Last month we announced on our collaboration with Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing in an educational contest - I CAN SAVE THE EARTH!. This was in a celebration of their new line of eco-friendly children’s books, Little Green Books. In the next couple of weeks we will review the first four books that were published so far. Today, on our Monday's green books series, we have the pleasure to start with two of them that are about two good friends - a little monkey and a little panda.
Our books for today are:
Little Monkey by Kimberly Ainsworth and Little Panda by Kimberly Ainsworth
Little MonkeyIllustrated by: Michelle Berg
Published on: September 9, 2008
Ages: 3 and under
Description: Meet Little Monkey and his friend Little Panda as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together! Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece.This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material. Safe for all ages.
Little PandaIllustrated by: Michelle Berg
Published on: September 9, 2008
Ages: 3 and under
Description: Meet Little Panda and his friend Little Monkey as they spend their day eating their favorite foods and playing together. Little ones will love to cuddle with this supersoft fleece cloth book that's made out of cotton and recycled Polartec® fleece. This book is machine-washable and comes packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material. It's the perfect gift for a baby!
These two cloth book communicate with each other as we find both heroes - the little panda and the little panda on both books. Both are written by Kimberly Ainsworth and have beautiful illustrations.
These two cloth book communicate with each other as we find both heroes - the little panda and the little panda on both books. Both are written by Kimberly Ainsworth and have beautiful illustrations.
Now, as an adult it's very hard to make up your mind about these kind of books. You need to have a kid in the right age (3 and under) to get an objective review of the book. Fortunately I have one. My baby girl, Shira, is 4 months old, and I gave her both books to experience with for a couple of weeks. And here are her impressions:
1. Both books are very tasty.
2. Both the panda and the monkey are cute, but the monkey is the favourite one!
3. The illustrations are really eye catching, especially when the monkey is included.
4. Text is interesting - she listened very patiently couple of times when I read her the stories.
5. The books became part of her most favorite toys - she can play with them for a really long time before she throws them away.
So these are Shira's impressions and I count on her judgment! I can only add that these books survive the laundry machine very well and look like they can hold forever (or at least until Shira will get stronger..).
And of course, there's the green part we shouldn't forget about: the books are made from 50% recycled material, the covers are Polartec® fleece made from recycled material and they come packaged in a chipboard box that's made from 100% recycled material.
GIVEAWAY ALERT!!!
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing are giving away one package of the 4 books published so far in the Little Green Books line: Little Panda, Little Monkey, I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming.
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing are giving away one package of the 4 books published so far in the Little Green Books line: Little Panda, Little Monkey, I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and The Polar Bears' Home: A Story About Global Warming.
This is a great prize and firstly we thank Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for it! How do you get a chance to win this prize? please add a comment below with an answer for the following question: what is the best way to plant the seeds for earth-friendly living at an early age? if you have stories from your own experience with your kids that would be great.
Submissions are accepted until Sunday, October 19, 12PM EST. We will pick the comment we liked best and the winner will be announced the following day.
More relevant links:
I CAN SAVE THE EARTH! contest web page
On Eco-Libris website: http://www.ecolibris.net/littlegreenbooks.asp
Green Little Books' website: www.SimonSaysKids.com/LittleGreenBooks
On Eco-Libris website: http://www.ecolibris.net/littlegreenbooks.asp
Green Little Books' website: www.SimonSaysKids.com/LittleGreenBooks
Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
Eco-Libris: http://www.ecolibris.net
40 comments:
Last spring I took my son and daughter out to the garden to help plant. My husband and I dug the holes so they were the right depth and far apart. Then my son 2 1/2 would count out 3-4 seed in each, and my daughter 1 1/2 would throw dirt on top. We would help with that. Then we'd all make a "train" and trample the dirt on top. (Remember always wash their hand after planting, some seed are coated with bad stuff, even organic ones) Every other day they would help me move sprinklers, check for growth or pull weeds. The day we finally had green beans, they went nuts eating as much as they could in the garden!
Whenever we take my two year old granddaughter to the park or the beach, we clean up other peoples messes before we enjoy ourselves. She loves to help do this (she holds the trash bag) and I think it instills a sense of ownership and responsibility of the earth. This is also a safety issue-we often find broken glass! Of course we clean up our own mess too!
