Jennie Lyon

Jennie is a green lifestyle writer and founder of Sweet Greens, a blog which focuses on simple, fun ways for families to go green together. She is also the green lifestyle writer for Cascadian Farm. She lives on the treasure coast of Florida with her fantastic husband and amazing ten year old son. When she is not writing about all things green, she enjoys paddle boarding, thrift stores, family hikes, books, the beach, succulents and a fantastic cup of tea. You can also find Jennie on Sweet Greens Facebook Fan Page or on Twitter @SweetGreens.

7 Eco-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah with Your Children

by Jennie Lyon, 12/20/11

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5 Eco-Friendly Family Holiday Traditions to Start this Year

by Jennie Lyon, 12/20/11

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7 Sustainable Ways to Celebrate the Days Leading Up to Christmas

by Jennie Lyon, 12/19/11

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HOW TO: Make a Holiday Snow Globe from a Recycled Jar

by Jennie Lyon, 12/16/11

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HOW TO: Grow Paperwhites in Recycled Mason Jars

There are a handful of plants that just scream, "The holidays are here!" and paperwhites are one of them. Paperwhites are the perfect holiday gardening project to do with your children because they grow so quickly. Start your paperwhites now and you will have beautiful full blooms to enjoy all winter long. These pretty white blooms look great when grown in recycled mason jars. They make the perfect gift for children to give to teachers, grandparents and coaches. Read on to learn how you can plant paperwhites in recycled jars this afternoon.

HOW TO: Make Organic, Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli

Sometimes finding new and creative ways to incorporate more vegetables into your child's diet can be tricky. Especially when you're trying to get your children to try different vegetables for the first time. We recently picked up a butternut squash from our local farm. Since it was the first time my son had tried butternut squash, I decided to try using it as a filling for handmade ravioli. Ravioli is fun to make with children because there are so many times throughout the process that children can help, including mixing the ingredients, rolling out the dough, filling and crimping the dough pockets and carefully dropping them in the water. Read on to learn how you can made a batch of organic, homemade butternut squash ravioli with your children.

7 Fun Fall Family Activities that Help Save the Planet

Fall is one of my favorite times of year, the cool crisp air, falling leaves and shorter days call to me to spend time outside with my family. Every fall, I love to focus on seasonal family activities to fill our after school time, savoring as much of this wonderful weather as possible. This year, I wanted to incorporate planet saving activities to our schedule, so we took our favorite fall activities and added a green twist. Here you'll find 7 family activity ideas to fill an eco-friendly afternoon.

HOW TO: Make a Simple Eco-Friendly Advent Calendar Using Books

Sometimes, we get so focused on the actual day of Christmas that we forget to enjoy the whole month of December. An advent calendar is a fun way to celebrate each day of the month, and also get children excited about the upcoming holiday. Right after Thanksgiving I unpack all of our holiday books and place them in a large stack on our coffee table. However, this year I want to make sure that every single one of those books gets read together as a family. So I made a simple advent calendar using these books along with a few others that I picked up from our local thrift store - all holiday themed. This way, we can celebrate each night in December with a new festive bedtime story. Read on to learn how to make this simple, eco-friendly advent calendar for your children.

5 Ways Children Can Connect with Out of Town Family During the Holidays

The holidays are a wonderful time of year, usually full of friends and family. However, if you live far away from close friends and family, this time of year can be bittersweet. I know this first hand because a large portion of our extended family lives on the other side of the country and getting together on Thanksgiving doesn't happen often. Making sure that your children are able to connect and stay in touch with out of town friends and family now is important. Read on to learn my five favorite way to keep in touch and start planning for the upcoming holidays.

6 Family-Friendly Green Volunteer Projects for the Holidays

The holiday season is a good time to discuss volunteer opportunities with your children. Volunteering as a family is a great way to teach diversity, thoughtfulness and charity, plus it helps kids learn to appreciate everything they have. Not only can your children help individuals in need this holiday season, but also they can help the environment by incorporating a green theme into their volunteer projects. Read on for six easy and green ways to get your children into the true spirit of the holidays.

