Green Tips For Kids

1. Turn off the lights when leaving a room, or better yet-reduce the need for electricity by opening those curtains and letting the light come in!. Light bulbs require electricity, and often electricity is produced from power plants that use fossil fuels. This is an easy way to save energy, and everyone can help.

2. Recycle . It is easier now more than ever to recycle, and nearly everything can be reused paper to glass. Utilize existing bins, or create your own and have a little fun learning to sort through the different types of products we use on a daily basis.

3. Only use as much water as you need. Turn off faucets when not directly in use, and keep an eye (or ear!) out for dripping or leaky fixtures. Water is another resource, and conserving it is another way to "go green!"

4. Use shopping bags when going to the grocery store. Have fun decorating cloth bags, and then remember to take them with you on your next outing. Reducing the need for plastic bags is a great way to conserve.

5. Make a compost! Composting is a great way to reduce waste in landfills and a wonderful way to naturally fertilize your garden!

Sometimes to a kid, a rainy/wintery day can be the absolute worst! Trapped inside with nothing to do-especially when they would like nothing better than to be outside!
Here are some ideas for activities that might help keep them interested in creative learning, as well as keep them occupied until the weather breaks!
1. Draw a nature park. Fill the park with whatever animals and plants come to mind, and then color them in.
2. Draw a spider web. Add the spider, and color it in. What does this spider eat? How big is it? where is it found in the world?
3. Make a tent with a sheet and chairs. Better load up for that expedition to wherever they are going!
4. Pick an animal they have never seen before out of a book and tell the child nothing about it. Have them draw and and make a fun report about it. What is it called? Where does it live? What does it eat? What are its predators? When the child is finished, compare and contrast with the actual facts regarding the animal.
5. Turn bath time into marine animal time! Load up that tub with just about anything safe and non-toxic, and leave it to the child's imagination to create a whole new underwater world.
Rainy days can be fun with a little imagination and some direction-feel free to use these ideas or create your own based upon them. Good luck!

Using worms in a compost is a fast and efficient way to create marvelous compost and fertilizing liquid. "Vermiculture" is gaining in popularity for many reasons, not the least of which is that worm compost bins are relatively small, odorless, and can be maintained in areas other than the yard. In cooler regions, worm composts can even be kept in the garage! A worm compost system is a simple way to reduce landfill waste and produce your own fertilizer at the same time.

To create a worm compost, the first thing you will need is a bin. Rubber storage bins are fantastic for this purpose, and they can be easily stacked for multiple bins. Wood, plastic, and metal can also be used, but most of these materials will eventually degrade and require replacement. When you have obtained your bin, ventilation holes will need to be drilled throughout the sides and top to provide air circulation for the worms. Contrary to popular opinion, worms require quite a bit of air flow and tend not to thrive in environments that are kept too wet. Along these same lines, it is helpful if the bin is elevated (bricks will work nicely) to keep the air flow circulating. Needless to say, it is imperative that a top be used to cover the compost to keep it from completely drying out.

Next, use strips of newspaper of newspaper, hay, leaves, or a similar material to provide fiber for the worms. Add a thin layer of clean dirt and thoroughly moisten. Leave your bin alone for about a day to allow the moisture to soak into the bedding, and your bin should be ready for the worms.
Worms are best obtained from a gardening club, as worms straight from your backyard are not typically recommended. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that the worms in your yard may not produce much composting material and they are likely to require deep tunnels which are impossible to create in a relatively shallow bin.

Once the worms are in place, the maintenance of the bin is relatively simple. Lightly sprinkle the bin every other day or so with moisture, and feed your worms paper or vegetable waste.

That's pretty much it. You will see that as the worm population increases, the amount of material you place in the bin will disappear at faster and faster rates. As time goes on, you may consider increasing the number of bins as your worm population increases-and you may even one day find it difficult to keep up with your compost!

Having a worm compost system ensures that your garden will be on the receiving end of some absolutely fantastic fertilizer, while your local landfill will be receiving less waste from your household.