Kids Day for Conservation (2012)

One of the things I simply love about the state of Oregon is how they love to conserve just about anything.  The recycling programs here are amazing and the conservation efforts are even better.  Here recently the Benton County Fairgrounds held a Kids Day of Conservation program through the Oregon State University.  The program was to teach kids (and their parents) how important conservation of the forest, animals, as well as how to preserve them.  There were several hands-on activities that were not only fun to do, but also a learning lesson along the way.  We learned about forest fires and how to prevent them, keeping freshwater and ocean water fish safe, how birds live, how pollutants can really affect our drinking water and in turn affect us, how a beaver survives in the wild, and how important wind energy is for all of us.

Learning about fire safety.

Making bird feeder ornaments to hang outside for the birds.  

 Learning how quickly a fire can spread during the dry times in Oregon.  

 Learning about animal fur and skulls.  The furs all had different textures.

 Making a Fish and Wildlife Banner.

Headed inside the giant fish from the Oregon Game and Fish Commission to hear a story about how salmon swim upstream to spawn.

Learning how dangerous power lines are through Pacific Power.  He also gave a very good visual on how lightning works from the ground up.

Then we got to make "living necklaces" with beans.

 The bean stays in the bag until it begins to sprout and once the roots start to appear we plant it in soil.

 We got to make another Dirty Baby.  We just love these things.  They are so fun to take care of and watch grow!  We now have three of them at our house!

Skylar even got to make his own polluted water.   He wasn't quite sure about it at first and looked back at us for reassurance that it was okay.  

He added in pesticides (fruit syrup).

Then fertilizer (chocolate sprinkles).

Then the water (carbonated water).

 And then he got to drink it!  Ha!

 After the lesson on how pollunted our water system can become we went fishing for crawdads and tadpoles.

Skylar got to see how some insects look under the magnifying glass.

  

Skylar got to pretend he was a beaver.  He got to build a dam with sticks, dig in the mud, and claw at the water.

We learned a lot about beavers, birds, and other creatures and animals.  We had a great time at the event and look foreword to the next one the following year.

Eco-Tip:  Dispose of expired medication by calling your local hospital or local hazardous waste disposal center.  Medications should never be flushed down the toilet or thrown in the trash.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Spark of Love this Week: Earth, Design, Giveaway, Statement, App, BeeSpa

This Video.


Because, let's face it, Earth is pretty awesome and so is life.  Everyone's life has value no matter what color, race, religion, or background.  Love and kindness are all we need to survive on our beautiful Earth, in the end.

This Picture.

Because I had a lot of fun playing around with the pixels on it to enhance the bluejay and the sunflower.

This Christmas album and tea towel.

Because I will be giving them away on SNORTH next month.  

 This statement.

Because global warming is real.  It may not kill all humankind off, but it is very real.

 This picture.

Because Skylar painted it for me on my phone app and changed my phone background to this picture to surprise me and make me smile.  The app is a painting app called Zebra Paint.

Random Photo of the Week:

BeeSpa has a load of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and other items to choose from.  Skip over there and check out the selection now!

Eco-Tip:  Use a toaster oven for smaller cooking jobs.  A toaster oven uses about a third less energy as a full-sized oven.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Healthy Smoothies

Smoothies are such a great treat during the summer, but can be enjoyed almost anytime of year.  I like to incorporate fruits in my smoothies during the hot summer months and warmer vegetable flavors during the fall months.  Smoothies are really simple to make too, with just a blender you can create some of the best tasting and filling drinks you never thought you could. Here are some of my favorite smoothies to blend up and share with my kiddo.

• Apple Veggie Smoothie

4 carrots

2 apples

1/2 cucumber

1 stalk celery

1/2 cup Swiss chard

1 cup ice cubes

Blend together until smooth.

•Cinnamon Pumpkin Smoothie

1/2 cup frozen pumpkin

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup ice cubes

1 cinnamon stick

Blend until smooth.

• Vanilla Cantaloupe Smoothie

1/2 cantaloupe

1 cup milk

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup ice cubes

Blend until smooth.

To learn more about healthy, fruit smoothies and the benefits they provide, 

please visit Thoughts Unveiled here

Enjoy!

Eco-Tip:  Add door sweeps to the bottom of exterior doors on around doors that lose heat throughout the winter.  This will help conserve the heat inside the home and in the long run save you a lot of money.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Goodbye Sunflowers

It's come to the end of the season for my precious, lovely sunflowers   It's been such a treat to see them all grow on the side of my house the way they did.  I had someone tell me earlier in the season that they wouldn't have a sunflower head on them, well I am here to say, I was quite pleased to see that they all produced a bright yellow, very full sunflower, and looked lovely!

Although this year was sort of an experiment with them to see if I could actually grow sunflowers where the sun doesn't shine on my house very much, I think it went quite well and I am looking forward to doing it again!

Eco-Tip:  Turn off your oven 10 minutes before the cooking time is up on cooking food inside the oven.  The food will continue to cook and you will save about 10 minutes in wasted energy with your oven, as well.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

Spark of Loves This Week: Swings, Park, Sign, Cream, Image, and Certificate

This Video.

Because musical swings would allow you to be a kid again and let's face it, that's what life is all about right?  Having fun!

This Picture.

Because it's a view of the wonderful Crater Lake here in Oregon on such a beautiful day.  This picture was taken on my flight back from Arkansas with Skylar on September 1st, 2012.

This Church Sign.

Because even though it's on a church sign, it's the truth.

This Hand Cream.

Because for one, I have always loved Burt's Bees, but this hand cream smells like fresh picked from the tree bananas.  It also is great on dry patches that need extra moisture.  

This Image.

Because its always been one of my favorite pictures of all time.  It came out of an old issue of Cookie Magazine, which is no longer in publication, unfortunately.  It's such a fun and adventurous picture that makes me want to jump right into the picture and become part of it.

Random Photo of the Week:

This gift certificate I got from Jeff for Mother's Day last year before Kona Koast went out of business.  I sure do miss that place. :-(

Eco-Tip:  Always buy Fair Trade when possible.  Fair Trade goods will always guarantee that the farmer or maker a fair share of the actual profits when sold.  For this and other green tips visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.

    

How to bring a bit of fun to an outlet

I am all about being different when it comes to something neat and clever for the home.  From my pebble stone foot board to my parasol paper lantern, I love all things worth making a conversation piece over.  With  the recent mustache craze of different things, I thought bringing mustaches to everyday items you look at would be just the right addition, especially in a kid's room.

How cute are these?  The black mustache was made with just a simple Sharpie, black marker and the black one was made by coloring in the white part completely and using a white paint pen for the face.

Mine aren't the best, but here are some that are done a bit better, if you're looking for a more professional look to them.

These are too cute.  These mustache outlet-stashes are from a company called Creative Outlets Shop found on Etsy.  They are about $5 per sheet and come in so many fun styles. 

Or you could go with something like this from Slightly Smitten Kitten Designs.

And here's one for a French outlet, ha!  Just in case you happen to be taking a trip to France here soon and want a laugh or two while you're there.  

These mustache outlet covers are super adorable and very unique for sure.  You can go with one that you purchase, or make one for yourself like I did.  You can even do them for light switches and outdoor light covers. The possibilities are really endless and think what you could turn a surge protector into.  

Let's face it, electrical outlets are super emotional, right?

Photo Credit:  Lost at E Minor

Eco-Tip:  Use oxygen or hydrogen-based bleaches instead of the traditional chlorine bleach products currently on the market.  Chlorine bleach is very harmful when released into the environment and can cause breathing complications over time with use.  For this and other tips on going green visit, The Earth and Me Go Green.