I don't have any kids on my own, but a friend of mine has a four year old daughter. Her name is Sehaja and she's a doll. She helps me plant whenever there are things to be planted. After she's all messy and dirty, I'm glad to return her to her mother, though. ;-)
You have to live it out in front of them...they see me line dry clothes and hand wash dishes. They help me in the garden and take out the compost for me.
bebemiqui82(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think the best way is to make it a part of everyday life. Children emulate what they see, and habits start early!
urchiken at gmail dot com
My little ones really catch on to the things I do, so if I example earth-friendly living, they will likely want to do the same.
khmorgan_00 [at] yahoo [dot] com
I think the most important things is having your kids see your being green!
I work at a school full of children 2-6 we try to show them everyday green living. I always say see a light? turn it off! as we leave the class. We reuse our copy paper during craft time. We go into nature and talk about what we see, and how we can make it better. The kids want to do what you do. If you recycle they will want to help. If you plant in your garden they will want to help! Start simple, read to them. It can be fun if you practice a eco friendly life, the children will follow! We teach respect of your environment everyday, not just earth day!
I would love to have these books for the children of our school!
My dad is 90 years young and has planted a garden or two since I was a young girl. My sons are growing up helping grandpa make and plant a garden. They love to pick the vegetables for him and they eat the snow peas right off of the vine. Dad shows them how to grow relatively organic produce! I feel that the example my husband and I show are also helping them to learn a greener way of life. Thanks for the chance to win the adorable books. Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com
Involve your kids in the recycling process and the habits of unplugging items after use and turnign off lights. Instilling good habits for later in life!
ajcmeyer AT go DOT com
i think the best way to teach my son about being good to the Earth is by being good to the Earth myself. It is powerful to be an example.
My kids are still pretty young, so its been easy. They recycle, we don't use papertowels, we use green cleaners, we plant trees. When we go to someone's house and they see papertowels, or a can thron in the trash, they ask about it, and we talk about why we do the things we do at home!
margelina@comcast.net
I think just look for those "teachable moments" continually! I say things like, "Turn off the water, because water is precious.", or "let's take our trash to the garbage can so that the grass can stay pretty and clean". We read books too, and eat vegetarian. I try to always give a kid-friendly "why" about everything we do, even if they don't ask!
onlycancan at hotmail dot com
I think just my cloth diapering my 6 month old and carrying tote bags into the grocery store has made a big impact on my 9 and 6 year olds. Not littering, wasting water, etc. is such a huge part of our everyday life that they question it when we don't do things the "green" way. It really is the little things that you do daily that can change the world.
Definitely teaching by example is the best way to help your children live earth-friendly.
cheliseb(AT)aol(DOT)com
Our current area that we are working on is paper towels-both at home (bought a ton of washable white potato sack cloths) and out and about (my daughter always wants two towels to dry her hands, we talk about using just one and saving the other one so that we don't waste paper). I think gardening your own veggies during the summer is a great place to start.
wow thay look like thay be nice to read and well i dont have no story to teell but please enter me in to the giveaway thanks
I am teaching my daughter about going green by cloth diapering her! We save tons and tons of the Earth's resources by doing this. We also buy our produce as locally as we can and we recycle!
we cloth diaper, recycle what we can, grow our own produce, and try to keep our niehgborhood clean when we go out walking...that's my daughter's favorite thing to do!
mom2maria at hotmail dot com
I think the best way to encourage earth-friendly living in kids is to provide them with a good example and surround them with opportunities to help. Kids can help take care of gardens, hang clothes on the line, think creatively about how to re-use things, etc. I had a mother who never threw anything away, and her values clearly rubbed off on me--I hope I can provide the same example to my children.
I think it's important to teach by example so you need to conserve, recycle and reuse and explain to your children what you are doing and why.
We talk about loving mother earth too. Our one year old helps recycle and how trees, flowers, birds, and bees interact. fingers crossed for books!
tvollowitz at aol dot com
I think you have to model the behavior for them in your own life. Children learn what they see.
I think first that parents and the other adults around children should set a good example. Also, it should all start at home. Something as small as turning off a light as you leave a room can get it started. Thanks for the giveaway.
