Providing children with tools for understanding how they can positively affect the natural world can give them a sense of control and help them to feel positive about the actions they can take to protect the Earth. Here are some ways to teach your kids about the environment.
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In an effort to hopefully establish a better appreciation for the food on their plates the Easter Bunny brought the kiddos seed starting greenhouse kits for Easter. They were surprisingly really excited, which really shocked me because for Easter this year we went in a different direction. Instead of chocolate and jellybeans we went with organic snack mix and real fruit chewies. Oh, don’t feel too sorry for them, grandma and grandpa more than made up for the lack of candy at our house. Easter morning was beautiful! And I didn’t have to worry about a child possibly throwing up during Mass due to an overdose of chocolate….it was a joyous day! He has Risen!!
A week or so later, after the children had begged a half-dozen times to start their greenhouse kits we finally did. They were so adorable, each washed their hands, grabbed their shovels, gloves, and watering ducks to water their vegetables.
They had so much fun watching the pellets grow into dirt. They called it magic, haha! Then each carefully sowed each seed and tenderly placed the germination sheet over their seeds.
The children were really good about not touching the kit that first week. They wanted their seeds to stay warm. Then after a week and a half or so we glanced at them. And what we found was disappointing. We found nothing. We glanced the next day and the next. Still Nothing! The children were growing frustrated and each started to blame the other for doing something that caused the seeds not to grow. It started to get ugly in this house. One child claimed the other looked at the dirt the wrong way. While the disgruntled dirt looker claimed the other child gave the seeds a cold. Then the child who allegedly gave the seeds a cold blamed the other for moving the sun. You get the idea. Things were bad. What was supposed to be a fun way for our family to come together and appreciate what God and this earth provides for us evolved into a sun moving, dirt hating, and cold giving blame game! Then things went from bad to worse.
On day 15 I went to check on our seeds. But this time was different. I removed the germination sheet and something was growing! Something soft, almost furry like was growing. Mold! We successfully grew mold!! I didn’t know what to do. What would I tell the children? I decided to tell them the truth and let them down as best I could. Funny thing happened though, they still had faith. They still had faith that even after nearly a month of waiting and a nice layer of mold now covering the dirt that those seeds would sprout. As they exclaimed, we just need to pray. I had lost my faith but thanks to theirs I kept the greenhouse starter kits out and humored the children during their bedtime prayers.
The next day a seed had indeed sprouted. Imagine that! If the children had not had their faith I was going to get rid of the starter kits. It is almost as if all the knowledge and experience we have as adults can infringe on our faith at times, causing us to doubt. And then you have the souls of young babes who do not go by logic or reason but faith.
While the tomatoes took off growing the sweet peppers have done nothing. That is until today, Earth Day! The kiddos check their plants every morning and today they let out a yelp. A sweet pepper seed has finally sprouted, weeks after the package said it would.
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it shall happen.
Matthew 21:21
As a mom on the go my time is very valuable. I do not have hours to devote to cleaning my home. That being stated we do entertain a lot, whether it is play dates, family gatherings, hubby and his friends watching a game, or me just hanging out with other moms. So our home does need to be clean. The toys need to be sanitized, hard surfaces need to be dusted (the cat and dog really contribute to this need), kitchen and bath need to be cleaned, you get the idea. With all these items needing to be cleaned on a regular basis buying in bulk would seem the most practical and cost-effective solution, right? Wrong! Our home was built in 1940 and therein lays the problem, no storage space! So where on earth would I store 12+ bottles and sprays? Not to mention, what would all those bottles do to my carbon footprint?
I am sending out an SOS….Mom on the go in need of a cleaning product that is eco-conscious, non-toxic (I mean come on; kids touch toys, hard surfaces, etc. and then put their fingers in their mouths. Or what’s equally bad are the air bound compounds they breathe in while you clean?), economical, and effective?
Jaws to the Rescue……
What is Jaws?
Jaws are cleaners that work by simply filling reusable spray bottles with H2O, pop in a super-concentrated cleaning cartridge and you’ve got eco-friendly cleaning power wherever you need it. It’s an innovative, easy-to-use, non-toxic, and effective system that reduces plastic in landfills, conserves resources and saves you cash. In fact, when you finish your Just Add Water™ starter kit and buy cartridge refills, you can make 2 full bottles of cleaner for less than $2.00 each.
When you stop and re-think about it, there’s no smarter way to clean. (From website)
Um, hello! Could this be true? I was beyond ecstatic when I received an email asking if I was interested in reviewing Jaws just add water system! I replied to that email in a hot second with a definitive and bold, YES!
And let the fun begin…
Fun!? Cleaning is fun!? I know, I know…I am a self-proclaimed nerd, organizer (when time allows), cleaning enthusiast (when the DJ plays my tunes), and coffee junkie but that is beside the point. Thus, when it comes to cleaning, and I am sure most moms can agree, when you find something that makes your life easier you tend to get a little excited. Not a bull in a China shop excited but more along the lines of a kid in a candy store, (though the two seem similar it is the overall damage that distinguishes them).
So we grabbed the spray bottles and filled each to the fill lines with water and we twisted the cap till the cartridge opened and colorful happiness, as our toddler so eloquently stated, erupted. Then I went to town cleaning the house. I cleaned the soap scum and toothpaste residue in the bathroom, all glass and mirrored surfaces, hard surfaces, you name and I cleaned it!
The house looked amazing, so much so my hubby looked a little perplexed when he got home, like he had for gotten about a gathering we had later. I continued to use it for the remainder of the week in order to get a solid, honest, earnest review of the product. And my conclusion, after a week of reviewing Jaws cleaners is that they are amazing and deliver on all sides, they are eco-conscious, non-toxic, economical, and highly effective!
I highly recommend Jaws cleaners and that you take a second to review the website to find the Jaws cleaner that best fits your need!
Also, for all you locals, there will be a BOGO sale going on in Toledo at all The Anderson’s and Churchill’s stores (April 14-27), and yes, this would be the perfect present for Earth Day! As well as the perfect gift for an expectant mother…a mother whose entire household has the stomach bug…that relative whose home is…I am going to stop here, you get the idea, it would make for a great gift or add –on.
Giveaway!
Enter here for your chance to win Jaws three cleaner sample pack!
To enter simply:
Winner will be randomly selected April 15th
Disclosure: I was given the Jaws cleaners in order to complete this review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 