Happy Earth Day

Happy happy earth day! 

Easter might be overshadowing Earth Day this year, but in our house, we are trying our best to give it the attention it deserves. 

Tristan is milking Earth Day, with his collection of empty tissue boxes (but mom, I'm reusing for Earth Day!) piled high (we had a really rough cold season), making the perfect shadow boxes for spectators to view his completed legos.  He taped them down to his desk so no one could "accidentally" knock them over.

The tissue boxes have also made for a fierce monster, using just markers, colored paper, and part of an old egg carton (yep, I still occasionally eat eggs cooked in my egg dedicated pan).

And then there were the tissue box monster feet (yeah, I had to toss those because the "skating" around the hard wood floors got to be too much).  Think: paint & paper or cardboard "claws."

I started the boys with some basics about helping the earth with this cute 12 page "Happy Earth Day" coloring book by the EPA.  The recycling section is a little outdated for us, but the kids got the picture.  It even inspired a tv turn off day which came and went with little objection last Thursday, and will continue every Thursday as long as I can manage it.  I put all the remotes (tv, dvr, vcr, dvd...) into the drawer to make it a little easier for everyone.  And then there are all the "LOGAN!  TURN OFF THE TV"'s from Tristan, in pure big brother style.

Another easy way to celebrate is to visit your local farmer's market--for lots of organically and locally grown produce.  In the Bay Area, we've got a fabulous selection.  We personally visit the Stonestown one on Sunday mornings because it's convenient, there's parking, and there are just two rows of vendors, perfect for little feet.  And we always leave with bags and bags of fresh fruits and veggies (don't forget to bring your own bags--BYOB!).

Lots of Earth Day related celebrations happened last weekend, but you can still catch various events this weekend, including this Saturday's Earth Day SF 2011--a music festival at SF's Civic Center, Earth Stroll 2011 at Crissy Field, and the weekend celebration at the California Academy of Sciences (buy tickets online and use coupon code BAYAREA20 for 20% off your general admission).

And if you're really strapped for Earth Day time with the kids, combine Easter and Earth Day by making your own recycled paper grass.  Collect used colored paper all over the house (newspaper would look cute too), send it through the shredder, and crumple or scissor-curl them for your Easter baskets.  SO much cuter than that green stuff they sell at the store.  The funny thing is, I couldn't find a shredder that makes the long strips.  They're all confetti ones now--even the one sitting in our garage!  Martha does it best, anyhow.

Even if Earth Day manages to come and go without a proper nod, just remember that we can definitely celebrate any day of the year.  We'll have more eco-inspired crafts and stuff next week for you and the kids.

Thanks Earth!  You rock!  :)