Imaginative Play

Think back to your childhood. What are some of your fondest memories? What kind of things do you remember playing? What were your favorite toys?

For me it really was all about imaginary play. I spent hours playing by my myself or with friends making up stories in my own fantasy world. I played with a wooden play kitchen, Hot Wheels Cars, Dolls or action figures, or even just a cardboard box.

Looking back it was never really about the toys. I asked for and received the latest and greatest toys put out by the large toy manufacturers of the time, but that isn't what made the playtime fun. It was really my imagination or ideas my sister or friends came up with. The toys were simply a tool to bring out situations to let my imagination run wild.

A stroll through the toy section at a big box store is shocking. If you look at toys as a tool to unlocking your child's imagination for creative play, the big box store is not the place to shop. Most mass produced toys have a predetermined plan for how your child should play with it. They usually have buttons to push to make the lights and noise begin. Many toys available want you to do something and watch the show, then do it again. They don't open new doors for your child's creativity to be expanded. No wonder kids always want to play in the box it comes in, this allows them to use their imagination.

Even dolls aren't dolls anymore! My two little girls love their baby dolls and are always putting them to bed or taking them to the store, or park, or to the pool or something. The dolls I've seen advertised lately talk to you, pee when you feed them water, or even swim when you put them in water. So instead of your child making up a situation on their own they are taught to play off of what the doll says to them or the doll is made of such a hard plastic to make it swim. You can't hug or snuggle with a hard plastic doll. It is much harder to truly fall in love with a hard plastic doll than a soft snugly doll you can sleep with.

I believe that we are who we are thanks to the experiences we have had. I think that childhood play is a big part of the adult we grow into. That is why my girls are getting a very soft handmade Waldorf doll, an awesome Bazoongi Kids play structure, and silk dress up items. These are all play items that encourage imagination and they are very fun to play with. I encourage you to consider play structures, wood kitchens, organic cotton dolls, and play silks to make this holiday one to remember.

Hip Mountain Mama Giveaway!

I would like to let all of my readers know about a special interview with Suzy of Hip Mountain Mama over at Garden Mama's Blog. Suzy is truly an amazing women running a wonderful business. The interview is interesting and informative.

In addition to the interview there is a very special Giveaway by Hip Mountain Mama. The giveaway is for over $50 worth of Sarah's Silks dress up items including a cape, wand, and crown. There is also a coupon code for 10% off all orders over $50. Get over to Garden Mama now to check it out!

Baby Einstein Doesn't Make Our Kids a Genius

I keep seeing headlines about the 'Baby Einstein Scam'. Are you serious? This is a scam? You mean I can't just leave my kids in front of the TV while I make dinner or check my Facebook account.
Did people really think that this DVD with bright colors, classical music, and puppets was going to do that? Are we as Americans that lazy and stupid?
I'll admit that I own a couple of the Baby Einstein Videos that my kids watched from time to time. I never expected the videos to make the kids smart and I always knew to use them sparingly when there was no other option to keep them occupied.
But I also surrounded my kids with play silks and toys to help them grow their imagination. Every parent should know that the only way to truly benefit your child is to spend time with them. Play with them and teach them to think on their own.
I am appalled at people who are surprised that the Baby Einstein Videos didn't make their kids smarter. It appears Disney is going to refund peoples money. I think those people who get refunds should all have to sign a piece of paper saying that, yes they truly believed that their kids would be smarter from watching television.

Taking Children for Hikes and Outdoor Activities

Everybody wants to share their favorite activities with their kids. Children love the outdoors and they are very active. Hiking is an excellent outdoor activity for people of all ages. Spending time outdoors as a family not only pulls the family closer together, but is also a great time to teach your kids about nature, respecting the environment, and supporting an active lifestyle.

To make sure your hike is a success and fun for all involved be sure to start out with short hikes and slowly build up their conditioning and endurance. Hikes should to be fun, not forced and upsetting. Adjust your pace so the child isn't pushed too hard.Make sure they have the proper shoes and clothing for the conditions. Leave plenty of time for your hike. Be prepared to make many stops as kids love to examine and explore everything they see. Plan hikes to a destination such as a lake, waterfall, summit, boulder field, etc. It is always better to have a destination to look forward to instead of just hiking out into the woods and turning around.Look for wildlife, bugs, footprints, and different plants.

