One of my favorite Valentine’s day homemade crafts when I was kid, was the hand-shaped paper cards I made by tracing my hand over some colored construction paper, and writing a little message on the decorative side! You can even use (and this is the recycling, eco-friendly portion) old Christmas or birthday wrapping paper, as long as it looks fun and colorful.

Your kids can trace out their little hands, while you help them cut the shapes out if they are still too small for scissors. Supply them with glitter, stickers, bits of confetti – and some white glue – and let their minds run wild as they decorate their very own “hand”made cards!

Don’t forget to write your little one’s name and the year in small writing on the back of the cards, so whoever gets them can remember exactly when they received this super special and unique Valentine’s Day Card!

Our planet it in great danger. Resources are becoming scarce and we need to manage them better. Many animals are dying and becoming extinct. It is our duty to to better care of our planet so that our children and grandchildren can have the same enjoyments as we have. This can be done if we all recycle on a daily basis.

Many animals are dying because we are cutting down too many trees. Trees are used to make paper, pencils, cardboard and many other products. Everyday, millions of extra trees are cut down because we chose not to recycle. Innocent birds, lions, tigers, snakes and almost every other type of animal is effected. They no longer have a home to live in or enough food to eat. Their children and grandchildren will never be able to survive. Many of them are beautiful animals with interesting traits. Each of them is unique and is not replaceable. They can be used by scientists to cure diseases or balance habitats so that animals can survive more easily. Also, these animals can be displayed in zoos on or television. It is not a wise idea to kill them because we do not want to recycle.

There are unexplored jungles where trees and bushes have medicine. Everyday, scientists learn of new medicines that are in these locations. Cures to common diseases and colds are priceless. Some of these sicknesses have no cures that are found outside of these jungles that we are destroying. Unfortunately, many of them will never be used or found due to the lack of recycling. The more we recycle, the more medicines we will find from trees that have not been destroyed.

Some scientists have reported that in a certain number of years, our resources will vanish. There may be global crisis in economies and many people may perish. Currently, we are using too many resources and earth has a limited number of them. The average person uses far more resources that is necessary. If we all act responsibly and do our part, we can recycle enough to save our planet from an awful future.

Your child can learn about the danger that the planet is in, and you don’t have to tell them in a frightening way. The more they understand and appreciate animals, nature and the world, the more respect they’ll have for it.

Hypoallergenic simply means that the material is unlikely to cause an allergic reaction in a child. Some people think that natural bedding will be more allergenic – or allergy inducing. This is a myth. Your child is more likely to have an allergic reaction to a strange chemical than to a pure and natural material.

Feathers and dust are some of the most common natural allergens and have given organic bedding a bad reputation. But you can easily avoid problems. If your child is allergic to feathers, buy a synthetic pillow and cover it with a cotton pillowcase. There are also alternatives like wool or silica filled pillows. A cotton cover should be enough however, and allergies to pure cotton are rare. Hypoallergenic bedding can also be washed frequently to keep it free of dust and dust mites. Use an organic detergent without artificially added scent if you have a sensitive child.

One of the biggest dangers in children’s bedding are the substances used in the flame retardants that are commonly applied to children’s linens. Flame resistant treatments are routinely added to children’s bedding, pajamas and blankets.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) list some of the various toxic chemicals used in children’s bedding. Among the substances used to fireproof bedding are: formaldehyde, antimony trioxide, zinc Borate, and melamine. Some of these chemicals, like formaldehyde, are known toxins that “out-gas” or give off fumes. For other substances, safety for products made for human use has not been determined.

Chemicals like boric acid (an ingredient roach poison) is also frequently added to commercial bedding. Boric acid is a poison and it’s usually applied to bedding to make sheets and pillowcases dust mite resistant. This chemical is unnecessary since dust mites can be eliminated with frequent washing, and by drying bedding on high heat. The safest course for parents is to seek out and purchase formaldehyde and chemical-free sheets, blankets, pillow cases and comforters.

For the health and benefit of your child – know what the bedding you choose is made of and look for labels that say “chemical and formaldehyde-free”.

The table has the look of wood, but it’s made from recycled plastic (specifically – post-consumer bottle waste, such as milk and detergent bottles) so it can take a beating and is very easy to clean up – something parents need to consider when buying their kids outdoor furniture.

The manufacturers have also taken into consideration how a lot of plastic furniture can fade after a year or two in the sun – and they’ve used a non-toxic UV-inhibited pigment system that will reduce the fading, and keep your table looking new year after year – or at least until your children outgrow it!

