The 4th of July is almost here! Celebrate it with some homemade noise makers! You can make your own 4th of July Maraca’s from thing that are around your house!

MATERIALS:

• at least 2 plastic bottles (water, juice, yogurt etc.)

• Gorilla Glue

• Kids Classic Recycled Scissors

• rubber bands

• Biodegradable Water Balloons

• rice uncooked or dried beans or even dry lentils

• something to use as a handle (straw, popsicle stick, old pen or pencil)

•decorative elements such as beads, stickers, markers, buttons, glitter, paint or anything lying around the house like broken jewelry or hair accessories.

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

• Make a hole at the bottom of the bottle, using the scissors or a knife (this is a job for the adults).

• Pour glue on the hole.

• Put the handle in the hole. Give it a moment to make sure the handle stays put.

• Fill up the bottles half way with the rice, beans or lentils.

• Cover the top of the container with the balloon.

• Use the rubber bands to to tie the bottom of the balloon to the handle of the maraca.

• Get to decorating! Make them as fun as you want! Use anything you find from around the house. You can even use things you find outside like leaves, sticks, acorn shells!

• Let them dry so none of the decorations fall off or get smudged.

• After they have dried, PLAY WITH THEM!

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Maybe it’s just me, but the idea of a loom at home is really fun. You can design your own patterns. You can learn a craft that can really be soo much fun and maybe even make you money. You can teach yourself and/or  your children a time honored craft that could even be an excellent history lesson. I am a huge fan of do it yourself projects which this could totally be. I like the idea of creative learning. I see this loom as a  way to have fun and learn an extremely practical craft that many take for advantage these days.

Product Description:
This beginner’s weaving loom is perfect for the young and the young-at-heart. An excellent loom for the beginning weaver, it also performs well as a portable loom for more experienced weavers. This loom features Beka rigid heddles which provide the weaver with an easy and reliable method of weaving. Both simple and complex techniques may be done with this loom. Made of hard maple from the USA, our beginner’s weaving loom comes fully assembled with a pre-warped heddle. A basic project is started on the loom, ready for weaving. Oompa’s instructions move through the rest of the project, then go step-by-step through planning and starting another project. Enough yarn is included so the weaver can get started as soon as the loom is out of its box. Weave projects up to 10″ wide X 3 yards long. The assembled loom comes with one shuttle. The started project uses a 4″ wide heddle for a narrow band of fabric. A 10″ wide heddle is included. Weight 4 lbs. Adult Assembly Required. Made from regionally grown hard maple and baltic birch in St Paul, Minnesota.

It has been a while since I have posted any items Made in the USA. I decided to go on the hunt! I am always looking for furniture that is sustainable which is how I happened across this little beauty!
Oompa’s side board storage unit is perfect for children or college students. It is easy to assemble and
Description:
Assembles in seconds with Ecotot’s patented, no-tools assembly method. Ideal for bedrooms, playrooms, or living rooms. Available in an assortment of colors; seen here in fiery red.
Attributes:
100% FSC Wood Rainforest Alliance Certified
100% formaldehyde-free birch plywood SmartWood
Eco-friendly, non-toxic, water-based stains
UV cured finishes minimize greenhouse gases
No tools or hardware required
All materials sourced in North America
Wholly designed and manufactured in USA
Ecotots is a Member of the SFC (Sustainable Furniture Council)
W 39 x D 23 x H 22.5 in.

The school year is coming to a close. Summer vacation is coming soon, why not give your children’s teacher a big thank you! It is important to appreciate teachers who are good at their jobs. This is an excellent idea for the beginning of the year and even before long vacations. Also by using odds and ends around the home you can be green about it!!

Supplies:

* Ribbons, glitter, buttons, thread, jewels, construction paper or items lying around the house
* 1 – Piece of white cardstock
* shaped or regular hole-punch
* colored chalk, markers, or crayons
* Glue either hot or regular.
* Paints either water color or any kind of paint around the home

Instructions:

1. You can either print or write out the messages you want to say to your teacher.
2. Color the card using chalk, makers, paints, or crayons.
3. Glue your favorite odds and ends to the inside and outside of the card to make it original and special! Show your teacher the special thanks for what you have learned that year.
4. Let the card dry over night to make sure everything will stay and last on the way to school.
5. Give the teacher your thank you card! A little bit goes a long way.

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This beautiful, hand-cut puzzle from Russell Greenslade Design will brighten  any room with its bold colors. This  3-D puzzle is fun to look at and even more fun to put together. Eleven pieces fit together to create the image of a quirky hippo family on a hill. Made from aspen wood and colored with non toxic dyes, this toy is safe for your children.  Russell Greenslade Design has been committed to making quality children’s toys for over twenty years. Each item is skillfully hand-cut in their Ohio workshop. assembled approx: L 10.5 x W 4.0 x H 0.75 in.

Shop Oompa for Unique, Natural, Wooden & European Toys
Stylish and crafted in America, the Ray Crib is about simplicity. With many options to choose from, this crib can be customized for almost any interior design idea. Seen here in white with a hazelnut panel design in four pattern options: vines, butterflies or rocket. If you ever desire to change your theme, no problem! These panels are interchangeable and attach easily via magnet.This piece of furniture has fixed side rails for stability, a three-level adjustable mattress positioning and fits standard crib mattresses (not included). With the addition of the Ray Toddler Conversion Kit, the crib can be converted into a bed for your growing child. Made in the USA from solid maple with plywood and recycled wood MDF components. A perfect addition to your home!

 
Shop Oompa’s Eco Friendly Section!