I like to have discussions with my kids about what kind of animals we might see. We usually get into discussions about what those animals eat and where they sleep. It is a great learning experience for the children. Be sure to teach them Leave No Trace Ethics and to respect nature and other people.

Bring plenty of water and snacks and don't forget the first aid kit for those unexpected accidents. Most importantly make the hike fun. Play games such as I Spy or have a scavenger hunt. Be creative and use your imagination and enjoy this special time with your children. They will enjoy spending time in nature with you and you make make memories they will never forget.

Follow Your Own Advice

In past blog posts I have talked about promoting imaginary play, having fun, and encouraging kids to be who they are. I have had quite a busy week that actually included a couple of motivating presentations by speakers at events I attended. I also read a lot of books in whatever free time I can find and I have found a recurring them in the chosen books about setting goals, having a vision, and following your dreams.

I've been thinking a lot about the choices in my life and where it has led. I am very thankful for so many wonderful opportunities and events that I have experienced. I also think about my parenting style and how I work hard to make my kids believe that they have the power to do whatever they want. But something happens in life...the rules change.

When I was in kindergarten I remember the teaching asking me what I wanted to be. I said I wanted to be an astronaut and go to space. She said, "That is wonderful! You can do whatever you want just follow dreams."

When I was about to graduate high school a teacher asked me what I was going to do. I told him that I was going to be an entrepreneur and start a business. He said, "Oh you better get a college education and be realistic. Business is tough".

So what happened? When did the rules change? When did I lose my ability to do whatever I wanted and need to follow the 'realistic' route?

Now some would say that we are lying to our kids and telling them they can do things they really can't or probably won't. I believe that we are doing the right thing by encouraging our kids to dream big. But, we as adults need to remember to follow our own advice.

Kids Helping Others

What is the best way to truly make a long lasting positive change in our world? Teach the children. It is one thing to do a good deed for your community or for someone on the other side of the world, but nothing will make a bigger impact than teaching a child the value of helping others in need.

I work with a local Rotary club to do my part for my community and the world but I just had a major realization today about the future of this planet. Rotary International is working very hard to eradicate polio. In 1985 there were over 350,000 cases of polio each year in 125 countries. Today, annual cases of polio paralysis are down to fewer than 1,700 in only 4 countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Nigeria). October 24th is World Polio Day and Rotarian's around the world are working hard to raise funds with the Purple Pinkie Project.

I volunteered to contact one of our local Middle Schools to see how they might want to participate. Before I made the call I was thinking to myself, "Why is Rotary focusing on schools and kids to raise money?" These kids don't care and don't want to give away their money to help kids around the world. I figured that today's kids are selfish and would keep any extra money to themselves.

I fulfilled my obligation and called the principle of the middle school. I was shocked at her response. She was so excited about the project and thought the kids would be too. She said,"We are just finishing a Pink Ribbon Campaign for Breast Cancer that was a huge success. Our kids love helping out on these types of things."

I couldn't believe the excitement and to hear a similar project was a huge success. Was I wrong? Do kids care about others in need? Have I become jaded by how the media reports issues in middle schools and high schools?

Then I went to pick up my daughter from Kindergarten. She brought home her weekly folder from the teacher in her backpack. As a family we went through the contents and I saw a flier on the Purple Pinkie Project. I asked my 5 year old if she new about the project. She was so excited and lit up with a smile from ear to ear as she explained what the project was and how they were collecting money to help sick kids. In fact she was jealous because a little friend of hers happened to have a penny in her pocket and got to be the first one to donate.

I talked it over with my daughter and asked her if she wanted to take money in tomorrow. She said "Yes, I've got pennies in my piggy bank". I told her that is wonderful but I could give her some big quarters or even dollars to take in. She was excited. I said pennies might be enough to help one kid but lets try to help as many as we can. She agreed.

