Three DIY Projects for Earth Day Learning

Founded in 1970, Earth Day is celebrated globally on April 22nd. Earth Day is an important day to practice treating our planet with respect and educating ourselves about environmental issues. Teaching kids how to take care of our Earth is especially important. To help make Earth Day fun, there are many DIY projects that kids will love, all while learning about our planet and how to protect it:

1. Discovery Bottles

This project is packed with science! You will need two or more plastic bottles, depending on how many you would like to make. Fill half of the first bottle with water and use blue food coloring to make it the color of the ocean. Then, add clear baby oil until the bottle is almost full, leaving some room at the top. For the second bottle, fill it with water and add metal paper clips. Using a magnet, you can move the paper clips around in the water. Discuss these experiments with your kids and ask them what they think about the planet. There are many varieties and different objects you can use to make these discovery bottles a unique and fun learning activity.

2. Pollution Jars

A great way to teach kids about how severely littering can pollute water is through litter pollution jars. All you need is a jar of any kind filled with water. Then, gather small pieces of trash and place them in the water-filled jar. You can use trash found around the house, or collect the debris of other litterbugs outdoors. Next, watch the water over several days to see how it begins to turn darker. This will help encourage your kids to think twice before deciding to litter.

3. “I Promise” Posters

“I promise” Earth Day posters are a great project for getting your kids to think about how they can help save our planet. First, start by having them paint a picture of our earth with their handprint in the center. Then, have them write on a piece of paper what they promise to do to keep our planet clean and attach it to the painting. By writing specifically what they are going to do, it will stick much longer!

Earth Day learning is sure to be a blast with these fun projects! Your kids will love seeing how the earth works, how litter affects our planet, and what they can do to help our planet.

Getting Your Kids Involved with Spring Cleaning

Introducing chores to your kids can be as much of a chore as doing the actual work, but involving your kids in housework and spring cleaning can benefit them greatly. Engaging in housework will teach your kids responsibility and contributing to chores will help your kids realize that they play an important role in running the household. Kids will also learn about organization and self-discipline, which are essential to many aspects of life.

When kids work on chores together - either with siblings or their parents - it helps them learn to compromise and collaborate on tasks. They can assign themselves different roles and it will help them learn to be flexible and take responsibility. Your kids will gain confidence and grow self-esteem from their ability to accomplish tasks around the house.

Tips for Spring Cleaning:

• Promote teamwork. On their own, chores can feel like a sentence, but working alongside you or a sibling, the teamwork and camaraderie can motivate them or make a chore more bearable.
• Don’t wait until they are done to praise or thank them. Encouraging your kids as they work on a task can build positive momentum and will boost their self-confidence.
• Don’t tie chores to money because it is important for kids to associate chores as a contribution to something bigger—helping the family run smoothly and responsibly. Instead, motivate your kids with a healthier experience, like going to their favorite restaurant, engaging in a fun family activity, or watching a new or favorite movie.
• Delegate chores on a list or divide jobs between “teams” to make them feel more independent and capable. Having a healthy competition to see who can accomplish their jobs the fastest can be a fun way to finish the chores.
• Make it fun. Make up your own games to complete chores, or play an audiobook or some upbeat music.

For more tips to make spring cleaning less of a chore, visit Spring Cleaning: 13 Fun Ways to Get Your Kids Involved.

Some chores need to be assigned based on your kids’ ages - not all chores are appropriate for every kid to be assigned. You’ll know best which chores your children are able to complete, but below is a guide to get you started:

Ages 2 to 3

Note: These tasks will require supervision.

• Put toys away
• Put clothes in hamper
• Dress self
• Help feed pets
• Help clean spills

Image by Donne Ray Jones via Flickr

Ages 4 to 5

Note: Kids can start following a chore wheel.

• Make their bed
• Help clear the table
• Water flowers
• Wipe baseboards
• Pull weeds and plant seeds
• Unload utensils
• Dust
• Empty wastebaskets
• Purge clothing and toys
• Strip the bed linens
• Wipe down walls and cupboard doors

Ages 6 to 7

• Sort laundry
• Clean kitchen counters
• Set and clear table
• Sweep kitchen floors
• Help pack lunch
• Keep room tidy

Image by David D via  Flickr

Chores for Ages 8 to 9

Note: Kids can start working independently with a chore chart.

