Win a Signed Print!

I have a really exciting contest to announce! The author and illustrator of Redwoods, Jason Chin, has agreed to donate a signed print from his book and you could win it! Entering the contest is easy: just make a picture of something having to do with the environment and email it to me at deirdrekgill@yahoo.com. On January 1st I will choose a picture at random and send the winner the print. Here are the rules:

1. Make a picture of something having to do with the environment (anything you want, really!)
2. If you would like to also include a short explanation of what it is, please do.
3. Any kind of art is acceptable, but no photographs.
4. In your email DO NOT include your full name--FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL ONLY!
5. In your email DO include your address, so that I can mail you your print if you win.
6. The random drawing will be conducted on January 1st and the print will be mailed out the next day.
7. All artwork will be displayed on this website after the contest is over.
8. You must be a kid or young adult to enter this contest...so please do not enter if you are over 18!

GOOD LUCK!!!

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Homemade Holidays

I am blogging over at Audubon.com's great blog, The Perch, today. Hop on over and get inspired to be crafty and green for the holidays.

"Creating homemade decorations was my favorite holiday activity growing up. Coming up with new ways to make gift wrap, gift tags, and ornaments from things found around the house and neighborhood was part of the challenge--and the fun. With being green on many of our minds this holiday season, we have an even greater reason to be resourceful and to look to nature for inspiration." Read more...

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Ottawa's Greening With Green Bins

I have always been proud that my neighborhood of Park Slope Brooklyn, is considered the greenest neighborhood in New York City. But one thing it lacks, and all of NYC in general, is municipal composting. Many cities across the country and world have starting composting city wide. Compost is picked up along with the regular trash by the city. Composting is a powerful tool in fighting global warming, as it prevents the creation of methane in landfills. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than CO2 and is responsible for almost half the global warming impacting our climate today. Click here to read about more ways you can prevent methane from hurting the planet and here to learn more about composting.

When I learned that Ottowa, Canada is launching a municipal composting this winter, I have to admit, I was jealous! The city is handing out green bins for composting organic matter. Not only are they doing a great thing to reduce trash, prevent methane, and create wonderful nutrient rich soil, they are also trying to make it fun for residents to learn about how to compost correctly. Take the Green Bin challenge and see how you score against other composters in this fun game. Then learn how to make a liner for your recycling bin out of old newspapers!

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Have an Eco-birthday

Green Kid Parties in Atlanta, Georgia host eco-friendly birthday parties where kids do green crafts and munch on organic pizza and drinks. What a great way to have a fun birthday party without all the needless waste and unhealthy food!

Click here for more tips on throwing an eco-party.

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Going Green with Kids: Top Ten Green Activities and Projects

Here are some of my top 10 favorite green activities and projects I have written about over the years. Have fun!

Club Green: Starting an Environmental Club

Pillow Case Tote Bags

Recipes from the Garden: Delicious recipes from veggies grown right in your backyard

Bug Off, Bugs!: Concocting your very own non-toxic bug spray for plants

Container Gardening: Planting a mini garden

Grow Your Garden: Designing your very own garden

Dirt Glorious Dirt: Composting 101

The Nature Journal: Creating a nature journal from recycle materials

Green Cleaners: The real dirt on cleaning products and how to make your own non toxic versions

Backyard Habitat: Creating a welcoming home for the creatures in your area

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Spread the word...with pictures

I am always trying to figure out the best way to get out the message about the consequences of global warming. As an artist, sometimes I find that images speak much louder than words. How do you spread the message, especially to people don't seem to care? Do you make pictures, or write poems? Share them with your fellow Green Guide for Kids readers!

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Green it yourself video: reed placemat

Here's a fun project for those with nimble fingers! Try making a placemat, table runner, wall hanging or even a cool "twig man" halloween costume using reeds or twigs from your yard. Click on the link below to learn how.

green it yourself video: reed placemat

Posted using ShareThis

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Pillow case tote bags

I just came across this cool project on instructables.com that would be a great activity for Earth Day. Use this tutorial to learn how to make your own tote bags out of old pillow cases. They can be simple or you can embellish them with your own "flare!" And as if you need any reminding, we all need to bring our own bag and say no to plastic as much as possible.

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Happy Birthday=Happy Environment

Birthday parties come and go in a whirlwind of shrieking kids, inflated balloons, sugar highs, and greasy pizza. Left in their wakes are piles of plastic cups, forks, and plates topped with barely eaten birthday cake. A dozen new toys means mounds of packaging and wrapping paper will end up in the trash, along with the old toys now being tossed to make room for the new. Why is it that kids birthday parties too often turn into a frenzy of waste? Having a green party can be as easy as pie. Just incorporate all the eco-friendly changes you have made in your home while planning your party.

Here's some tips to keep it green:

-Send out evites instead of regular paper invitations.
-Use real silverware, or reuse plastic ones.
-Use real or biodegradeable plates and cups.
-Use cloth napkins.
-Instead of giving cheap plastic party favors, be more creative and give something that you made, like these homemade crayons, or that will be useful, like pencils.
-Host a party outside and enjoy the day without depending on store–bought games. Go to the beach, the park, the pool or play games like tag and wiffle ball.
-Prevent all the waste involved in receiving gifts. Here's a guide to turning the usually wasteful and over done gift giving aspect of a birthday party into an opportunity to help out one's community.

Here's a video with some more earth–friendly party tips:


How To Host A Green Event

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The Nature Journal

A nature journal is a notebook or sketchbook that you record your observations and thoughts in when you are in nature. Find a natural place outside to explore. Sit quietly and let all your senses awaken to the world around you. Imagine that you are experiencing this environment for the first time and record in words and pictures what you see, hear, smell and feel. You can write a poem or describe in detail a single plant. If questions pop into your head write them down, too. Notice the similarities and the differences between things. Imagine how all the living things around you, from the worm deep beneath the ground to the tree that reaches many feet into the sky, are connected. Think about how each one affects you, and how you affect them.

Make your own Nature Journal from recycled items from around the house!

You’ll need:

– Scrap paper that is all the same size
– A piece of colored paper or any paper you would like to use as a cover
– A stick about 7 or 8 inches long
– A rubber band that is long enough to stretch the length of the stick
– A hole punch

1) Place one piece of paper blank side up on top of another piece with the blank side facing down

2) Glue, staple or tape the two pieces together. Repeat this a few more times until you have a nice stack of paper.


3) Gather all the paper together in a pile with the colored cover piece on top. Fold the papers in half.

4) Use the hole punch to punch two holes 1/4” from the folded edge and 1 1/2” from the top and bottom.

5) Through the back of the book, thread one end of the rubber band through the top hole and insert the stick into the loop.

6) Thread the other end of the rubber band through the bottom hole and insert the stick into the loop.

Tip: You can attach a plastic ziplock bag to the back of your journal to collect things you find while exploring.

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