Again, I am blown away at the excitement from kids to help others. If kids have this innate sense of helping others, I say we all should strive to encourage them to do whatever they can. It sounds like there is hope for the future. Talk to your kids and see if you can encourage them to become active with their school and community projects. They are our future.

Holistic Moms Network Annual Natural Living Conference

The Holistic Moms Network will be holding their annual Natural Living Conference on October 17, 2009 from 8:30 to 4:30 at the Dolce Conference Center in Basking Ridge New Jersey. This is an excellent opportunity to Learn, share, and connect with like minded moms.

The Holistic Moms Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect parents who are passionate about holistic health and green living. There are currently more than 100 chapters across the country working to build communities and educate parents on holistic health options and natural parenting. More information about the organization is available at their website.

The Natural Living Conference will feature nationally recognized speakers, breakout work sessions, and a large silent auction featuring in natural and sustainable products from many wonderful companies including our good friends at Hip Mountain Mama.

Be sure to check it out if you are in the area.

A Huge Problem with the Economics of Glass Recycling

Recently I have read two or three articles like this one, on the increasing number of glass bottles that are intended to be recycled but never make it into new class containers. There are landfills and recycling centers in places like Cheyenne, WY where there are literally mountains of glass piling up because the economics of recycling just don't fit.

The people of America whether in a small town or large city are now trained to recycle everything we can. There are recycling dumpsters in schools, offices, homes, and public places. There has been a tremendous amount of success in getting people into recycling. There are still people who don't recycle at home, but the numbers are improving.

Unfortunately, it isn't enough to just recycle materials if there isn't a market for the recycled material. We understand this in my family and we make a conscious effort to purchase recycled paper and other items from recycled material. It is just as important to close the loop as it is to just recycle.

There appears to be some success with the paper industry. I see recycled paper and cardboard being used on all kind of products we use at our house. But what about the recycled glass industry. It isn't working as well.

Why don't bottling companies buy recycled glass? It is more expensive. The major ingredient in glass is sand, something that is not in short supply. It is actually cheaper for a bottling company to buy brand new glass than it is to buy recycled glass. The recycled glass industry is forced to lower its price to try and compete with new glass. This lowers the price recycling centers can get for their collection of used glass to a point where they lose money in transporting the used bottles to a glass recycling plant.

The high transportation costs due to the high price of gasoline is prohibitive to cities located away from glass recycling plants. As gasoline increases or the price of glass drops any more the number of cities not recycling will increase.

This is an interesting problem. The only thing we can do as consumers is to support companies that do use recycled glass and encourage more to follow. While the manufacturing of glass doesn't destroy rain forests or require the use of petroleum (like plastics) it does fill up a lot of landfill space. Think about how you can help.

Starbucks, Coming to a Landfill Near You

It is not my intention to bash large corporations for their poor business practices. In some cases these large corporations get a bad rap while many small companies are just as bad. I was living in the beautiful small town of Durango, CO when the first Starbucks came to town. Some locals were upset about this company coming to town to compete with our wonderful local coffee shops. A window was broken and trash was left on the door step and many awful things happened the first week Starbucks was open in Durango. I think this was totally unfair and uncalled for. The local newspaper was quick to point out that the new Starbucks was paying employees good wages compared to the other local shops and they even offered a benefits package.

I personally have never had an issue with Starbucks. I have had their coffee on occasion but I prefer to go to the local and smaller chains, mostly because I honestly don't like Starbucks coffee as well as the others.

But this week a friend of mine told me a first hand account about an extremely unethical practice that the company is doing in my own community. I live in a community of 60,000 people and we had 7 Starbucks about a year ago. One closed about a year ago and a second one closed this week.

My friend works across the street from the location that closed this week. He says that a HUGE dumpster was delivered to the store and he watched as workers carried out an threw everything away. Chairs, Tables, Booths, Counters, everything. This particular location was in business less than 2 years. The stuff they were throwing away was basically new and could easily have been used by someone else in another business or home. They weren't just throwing stuff in the dumpster they were breaking these brand new tables then throwing it in the trash.

My friend says that he couldn't believe his eyes so he walked over to ask the workers what was going on. They told him that this was company policy "It is cheaper to just throw it away than to give it to someone else".