A modern addition to any home, this bird trio mobile is laser-cut from sustainably harvested bamboo plywood, an earth-friendly renewable resource. Due to the nature of the material, pieces will vary slightly in color and grain. Includes: 3 laser-cut birds and clear thread. Minimum assembly required. Made in the USA and packaged in a San Francisco non-profit that employs adults with disabilities. All Petit Collage products are hand crafted in the United States, with wood and papers sourced in a sustainable manner.  Total Hanging Height: Approx 20 in.

The Little Mermaid lives at the bottom of the sea, where the water is as clear as glass and the sand as fine as powder. But she longs to see the world above the waves…This classic tale is beautifully retold, with lyrical text and enchanting illustrations by Alan Marks.

Benefits of Fairy Tales

Young children are preoccupied with fantasy and make believe. It’s normal and can be a lot of fun. Reading fairy tales allows children to imagine different worlds and be exposed to varying degrees of idealization. With proper guidance, such fantastical stories can offer life lessons and social truths that might otherwise not interest the young mind. For example, in this retelling of The Little Mermaid, the plan to marry the prince does not work out. However, the sea world offers her a welcoming refuge back. Sometimes, the bigger love is home.

Made Of / Made In

The Little Mermaid is made with paper from sustainable sources and printed using child-safe, non-toxic inks. Meets or exceeds new US children’s safety laws.

As a child I loved play dough! I loved mixing colors to make new colors or build things and take them apart. I even appreciated eating it! As I look back it probably wasn’t the best idea or the most sanitary but I think all children have an affinity to eating play dough and maybe paste.

Product Description

eco-kids Eco-Dough has exceptional mold-ability and is long-lasting. It is an ideal activity for children. eco-kids Eco-Dough includes 5 containers of brightly-colored dough (approx. 2 lbs): red cabbage, spinach green, blueberry, lemon yellow, paprika orange.

The dough contains a mix of natural ingredients and essential oils result in unique colors and molding dough that resists mold and brittleness. If it dries a little, add a few drops of veggie/flax or olive oil and rework it. It should come right back. If out for more than 3 days, simply peal out the crusty layer and inside is still pliable and ready for molding fun! When properly stored, eco-kids Eco-Dough will last for a year!

Benefits

Arts and crafts activities invite children to freely express and explore. They expand children’s imagination and through experimentation they gain confidence. Active art play like can also have an added benefit of being therapeutic – helping kids to find creative outlets to soothe and satisfy their many needs.

Made Of / Made In

eco-kids Eco-Dough is a molding dough handmade with flour, salt, cream of tartar, organic rosemary oil, vitamin E oil, potassium sorbate, citric acid, natural and organic fruit, plant and vegetable extracts from beets, spinach, paprika, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage, blueberries and tomatoes. It is all natural and completely non-toxic. Is handmade in the USA. Packaging made mostly of recycled materials.

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Danny Seo’s brand is a way of living that embraces certain rules–-Be Authentic, Be Resourceful, Be Simple, Be Unexpected, Be Truthful, and Be an Individual. In Simply Green Parties, Danny takes these goals and creates projects that are both thoughtful and sustainable while still being stylish and beautiful. He hopes to inspire you to be a dreamer and a doer.

The book has essentially 50 quick and simple projects that are split up into themes (Dinner Under the Stars, Baby Shower, Saturday Dinner Party, Housewarming, Beach Party, and Birthday Party). The reader does not need to do all the projects under each party, they can mix–and–match or just choose to do one or two of them.

Danny Seo is America’s leading environmental lifestyle expert and host and creator of Simply Green with Danny Seo, a new show on LIME TV with a companion weekly show on Sirius Satellite Radio. The author of four books, he is also the columnist and the Environmental Lifestyle editor with Country Home magazine.

160 pages, approx. 8″ x 6″ x 1″

Host:
Urban Harvest
Type:
Meetings – Club/Group Meeting
Network:
Global
Date:
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Time:
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location:
University Of Houston
Description
Food For Thought From Urban Harvest

WHAT
Urban Harvest continues its Food For Thought series, a new, thought provoking cycle of panel discussions on today’s hot topics that support growing and eating locally. The panels will be lead by local and regional experts, and are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month. Urban Harvest inspires and empowers people of diverse backgrounds to grow healthy foods, in the process enriching the city we call home. With three hard-working programs at its core – Community Gardens, Education and Urban Harvest Farmers Market – Urban Harvest supports a network of gardens, farms and orchards in the greater Houston area. Food For Thought is the perfect complement to further Urban Harvest’s core mission.

NEXT UP
• Tools Of The Trade.
Come enjoy a wonderful evening of exploration. We will be exploring, discussing and showing off a sampling of the best Tools Of The Trade. These Tools will include clever gardening gadgets, the most innovative gardening tools, the most helpful soil amendments and the best resources out there for gardeners looking for the best Tools Of The Trade. This panel discussion will be interactive in nature, so please bring your questions and your thinking caps. And once again, Grizzaffi Coffee will be on hand as one of our sponsors serving up their wicked array of beverages on a complimentary basis for attendees. So come join the fun.

WHEN
Wednesday February 17 from 6:30-8:30pm
(6:30-7pm- Social/Mixer; 7:00-800 pm- Panel Session ; 8:00-8:30pm- Q&A

WHERE
The Multipurpose Room of the Oberholtzer Residence Hall, 108 Oberholtzer Hall, University of Houston, Central Campus. For directions visit the link on the front page of our website at www.urbanharvest.org.

COST
Free – Open to the Public

SPONSORS
University of Houston, TX AgriLife Extension Service , Grizzaffi Coffee, Fischer Schalles Associates, Katy Bomar Creative, Patterson Murphy Public Relations