taken to the beach or on a stroll through the forest. Many local parks have real hikes that have educational postings for children.

Washing the family car together can turn into a fun project, especially if you can turn the whole venture into a water fight.

If you have a kid who is less physically oriented then consider teaching him or her different card games or playing Scrabble or Yahtzee together. Hanged man is also a good game for this type of child to learn.

An older child might be interested in helping to design a family website. There are many templates online that make this quite easy. If your teen is old enough help him or her put together a great facebook or myspace page.