How can anyone at any level in the company think this is okay. Our community has a Habitat for Humanity Home Store who takes in furniture, doors, appliances, and household items like a thrift store to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Can it really be any cheaper to haul it to the landfill than to the charity resell store? What about our limited landfill space? What about all the energy and materials used to produce these items? Their useful life was so much longer.

Is Starbucks the type of company you want in your community? Do they care about you, your community, or your children's future?

I have spent my last dime with this poor excuse of a company.

Natural Art Supplies Giveaway

As you know, I am a big fan of natural art supplies. I cringe when I see children chewing on a Crayola Crayon. I did a blog post about natural art supplies a few months ago. Check it out here.

Some of our favorites include Stockmar Crayons and Lyra Colored Pencils. If you've ever been interested in these products head over the the Hip Mountain Mama Blog and sign up for the giveaway. Suzy is giving away over $50 worth of Natural Art Supplies but hurry the giveaway ends 9/30/09.

I'm Back

After nearly 5 months off from blogging I am back. I've been talking to a few of my followers and I decided to get back into it. I decided that promoting Conscious Parenting is too important not to take an active role. There are literally thousands of Mommy Bloggers who discuss similar topics, but most are just looking for a place to display pictures of their kids and what they are doing.

This blog has always been about spreading news on natural parenting issues. We cover topics ranging from recycling, clean energy, baby wearing, breastfeeding, organic gardening, natural toys, Waldorf inspired education, use of organic and natural materials, and whatever else comes up.

So buckle-up. There has never been a more important time to be conscious about how we raise our children than now.

Farewell

Due to the growing success of Hip Mountain Mama I have been assigned many new responsibilities and will not have the sufficient time to continue updating this blog. I enjoyed talking about Attachment Parenting, Waldorf Philosophy, Green Energy, Recycling, and overall raising great young citizens.



If you really enjoyed following the posts here please start following the Hip Mountain Mama Blog. I am pleased to announce I will be contributing to the Hip Mountain Mama blog on a regular basis. Together Suzy and I will keep that blog packed full of fun, exciting, and educational material.





Peace Out...


TCP.

Green Festival Denver

This weekend, May 2 & 3 2009, Denver, CO will host the Green Festival at the Colorado Convention Center. The Green Festival is billed as the Nation's Premier Sustainability Event. This is you opportunity to see the best in green. There will be more than 125 authors, leaders and educators featuring great how-to workshops, cutting-edge films, fun activities for kids, great food and live music. You will have the opportunity to shop an unique marketplace of more than 350 eco-friendly businesses including everything from natural body care products and organic cotton clothing to Fair Trade gifts and beautiful kitchen tiles made from renewable resources.

This is a great opportunity to get educated, shop, or just have some fun. You have got to love the city of Denver and the opportunities we have to promote sustainable living.

Be Green to Save Some Green!

Everywhere you turn someone is talking about how bad the economy is and people are losing their jobs. Even those who have not lost jobs are becoming more conscious of how they spend their money. So what are some great ways to save some money? Go Green!

There is a perception that being green is expensive. People look at the cost of organic food or solar panels and assume that they can't afford to be Eco-conscious. But if you really think about it being green can actually save you money in the long run. So what can you do to save money?

• Use reusable bags instead of buying zip lock bags. The very cute and durable SnackTaxi bags will outlast boxes and boxes of zip lock bags. If you are sending plastic bags in your child's lunch each day, it won't take long to actually be saving money.



• Use cloth diapers instead of disposable. There is some expense upfront with cloth diapers, but then you are set. Think of how many bags full of disposable diapers you will use one one child (let alone the pile of diapers headed to the landfill). You will definitely save money by buying cloth.



• Breastfeed. This is a no brainer. Formula is expensive and breast milk is healthier anyways.



• Be crafty. Learn to knit or sew. Your friends will love handmade gifts and it will alleviate the stress of gift giving on your budget.



• Conserve water and energy. Saving Energy= Saving Money.

So forget about the perception of Eco Friendly being expensive. Choose to be green and save money while you do it.