Earth Day Bee Boxes

This photo represents a good idea… and insufficient research.

After building and installing the attractive, kid-friendly bee houses on the right, we discovered that plastic straws are NOT good for the health and well being of the bees we were hoping to attract and protect. Despite our good intentions, it turns out that paper, [click headline to read more…]

Earth Day Crafts (Part 4): Homemade Binoculars

Happy Earth Day!

This is the final installment of 2010 Earth Day craft ideas. Reduce, reuse and enjoy!

These handmade “binoculars” constructed from toilet paper tubes and paper are fun for children to make and “use.” Not only did our kids enjoy assembling and decorating them, but they also got a kick out of trying [click headline to read more…]

Earth Day Crafts (Part 2): Paper Beads and Tubes

This round of Earth Day craft ideas features paper beads and tubes. We first made these last spring and were impressed at how pretty they and versatile they are. You can create an extraordinary array of styles and shapes simply by varying the paper color, quality or width and by using cylinders of different thicknesses.

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Earth Day Crafts (Part 1): Canvas Bags

In honor of Earth Day, which is fast approaching, I’m sharing pictures of some of the planet-friendly projects our children have worked on. Many were adapted from activities described in Family Fun Magazine or on FamilyFun.com, but this one is more original.

This installment features canvas bags decorated earlier this year. In addition to opting [click headline to read more…]