I just found these and had to post…Readymechs are free, printable, awesome little funky paper sculptures for your kids (ok, and moms and dads too, we were hooked after just one).  Pop in your favorite post-consumer recyclable paper, get your double-sided tape ready, and hit ‘Print’!  There are monsters, spaceships, pirates…you could have a family of these and use them for your kid’s latest movie tie-in obsessions.  Did we mention free?

 One of my ‘daily read’ sites is Lime, a reader-friendly, comprehensive site that is on the pulse of modern, green living.  My favorite blog is The Green-Eyed Momster, written by mom Belinda Miller.  Sometimes I feel like Momster has found a way into our house to find exactly what we’ve been struggling with….TV issues, Disney Princess issues, oh-why-can’t-I-walk-out-of-Target-without-spending-$100-at-a-time issues… Anyway, Momster is honest and laugh-out-loud funny.  She has the guts to experiment with green-ness, even if the results are, well, less than fruitful!

While you’re out celebrating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with your kids tonight, feel better knowing that the 12 million copies printed in the US will be the most eco-conscious books to date.  After a major campaign by Raincoast Books, Potter’s Canadian publisher, and eventually J.K. Rowling herself, the novel with the magic to keep kids reading will contain 65% paper produced in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner; and, at least 35% will be made from post-consumer waste paper.  That’s huge, considering the last book, which Scholastic printed about 10 million copies of, had no recycled paper whatsoever.  It will save about 130,000 trees, and, combined with the 15 other Harry Potter publishers around the world, will save about 200,000 trees - the equivalent of 2.5 Central Parks!  And if you enjoy reading it IN Central Park, well, the trees thank you…

via lime.com

 I hate thinking about (ew) lice, let alone writing about it.  But between camp, school, day care, and the million other places kid’s heads draw in those nasty nits, I couldn’t pass on writing about this innovative line of products from Fairy Tales Hair Care for kids.  You may have seen Fairy Tale shampoos and conditioners already - they’re sold nationwide, are natural and organic, and are absolutely wonderful.  It wasn’t until I went on their website that I found their Lice Goodbye and Rosemary Repel system of hair care, and had to shout it out… 

The Lice Goodbye is a nontoxic, pesticide free, enzyme-based shampoo that is safe and effective (that means, no burning or itching when it’s time to stand in the tub for an hour combing all the yuckies out of your kid’s hair - I know you’ve been there).  The Rosemary Repel is the preventative part of the system - the natural oils of rosemary, anise and others herbs are a deterrant to the critters.  The Rosemary shampoo, conditioner, and Repel spray (which doubles as a detanglers and TRIPLES as a natural bug repellant too!) actually prevents the use of the Lice Goodbye…so, goodbye bugs and see you-never!

The thrid and final slideshow/article in the MSN green ‘city guide’ series features five cities that are greener than you think.  Guess any right?  I bet at least one of them - see left - was totally off your radar!  These cities are making great strides with alternative energy use, public transportaton, development of public parks, and other aspects of an eco-friendly lifestyle.  They do struggle a bit, but then, they wouldn’t be cities, would they? 

So, how does your city rank among these 20?  It was pointed out to me today that living in large, metropolitan areas is, in theory, environmentally more sound than spreading out to the ‘burbs.  I’ve done both, with kids and without - no car vs. SUV, more noise and pollution vs. quiet and cleaner air - the pros and cons for both lifestyles are endless…leave a comment and let me know what you love (ok, and hate) about where you live!

 Put that crayon box away.  Renowned Dutch arts and crafts products maker, Stockmar, have these amazing modelling beeswax kits for your kids to bend, twist, smoosh, and mold into anything their imagination creates.  Stockmar only uses the highest quality materials to make their products, and they test rigorously to make sure no heavy metals, PCBs, or pesticides come into your home.  The best part is the beeswax.  Beeswax adds a purity that makes the colors brighter, and unlike clay, it’s soft enough for small children to squish over and over.  It’s nontoxic, hygenic, won’t bleed on clothes, and also smells amazing! 

Be sure to check out Stockmar’s wax flowers how-to for inspiration.  Find it at Hazelnut Kids.

 I have some friends who recently moved to Pittsburgh, and they tell me it’s like a diamond in the rough.  Head to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, and you’ll see why!  From the LEED-certifed Welcome Center (the first of it’s kind in any public garden in the US), to the Giftshop that promotes the largest amout of fair trade items from Third World countries, the Phipps Conservatory is a green-lovers haven.  The Cafe serves locally grown, organic food with compostable servingware; and, of course, there’s the 13-room Victorian greenhouse and outdoor gardens.  Your kids will love to explore the hands-on activities in the Discovery Room, glimpse butterflies in the Stove Room, or take a crafts class in the Education Center.

Extra special this summer and fall is the Chihuly at Phipps: Garden and Glass exhibit.  If you’ve never seen Dale Chihuly’s glasswork in nature, please don’t miss this opportunity!  We went to see him last summer - kids love the enormous, colorful glass sculptures hiding among spectacular foliage.  Now go stop and smell the roses…

 Yesterday I sent you to the 10 “Greenest Cities” in America.  Now, here are five American cities that need a little green push.  These urban areas suffer from heavy pollution, lack of green public space, low percentages of people using public transportation, even water contamination.  The article is quick to point out that these places are making steps to be a healthier environment to live; they do, however, have a long way to go.  Are you on the list? 

What do wild animals and the alphabet have in common?  Aside from there being one of every letter in nature (yes, even ‘X!’), they are two topics kids take great pride in learning.  The makers of bioME 5 organic cotton t-shirts realize this.  Their ‘alphabet project’ shirts are 26 of the most vibrant, straight-out-of-the zoo-images that scream, ‘Read me! Be me!’  (Look at the animal’s name on the shirt, and how the little boy is checking it out-clever!)  The name comes from the five natural biomes of the earth: tundra, grasslands, desert, water, and forests. (Seventh grade Earth science, anyone?)  Seriously, the architectural designers behind bioME found an amazing way to give kids what they want - a sort of showing off, through nature and with it as well.  My kids have already picked out their favorites (fish and shark)…and turn the sound up when you click through (if you’re not at work, of course!)

via Cool Mom Picks

Have you seen this yet?  It’s a list of the 10 Greenest American Cities for 2007.  You may think that people often leave cities to live more sustainable lives, but statistics show cities are still growing by leaps and bounds.  Fortunately, developers, planners, grass-roots groups, and citizens are all working out ways to make it easier to live urban and be green.  The cities chosen were based on factors such as ease of public transportation; park space; energy efficiency strategies; water and waste management; recycling; and future building code revamps, among many, many others.

Some of the cities are obvious, but some may surprise you!  There are a couple of other articles I’ll highlight in this series this week, but take a look and feel proud if you’re on the list!