I can't really say from experience because my first baby is only 5 months old now, but I'd say they learn by seeing and so you'd have to be doing it, too. And learning that it's important to recycle and not litter, and being able to see the joys of the earth (gardening, hiking, playing in the country, etc) would help, too. :-) Thanks for the giveaway!
Lindsey
ladyufshalott at yahoo.com
talk, have them do hands on and let them experience it...teach them by doing with them and they will learn by example
Pick up trash on your walk, grow veggies and spend time outdoors.
hetz-junk(at)hotmail(dot)com
We recycle together at the recycling center; walk as often as we can. We have a garden and always always try to reuse or repurpose!
lkziegler[at]gmail[dot]com
I think it's important to show, not tell. Get the little ones involved. At first, it's just their help and interest you are attracting - take them on walks to look at the changing leaves, when they want to help you with cleaning the house they should be using homemade/eco-friendly products as thats what you use, and let them help you in the garden with planting your summer vegetables using soil from compost, don't let the water run while brushing teeth, recycle and reuse, etc. As they get older, eco-living is already a part of their life, you just need to explain how each helps and effects our environment and lifestyle choices. It's also fun to point out when you see a company doing something great, or a new product, and let them get excited over it too! Best of all, it really can be fun and exciting, it's all in how you present it and best to show, not tell. :)
laurachilton {at} hotmail.com
By doing green things and including your children. We have the trash and recycle bins next to each other in the kitchen and teach which things go in what. We take reusable bags to the store - and last weekend as we were leaving home the 3 year old said "We need to get the bags. Where is my bag?" She carries her own reusable bag!
I think that children learn by what they see their parents doing. You yourself must lead by example. If your child is raised being 'green' it will come naturally to them. They will keep those habits for life! Talking to them about why you do certain things helps too!
I think it's a collection of little things, like teaching your child to cut the water off when they lather up in the shower, don't buy paper towels, and teach them ways to reuse items that may have ended up in the trash. You have to get them used to not being wasteful, and when they grow up they'll hate waste.
the_other_alice_(at)yahoo.com
be a good example and have them help, put paper in rcycle bin, plant seeds, take them to farms and farmer markets
A good project is to grow some sprouts in an egg. after you use an egg, clean the shell and let dry. once dry, you can paint the outside of the shell and let that dry. once that is dry place some cotton on the egg, sprout seeds, and a bit of water. place in the sun and within a few days you will have sprouts. yummy! Great giveaway, thanks.
Lead by example. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Also, kids love anything hands on and interactive. Have them help with gardening, reusing, recycling, and take them with you while shopping locally. Works for us. The picture on my blog header is of my family: 4 generations of gardeners working together as a family. Doesn't get much better than that!
Leading a green life is easy once you get started. Everything is recycled or composted and my son knows what to do with each disposable. Also, he tells me off for leaving the tap running even if I am filling the sink to wash dishes! We walk a lot when we can, which is a big thing in LA. We plant carrots in the garden and buy minimally.
I think modeling behavior is REALLY important. Kids need to see their parents making wise decisions from a very early age, and take them with you when you do it. It's important that your kids see that even though it's cold outside, for example, you still buy your vegetables at the farmer's market.
My daughter just turned two and so far we're trying to show her earth-friendly living by practicing it ourselves. We tell her why we shut off the water while brushing our teeth or why we turn off the light when we leave the room or why we recycle. Every little bit counts!
Thanks!
xpsundell(at)gmail(dot)com
I think first off, it's most important to model behaviors (i.e. show your children that you put plastic bottles in a separate recycling bin and have them do the same). There are a ton of children's books that talk about going green and I think children absorb a ton of information from books and reading.
jasonncaryn at yahoo dot com
Make it fun and make it normal! To my kids, breastfeeding and cloth diapering are normal. My daughter knew at 2 1/2 what snappis and prefolds were. We also use our own bags unless we forget them LOL. Then we get paper bags, which the kids use to make costumes.
Also, giving them ownership helps. We are going to try to garden and as a starting activity, we sprouted a few beans in a plastic bag in the window. The kids figured out on their own that different plants grow at different rates. We'll be composting, too, and each of the kids will play a role.
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