• Make personal snacks
• Vacuum
• Put away groceries
• Load dishwasher
• Put away laundry
• Take pet for a walk
• Help make dinner

Ages 10 to 12

• Fold laundry
• Clean light fixtures
• Learn to use washer and dryer/ Do laundry
• Clean kitchen
• Help clean and vacuum car interior
• Reorganize books, movies, and video games
• Take care of houseplants
• Help maintain appliances like light bulbs, vacuum bag
• Mow the lawn

Chores for Ages 13 and Older

• Babysit
• Make meals
• Help paint
• Can supervise younger siblings
• Rearrange room
• Clean bathroom
• Sew/iron clothes
• Dog sit
• Shampoo the carpet
• Organize closets
• Deep clean appliances
• Responsible for maintaining own car

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a bore. Engage in age-appropriate chores and encourage your kids to help out!

Tips for Packing School Lunches

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts, about it: kids’ eating habits are notoriously fickle. With how busy parents can get, it can be easier to stick leftovers in a paper bag than it is to craft a meal of perfectly balanced portions. Luckily, we have many ideas for packing a healthy school lunch for kids.

Find Balance

Aim for a balance between vegetables, fruit, starches, and dairy. Protein is also an essential component for anyone’s diet. Besides the traditional lunch meats and nuts, experiment with fish, beans, and hard boiled eggs to add variety.

Make these lunchbox classics:

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Bite-sized Taco Salads

Cheesy Baked Chicken Fingers

Avocado, Tomato, and Chicken Wraps

Pizza Crescent Roll-Ups

Try Something New

Add a new ingredient to an old favorite. Try different kinds of bread or switch out sandwich bread for a tortilla or pita pocket. Try avocado, hummus, honey mustard, or cream cheese instead of mayo. Incorporate leftovers into a dish for a new meal experience.

Try these new recipes:

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Pâté

Zesty Turkey Pita Pocket

Zucchini Corn Fritters

Meatball Mini Sandies

Mini Frittata

Switch up the Presentation

Use different ideas to present food to your kids. These don’t have to be elaborate ideas. Try dicing veggies or making fruit kabobs instead of serving them whole. Use cookie cutters to make fun-shaped sandwich bites. Experiment with different lunch bags or bento boxes to create a homemade and healthy ‘lunchable.’

Try out these recipes:

Frozen Fruit Sticks with Passionfruit and Lime Drizzle

Club Sandwich

Applewiches

Peanut Butter and Jelly ‘Sushi’

Butterfly Snack Break

Get the Kids Involved

Encouraging your kids to get involved will give them a more active role in their diets. Plan some time once a week to involve them in meal planning. Have them choose an item and a piece of fruit and help them assemble their lunch. Make this as regular a routine as you can—it’s a great way to spend some time together as a family.

More Lunch Hacks

• Freeze PB & Js overnight, put it in a lunchbox in the morning, and it will be thawed and ready to go by lunchtime
• Use drinks as ice packs. Freeze water bottles, Capri Suns, or juice boxes. This way they will be refreshing for a lunchtime sip, and it will free up room in their lunch boxes for more goodies
• Use empty Mio bottles (or similar small bottles) as condiment dispensers for less mess. This will also ensure that salads won’t be soggy by lunchtime
• If you use sliced apples, prevent them from browning by wrapping it with saran wrap or a rubber band
• Make a snack station in your pantry and fridge. Assemble healthy, kid-portioned snacks and kids will have an easier time finding afterschool snacks and assembling their own lunches

Lunch doesn’t need to be boring for your kids or stressful on you. Find a happy balance that works for the both of you. For even MORE school lunch ideas, check out this printable list for School Lunch Box Ideas.

Snow Day Activities For You and Your Kids

Kids wait year round for buckets of snowfall to determine their fate and become their most anticipated day of the winter season - the Snow Day! A day off of school is a child’s greatest dream, but for parents, it’s a day to break out fun snow day activities.

Make use of the snow.

Put the little ones to work with a shovel and have them clear off your sidewalks and driveways. Spread your holiday spirit by helping shovel off your neighbors driveways as well. They’ll be especially grateful and you’ll teach your children about the season of giving.

Make a snowman.

It isn’t a snow day without a snowman. Grab your favorite hat, mittens, scarf, and don’t forget the carrot to create a snowman with your kiddos!

Spread your wings and fly.

Have some fun in the snow by making snow angels and snow forts. They are a great way to spend some family time in the snow.

Make your favorite holiday cookies.  

Once your toes are too chilly for the great outdoors, cozy up inside by making some of your favorite cookies.

Make your own snowflakes.

Cozy up by the fire with some hot cocoa and marshmallows while making paper snowflakes. Click here for some fun, unique snowflake templates to give your children a challenge!

Have an indoor picnic.

