Archive for the ‘Food and Dining’ Category

My daughter is getting older and with that, I’ve been looking for fun age appropriate hands on activities to do together through our at home preschool curriculum.  Spring has finally sprung and with that, I thought it would be a wonderful time to teach my daughter even more about being green and planting things like herbs, flowers and our own food!

I’ve sung many praises about the Eco-friendly company Green Toys! They offer a lot more than toys but also other wonderful product that are all made in the USA, durable, educational, engaging, interactive, and lots of fun! All of their toys are made from recycled plastic such as milk jugs!  Supporting this company is a great way to show the world and teach my children about the benefits of recycling, saving energy, reducing waste in the landfills, and lower green house gas emissions!

I’m bringing up Green Toys because this season they’ve given my family the opportunity to review their Indoor Planter Set! You can bet I was thrilled with this news and so was my daughter. We couldn’t wait to get a bit of earth in our hands this Spring season. 

The Green Toys Indoor Planter Set comes with a trowel, a peopod shaped planter for the pots to sit upon, three planting pots, soil disks, and  three packs individual packages of organic seeds of zinnia, basil, and teddybear sunflower. The kit also comes with some instructions that inform you how to proceed.

The first step is to put the soil disks into each pot and add about a cup of warm water and then to wait 20 minutes for the soil to expand. You can bet my daughter had a hard time waiting but I put on a timer and after the allotted time we came back to follow the next step. She was so surprised and thought it was pretty neat that the small soil disks had expanded so much!

The second step was to make little ones and to put 5-6 seeds into each pot and then to cover them with dirt. We had done that and had a conversation about what was going into each pot and about how each day they need some water and sunshine to prosper!  It was really rewarding to to share my love of gardening with her in way she could understand and with a fun kid-friendly planting kit!

We’ve been surveying the plants every day, in fact every morning my daughter goes and checks on them to see how much they’ve grown and I’m really happy to say they’ve been thriving excellently! When the plants are big enough, we plan on moving them into bigger pots, but for now the starter pots will work just great. I would advise not to over water though, because these pots have no holes in the bottom.

Overall I highly recommend the Green Toys Indoor Planting Set! This set can be used year after year as it’s very durable. I love the bright kid friendly colors.  And the fact children of all ages can learn so much from such a simple set as this in making a huge impact on the environment! And with Earth Day right around the corner, this would make a wonderful set to gift to your children or grandkids!

If you are thinking of purchasing this set, it will cost you anywhere about $20 depending on where you purchase it. I found the Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit for $20.21 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on Amazon.com

Find Green Toys At a retailer near you, check HERE. On Facebook | On Twitter @greentoysinc |Join their emailing list for news and specials.

-Win It!-

Enter Below to win your very own Indoor Planter Set from Green Toys!
(US winner only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent this set  from Green Toys to review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

I’ve been through so many different brands of cups, plates, utensil, and bowls to use for my children. And time again and again, many of these items just haven’t held up very well. I was really disappointed in the quality and the price of the products alone really hoping and assuming that they would last for several years instead of only a few months time.

Other new mothers would ask my suggestion on which dishes I would recommend they use with their own children and I would be coming up with answers but usually that included me saying this can do this well but be careful because this leaks or isn’t dishwasher safe, and the list goes on because there was really not a dish that could do everything that would be beneficial to the child, parent, and the environment.

I had almost given up on finding the perfect dish ware for my children until I was asked to review a brand new line of durable tableware that’s not only environmentally friendly but affordable! Seriously, I thought it’s claims sounded to good to be true after being disappointed time and time again. I’m pleased to say I was persuaded and won over otherwise thanks to reviewing Re-Play products for myself first hand!

Re-Play products are dish ware specifically geared toward boys and girls that are free of BPA, PVC and Phthalates and manufactured, assembled and tested in the USA. Re-Play uses FDA approved plastics from recycled milk jugs to make their slotted plates, bowls, sippy cups and utensils.

I’ve been using Re-Play products for my nearly four year old daughter and my one year old son for about a month now. I really wanted to make sure the dishes got a lot of use before I spread the word about them. We were sent the entire line and I must say I’m very impressed with every single thing. I love I can use these for both my kids and since my son learned how to feed himself early on, I am very to have dish ware that he can so easily use on his own!

Features  I LIKE:

The Spoon has a deep scoop for children learning to use utensils & the Fork has durable, rounded tips for your child’s safety. They are just the right size for a child to grasp easily.

The No Spill Cup has a one piece, which is very easy to clean. The silicone valve keeps your child’s travels leak-free and you can easily buy replacements if you need some new ones!

The Divided plate has deep walls which is great for children beginning to learn how to feed themselves. The plate has four sections that provides a great way to teach portion control and to present a well balanced meal at every sitting.

Other pros are that not only the bowls, but the plates  stack well into each other freeing my cabinet of un-needed and un-wanted clutter! All Re-Play products are top rack dishwasher safe. And these products are extremely sturdy being dropped, thrown, and stepped on by my children, kids will be kids and products need to be able to stand up to that!

Overall Thoughts… There’s nothing I dislike about these products, in fact I hope they will possibly offer some different options in the future for older kids too like regular cups and maybe even some storage bowls. Re-Play products are great for the wallet, good for your children, and and exceptional choice for the enviroment! Five out of five from our family!

You can purchase Re-Play products from prices ranging from $4.99 to $10.99. Check out the colors, styles, and where you can find these products at Re-Play.com

-Win It-

I’m excited to announce that one of my readers will get the chance to win
their very own plate and utensils set from Re-Play!  (US Only please)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCLAIMER: My thoughts are mine  own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway or review other than the sample above mentioned.