3 Easy, Eco-Friendly Crafts Kids Can Make for the Thanksgiving Table

Thanksgiving is almost here, so now is the perfect time to gather the children to make crafts for the Thanksgiving table. These crafts can keep your kids busy while you're busy baking and you can be they'll get excited when guests arrive on the big day to a table decorated in crafts they made by themselves. Read on for simple, fun crafts that you and your kids can make in an afternoon using items you can find in your recycling bin or on a nature walk.

HOW TO: Make Organic Homemade Pear-Cranberry Sauce Kids Will Love

Thanksgiving is upon us, there are just a couple of days left until the big day. Do you have your menu set yet? If your kids aren't big fans of traditional, tart cranberry sauce, win them over with a naturally sweeter version. My pear-cranberry sauce still has that traditional cranberry zing, but with a pear sweetness that even the fussiest children will devour. Depending on where you live, you may be able to get some local cranberries and pears at your farmer's market to make a batch. Read on to learn how to make this super easy recipe - your children can help, all of the ingredients are organic and it only takes a few minutes to make!

6 Simple, Green Ways Children Can Help Decorate for Thanksgiving

Give your kids creative control over your Thanksgiving decor this year. There are several simple and eco-friendly ways they can give your home a fall feel for the big day, and they'll beam with pride when guests arrive and fuss over how nice the decorations look. Start by collecting items to reuse for the Thanksgiving decorations - take a walk around your neighborhood collecting natural elements and hit the recycling bin for other odds and ends. Read on to learn my six favorite ways that children can help decorate for Thanksgiving.

HOW TO: Bake Organic Miniature Apple Pies for Thanksgiving

If pie is at the top of your family's list of Thanksgiving dinner favorites, you might also have trouble getting everyone to agree on one type of pie. Our suggestion: make several miniature pies, that way everyone can enjoy the flavor they crave without ending up with way more dessert than you can eat. Plus these little treats are fun to make with children and they're cute, too. Read on to learn how to bake miniature apple pies for Thanksgiving. If it's pumpkin, pecan, or cherry you desire, you can adapt this recipe by making a different filling to create any variety you like.

HOW TO: Make Reusable, Eco-Friendly Halloween Window Silhouettes

One of the reasons that children find Halloween so exciting is because there is something unusual and unexpected behind every corner. Once the trick-or-treaters have strolled past your homemade, recycled yard cemetery and meandered up your coffee bag Jack o' Lantern lined sidewalk, greet them with super-spooky window silhouettes that you made yourself. Our 30-minute project is made using nothing more than a roll of recycled paper and eco-friendly paint. Another plus: these window silhouettes are reusable. Simply remove them after Halloween, roll them up and store them until next year. Read on to learn how to make these spooky Halloween silhouettes with your little ones just in time for Halloween night.

HOW TO: Make Homemade Halloween Face Paint

If your kid's Halloween costume calls for a painted face this year, take caution when considering the stock at your local Halloween store that's likely loaded with toxic ingredients. Instead make your own Halloween face paint, using two simple ingredients that will neither harm the planet or your precious little goblin. What's more, you probably have both of these ingredients in your cosmetic bag already. Read on to learn how to make a fun selection of face paints for fright night.

HOW TO: Make a Coffee Bag Halloween Jack o’ Lantern

Spending a weekend afternoon crafting spooky decor to entertain your friends, family and neighbors is much more fun than taking a trip to the Halloween store. Luckily, DIY crafts don't have to be complex to be cool. Take these simple Halloween Jack o' Lanterns for example. You can make them with items that you already have in your home, helping to save the planet, while building memories with your children. And, you can whip these up in no time to be ready for Halloween night. Read on to learn how to make these spooky lights using an empty coffee bag.

HOW TO: Make Flying Ghosts from an Upcycled Sheet for Halloween

When it comes to Halloween decorations, if it moves, flies, howls or lights up - children are immediately drawn to it. Add a little spooky, flying fun to your Halloween decorations this year by making a set of four flying upcycled Halloween ghosts using supplies that you probably already have on hand. Read on to learn how to get started.