Throw together an indoor picnic with your kids. Spend lunch with good food and good company snuggled up together. Make finger foods and have your children help with the preparation.

Play your favorite board games.

Break out Life, Monopoly, and other fan favorites! With homework out of the question, spend some time playing your favorite board games.

Paint the snow.

Now that you and your children are all nice and toasty, send them back outside with a squirt bottle full of water and food coloring to paint a masterpiece in the snow. You can make this fun by creating a big canvas for each kid to design. This is a fun way to put their creativity to the test.

Snow days don’t have to be spent cooped up inside watching a movie. Spend the day inside and out with these crazy fun snow day activities.

Fundraising During the Holidays

The time of year is here that provides many smiles, laughter, and fun. The holiday season is the perfect time to get your organization together to do some fundraising, and Paragon Promotions has the perfect holiday gift catalogue for you!

According to Charity Navigator, charities receive most of their donations in the last few weeks of the year - 30% in December alone - which is why the holidays are the perfect time to fundraise. Our catalogues offer a variety of different gifts that would be perfect for each member of the family.  Here are just a few of our greatest items:

• For Men - From insulated coolers and can handles to tasty eats and treats, our holiday catalogues are chock-full of unique gift ideas for the fellas.

• For Women - Looking for a gift for a woman can be difficult because many women seem to already have everything! Our holiday catalogue offers many unique gifts for women including decadent desserts, kitchen gadgets and handy tote bags.

• For Kids - Paragon Promotions is a great source for fun, creative gifts for kids that are outside the box. Your fundraising patrons will find a creative gift for the little ones that they will be talking about well into the new year.   

• For Holiday Gatherings - Holiday gatherings with friends and family are coming up, and delicious snacks are a staple to the season. Our catalogue offers a variety of delicious snacks for holiday company and all the kitchen utensils you could imagine to complement them. 

Paragon Promotions is here to help you be successful in your holiday fundraising. Still need some convincing? Check out all of our holiday catalogue items online. The holidays is a perfect time to finish up you end of season fundraising events, and we’ve got the tools to get you going. For more information on a holiday fundraising campaign, visit our website.

Pumpkin Recipes for Every Kid to Enjoy This Autumn

When it comes to food, there’s nothing more autumnal than pumpkin-flavored everything. While pumpkin pie is given the most attention at the dinner table, there are endless ways to enjoy this rich and creamy food. Mix it with spices, blend it with cream, or incorporate it with other fall harvest staples. On top of how delicious it is, pumpkin is an incredible superfood to add to your family’s diet.

Pumpkins are incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients. A single cup of pumpkin contains over 200 percent of a person’s recommended daily intake of Vitamin A, which not only helps to keep your vision in tip-top shape, it also boosts your body’s immunity to help fight infection and viruses. The strong source of fiber in pumpkin will keep your family full longer on fewer calories. There’s also plenty of potassium found in pumpkin which will help restore the body’s balance of electrolytes. This means if you add a little pumpkin to your post-workout or post-playtime diet, it will help restore your muscles and keep them functioning to the best of their ability. This seasonal squash also boasts the antioxidant beta-carotene, which plays a role in cancer prevention, as well as keeping skin wrinkle-free and radiant.

For Meals

Rich and savory, pumpkin packs a lot of complex flavors to be enjoyed in any array of meals. You can find canned pumpkin in most stores, or you can make it at home with this wonderful pumpkin puree recipe. And if you really want to incorporate every last part of the pumpkin, hollow and wipe clean a pumpkin gourd, and use it to serve any of the recipes below for a special autumn touch:

Pumpkin Mac-n-Cheese

Pumpkin Soup

Healthy Pumpkin Chicken Bites and Cheesy Pumpkin Polenta Fries

Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

For Snacks                   

Pumpkin seeds- baked and seasoned- make for one of the simplest, healthiest, and most delicious snacks around. Try a few of these recipes for awe-inducing snacks that are most definitely kid-friendly:

Lightened-Up Pumpkin Dip for Fruit and Crackers

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Pumpkin Praline Soft Pretzels

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

Pumpkin No-Bake Energy Bites

For Desserts

Savory and simple works for many delicious meals, but sometimes you just want something sweet to snack on. Pumpkin pie, watch out- you be may be dethroned as the reigning king of fall desserts.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Carrot Swirl Bars

Pumpkin is ultimately a low calorie, low fat, fibrous, and multi-nutritional item to use in your dishes this fall. It’s delicious, complex, and fully satisfying. Have your little ones help you cook and bake using kid-friendly pumpkin recipes this season.