When my son turned 4, I decided to have a green B-day party for him. It was very successful.I believe ,that my kids don't need tons and tons of extravagant toys to be happy. We had that, and did that mistake. It made our kids overwhelmed and unsatisfied with every thing. Caused our kids to not value the things they had and the gifts they got.
It actually made them more unhappy. Because they didn't feel happy for the things they received, but they got unhappy for the things they did NOT receive.
Now think about it. If you get something good that you really want, once a while, will you enjoy it more or if you get everything you want," and don't want" all the time?
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| Bamboo forks actually work.. brown bag( goody bag) |
- Party outdoors. In a park or zoo. I live in California, so this is a higher possibility, but if you have an unfavourable weather, you can have it in your home.
- Hand made cards from old used Envelopes. Children love to help.
- Idea Card. Attach "green gift ideas" to the card. I made a hole with a puncher and tied the two parts together with a Hemp robe.
- Reusable. You can use, reusable plastic plates and cups( Don't like the fact that they are plastic, but you don't want to have broken glass in hand either).
- Bamboo . Bamboo forks, spoons, knives and plates are good options. You can find them in party stores.
- Natural drinks. You can make, homemade natural lemonade from fresh lemons , or make cranberry tea and add some sugar, Instead of serving the usual chemical fruit punch ( my kids love this)
- Natural snack. Almonds , Oranges and Watermelon ...
- Avoid. Balloons and plastic table cloth are very bad for the environment. Use cloth table cloth. Buy one refillable balloon that you can use year after year ( if you really have to have a balloon) .
- Home made. You can have your kids help to make a healthy cake ( Carrot cake) or cupcakes . Try to make it organic if possible . Also if at home, you can have kids make their own pizza, they love to make it as an activity. Otherwise you can make a very big sandwich at home and cut it in slices for the guests.
- Goody bags. For green goody bag items, the following can be used. T-shirts. Wooden toys, home made play dough in a small jar, organic home made cookies, little flower pots and seeds. Small mini plants for kids to take home. Small reusable shopping bag, lunch bags, reusable water bottle, reusable monogram napkins.Gift certificates for Ice cream. Small seedling trees from nursery . Avoid all those cheap plastic toys that will clutter your home, end up in garbage and eventually in landfills and oceans. For the actual bags, you can use reusable shopping bags or small brown bags or bags made from old newspapers colored and made by kids for goody bag, filled with the above.
When we had the party, the only garbage we created was:
Recyclable ( Didn't have time to cook them)
- Pizza box
- Cake box
Biodegradable:
- Orange and Watermelon peels.
- Cake leftover
Have you thought about having a natural Eco friendly party?
Paris
Absolutely loved the post. We can (and should) be environmentally conscious in every activity we are doing, including birthday parties. Good practice for the kids as well...
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. You are right. Every little thing counts. Our kids need to learn to respect the nature. :)
DeleteParis.
Great tips. I did baby plants in the goody bags (I have one huge plant that keeps sprouting babies, and did not want to throw them away). However. The amount of plastic goodies and bags etc that keeps coming in all the time makes me worry a) I am such a lone worrier and we'll never win b) I do not want to alienate our kids from the others by not letting them have.... Also, our inlaws insist on giving huge presents for birthdays and christmas. I tried suggesting they do something small and donate to the savings account instead... to no avail. It is almost territorial, like the inlaws want to claim a physical space in our kids' lives.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any ideas or tips on how to deal with these issues?
Tess, I know exactly how you feel with being the lone worrier. The good news is, what we do, will have an effect on our children's subconscious mind. (At least I hope so). I am trying to teach my kids to gently refuse as much as they can and want. No pressure though. Because you are right. We don't want them to feel alienated.
DeleteWhat I do is, asking them to see if they TRULY believe, they will really use and enjoy that goody or toy? I ask my children and let them decide and hope they make the better decision. They used to come home with a lot more plastic toys. But lately, I have seen them refusing politely and nicely, more and more. This makes me happy. I also have my children select toys they don't want any more and donate them. Then I tell them" See, looks like you truly didn't need this toy and next time, it might be better not to get it, because they may end up in the oceans“ ( I explain to them that we don't want to trash the oceans and kill the sea creatures). It has been a VERY long process. But I see the change in my children. Slowly, but surely. I still believe, education is the key.
As far as In-Laws goes, oh brother. I have the same problem with my own mother. It felt like she found the biggest plastic piece just to despite me. hahaha. It has been hard to deal with that indeed. I feel for you. It is also frustrating to see how much they do NOT respect your way of life.
My solution to that problem is that I help my children make a list of what they want and especially what they need. Then I encourage them to save for it. Then when they tell me that they don't have enough money, I suggest them asking everybody, including grandparents for money, because they are saving. Now, because they (the children, not me) asked, my mother has been more accepting and much nicer about it.
I also keep talking about how bad Plastic is when my children are around. I show them some photos of sea animals and birds that have been killed by plastic pollution. I noticed some changes in both my children (12 & 6). But truly, it has been a constant uphill battle with the consumption culture we are surrounded with.
I am glad you asked. Theses are very good questions and I have had a hard time myself. I hope I experiences helps :)
Paris