Because the picnic table isn’t made of wood, you don’t have to worry about splintering or woodrot – two factors that claim most wooden picnic tables after a few years of use. Another bonus? This table is made in the US – so you’ve also made a good decision for the environment in that the table hasn’t been shipped across the ocean to get to your backyard! This reduces the carbon footprint of this table dramatically!

The Build-A-Bear Workshop company has issued the urgent warning for the Chinese-made Colourful Hearts Teddy Bears, which it sells in both the U.S. and Canada. This is the third time this year the DIY stuffed bear store has had attention drawn to the safety of it’s primarily Chinese-made products.

Build-A-Bear spokesman Jill Saunders said the problem may have been ‘substandard fabric’ and that they “discovered the issue while doing ongoing quality and safety checks and immediately reported the issue to the CPSC and began the recall process. That we have conducted three product recalls this year despite the fact that we have not received a single injury report related to any of those three products clearly demonstrates how seriously we take product safety.”

Build-A-Bear has advised buyers to contact their PR firm at 866-236-5683 with additional questions.

The InnoPad has a good-sized 5″ color touch screen and a tilt-sensor so that your little ones can do all the tapping and dragging on their tablet that you can do on yours.

InniPad comes with a number of kid-friendly applications including an MP3 Player Video Player an Interactive Globe, a Friends List, a Calculator and a cool clock to help kids learn and develop. Of course, you can load up on extra cartridges sold separately that teach essential skills in reading, logic and creativity.

The advent of the environmentalist movement has sparked many a group and individual to find different ways to help save our planet. From saving whales to fighting pollution-causing industries, environmentalists have moved from the fringe to the mainstream and the movement is reaching our kids. It is never too early to teach our kids the value of saving the planet with the help of eco-friendly toys.

Whether you’re a hardcore environmentalist or not, it would not hurt to give out eco-friendly kids Christmas gifts. Here is a list of popular green kids Christmas gifts in the market today:

1. Recycled Christmas cards. In this era of fast-paced internet connections, social networks, and virtual hugs and hohohos, Christmas cards are putting up a fight. You can send out hand-written greetings to loved ones anywhere using recycled cards and papers.

2. Wooden blocks. Go old school with wooden building blocks. You can buy blocks made of sturdy wood that come from a sustainable source. Some toy companies who use wood for their products return the favor by conducting tree-planting and other ecological activities. Also, wooden blocks are free of harmful BPA and lead which makes them perfect eco-friendly kids Christmas gifts.

3. Wind-up toys. These eco-friendly contraptions have been with us even before the visionary Leonardo da Vinci presented King Louis XII with a wind-up lion. Even then, wind-up toys were only given to royal bloods. Make your little one feel like a prince and surprise him with green kids Christmas gifts like wind-up toys and other modernized clockwork gadgets.

4. Solar-powered gadgets. Harvesting the sun’s energy is not confined to homes and cars anymore. Solar panels have made its way through to the toy section. Available in the market today are solar-powered toy cars and robots.

5. Pull toys. There is a variety of wooden dancing pull toys in the eco-friendly section of most toy stores. Like wooden blocks, they are safe and fun to play with.

Why do you think St. Nick rides a sleigh pulled by flying reindeers instead of a turbo-powered gas guzzler? That is because Santa loves the environment and so should all of us. Be green this holiday season and give away eco-friendly kids Christmas gifts. Do so and you’ll surely be on Santa’s list!

These radio-controlled fish friends are not just fun for the whole family, they are a great way to introduce your little ones to the wonders of the ocean, and the beautiful animals that live there. Nemo and his Shark friend are the favorites of kids everywhere, and these amazing toys will remind your children of their most beloved characters!

And the material? Basswood is renewable wood that is sustainably grown and harvested in Michigan. The blocks come in a recycled cotton storage bag made from 80% Ecotec and 20% recycled soda bottles.

If your little ones love to build (perhaps you have a budding engineer or architect on your hands) then these blocks will foster that kind of creativity.

The Hut-Hut is a toy with a safe low distance to the floor, so its a great way for kids to explore and learn balance.

To make this even more of an appealing product, the Hut-Hut is also available in 5 FSC Certified sustainable materials: Bamboo, Black Locust, Black Walnut, Cork and Maple. The Hut-Hut is available at Kalon Studios.