home sick from home school

both my kids are sick so instead of doing all the fun preschool mom mode stuff i had planned to celebrate going green and recycling this week, we are schlepping to the doctor, administering motrin, and watching pink panther cartoons. my ears are ringing from the whining and coughing fits.  ah, motherhood.  the sole thing i enjoy about my kids being sick is the opportunity to make an heirloom family recipe: toasted cheerios. my grandmother made them for my mother when she was sick, my mom made them for me and ame, and now i make them for cleo and flynn. tasting a little bit like homey oaty popcorn, they are delicious and infinitely comforting.  you just melt a bunch of butter in a frying pan, pour on the cheerios, and stir them around until they turn into golden little o's. then generously add salt.  if you eat them with a glass of sprite or orange juice you just might turn into a sick allison circa 1983.  

so let's just pretend that i have gotten to do a bunch of fun reading and crafts with my kids this week so that i can rave to you about the 'green' books i've found that i cannot wait to share with you!  though i talk to cleo a lot about what a lovely planet we live on and all the miracles around us in nature, it is difficult to explain to a preschooler that pretty much everything we do as humans harms our planet.  it is hard to put global warming and the pros of recycling in a nutshell, especially for a kid that giggles every time you say litter bug.  so i've decided that for this stage of their little lives, the best way i can educate my kids about being green is to help them revere the planet by getting out in nature and enjoying it; but also by teaching them about waste and better ways to use the things we have.  

at the library i've discovered some great tools to help me with this.  there is an awesome little picture book by melanie walsh called 10 things i can do to help my world  which has 10 perfect little eco-tips paired with adorable illustrations. my favorite just might be "i use both sides of the paper"  since that is a serious problem around here.  we've probably de-forested western washington by now!   the ideas are simple and direct and perfectly worded for preschoolers.  the other picture book i found that i loved, and sadly see is out of print, is called the garbage monster by joni sensel.   the little girl in the book won't do her chores and take out the garbage so the garbage turns into a robot style creature and comes to take her out instead. she fights back by realizing "hey, you aren't garbage at all" and de-assembles the robot by sorting its parts into recyclables and things she can use again.  it is pretty cute and cleo seemed to really enjoy it.  another gem i found is called make it! by jane bull.  the tagline on this book is "don't throw it away-create something amazing!" and the entire thing is dedicated to showing how to make things out of paper, plastic, metal, and fabric scraps that you might otherwise throw away.  there are some seriously cute projects inside.  i am fired up to make some paper jewels and junk mail mache bowls as soon as the kids stop coughing.

and for those of you with little ones in the slc area, all these books have inspired me.  come earth day on or around april 22, i'm going to host a big earth day craft extravaganza so start saving your junky paper, plastic bottle tops, and old gloves, and plan on bringing your kids over to hear some of these books in person and make some cool stuff!  email me at aharbertson@comcast.net  if you want to be added to my email list for this event.