Inhabitots

How to Grow Plants Indoors with Your Toddler

Spark an interest in nature and homegrown, fresh and healthy foods for your little ones by growing your own plants and mini-garden indoors. Most fruits and vegetables in your pantry can provide an educational and fun experiment for young children. It’s easy to green the thumbs of your toddlers — if they can hold a seed in their hand and can poke a hole in dirt, help them plant the seed and watch it grow together! Follow our easy guide to get your indoor garden growing after the jump!

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Hand-Knit Baby Costumes by The Miniature Knit Shop

Giddy up little doggies with these rootin’ tootin costumes for kids, hand-knit in London from 100% gen-noo-ine lambswool. Fitted for tiny varmints up to 9 months (feel free to inquire about custom sizes), each make-believe romper comes saddled with details aplenty for added realism: knitted guns for cowboys and girls, …

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5 Green Etsy Finds for a Kid and Eco-Friendly St. Patrick’s Day

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Eco-Friendly “Fava” Bean-Shaped Rocker by Knoend

Part of Knoend’s Bean Rocker Series, the Fava is more than a low, kid-friendly rocker lounging in. The multitasking recliner can also serve as a meditation zafu, a back-bracing support, or an exercise balance board for the rest of the family. Made in the United States from Forestry Stewardship Council-certified maple …

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Fair-Trade Felt Animal Puppets by Noted

If you need a reason why we never tire of the classics, look no further than these charming hand puppets by Noted. Handmade by a collective of Nepalese artisans, the colorful menagerie consists of 100% all-natural wool felt, which means you don’t have to worry about fiddly metal or plastic embellishments that might pose choking hazards. Each …

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Modern Hand Painted Nesting Dolls by Joel Henriques

Designer and crafting dad extraordinaire Joel Henriques was commissioned to paint a blank set of nesting dolls — and we love the way his colorful, modern version stacks up with style and flair next to its traditional counterpart. Each doll in the fifteen piece set, ranging in …

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WIN IT WEDNESDAY! Win this Prince Lionheart Balance Bike from Franklin Goose!

We’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first day of spring this month — which means kids will be back to having fun in the sun outdoors! Usher them into the great wide open by giving them a brand new set of wheels! We’re giving away this Prince Lionheart Balance Bike (worth $79.99) from online retailer Franklin Goose, an eco-friendly, one-stop shop for babies and children! “Prince Lionheart’s Balance Bike teaches your child how to balance — a crucial skill necessary before transitioning to a two-wheeled pedal bicycle. Your child’s sense of independence and self-confidence will become evident as they learn to balance and steer at their own pace.” This sweet ride features a 100% birch wood frame, 12″ rubber tires, a height adjustable padded seat and solid rubber handgrips. Franklin Goose offers a wide array of toys made with natural, organic or recycled materials, as well as everything green families need from organic clothing to eco-friendly diapers. The Prince Lionheart Balance Bike fits the Franklin Goose mission to provide mindful, eco-conscious products for green kids. Enter to win after the jump!

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Inhabitots Link Roundup of the Week

Kenziepoo loves the new Marionette collection of cushions from Darling Clementine seen above — and we love that these soft, sweet pillows are made with 100% organic cotton.

Growing up Green gives us a leg up on Tightology organic kids …

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Basurama Converts Electric Train Ruins in Lima into a Green Amusement Park

Spanish group Basurama literally had a green ‘train of thought’ when they converted an abandoned project to build an electric train in Lima, Peru into a green amusement park for kids and adults alike. Ever since the train ruins were forsaken in 1986, the construction has been left as-is, and concrete columns have stood without purpose… until this month, when the Ghost Train park opened free of charge to jubilant attendees who indulged in merriment via park equipment made from recycled materials.

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Eco-Punk Lego ‘Crawler Town’ by Dave DeGobbi

Brick-loving kids will be bowled over by designer Dave DeGobbi’s new Lego concept, Crawler Town. The story of Crawler Town begins with an end… the inhabitants of this steam-punk world have exploited the earth’s natural resources and can only find life’s simple luxuries “like pizza, fresh vegetables and beer” while vacationing at moving structures like Crawler Town. Yes, the environmental lesson this toy teaches is a pretty dark one (it’s best suited for older kids) but in all of this, forced by necessity, the townspeople have figured out a more energy efficient means of survival.

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Eco-Friendly, Modern Emerson Dollhouse by Brinca Dada

Brinca Dada believes that toys don’t need to be flashy or noisy to be utterly exciting, and their newly listed Emerson House proves their point perfectly. Emerson House is an amazing modern home for your child’s eco-friendly doll family. Featuring six spacious rooms, the scale 1:18 home boasts a living room, kitchen, library/office, master bedroom, bathroom and child’s bedroom. With a large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Emerson House uses the power of sunshine to provide year-round lighting; but that’s just the beginning of this sweet abode’s eco-friendly features.

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Kids Dream Up ‘Animal Table,’ Designer Quentin de Coster Brings it to Life

When Belgian designer Quentin de Coster set out to create a table for children, he cleverly collaborated with a team of 5 year olds to determine the aesthetic that would be most appealing and relatable. He asked each of the children to draw tables and dogs, and he used their interpretations as the basis for …

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Handmade Zoo Cubes from Cate & Levi

Cate & Levi Zoo Cubes are both cuddly like a stuffed animal and stackable like a block. Each colorful character is handmade in Toronto, Canada by Josh Title, eco-conscious dad, and team, using reclaimed wool on the outside and non-dyed wool stuffing inside. Since the fabric is reclaimed, no two Zoo Cubes …

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Wooden Birthday Party Set from Soopsori

We all know that the excitement of turning another year older fades away all too quickly — so let kids indulge their birthday party mania while they’re still young enough to believe in their wish for a unicorn while blowing out their cake candles. Soopsori’s Birthday Party set lets kids celebrate the passage of time till their heart’s …

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Makedo Kit Encourages DIY Craft & Toy Making via Creative Recycling

Australian company Makedo recently made their US debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Their kits up the ante on “making do” with what you have around the house to whip up original crafts and toys. The concept is simple — inside the recycled cardboard tube you’ll find a bunch of recyclable plastic pins, hinges, clips, a kid-safe cutting tool and an inspiration poster. Kids are instructed to scavenge around the house to find boxes, egg cartons, fabric scraps, construction paper, jar lids, bubble wrap and more. Then, using what’s inside the Makedo tube, they turn what would otherwise be trash into cool art projects — from the simple to the elaborate to the grandiose. Watch the video after the jump to see the Makedo kit in action.

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VIDEO: The Great Green Playdate from Unplugged on a Rug

If you’ve been following Inhabitots recently, you’ve probably heard us rave about the Great Green Playdate which takes place every month in New York City at Kidville. We get together every month with mothers interested in green play for their kids and play around in a fantastically fun musical fete, lead by the two eco super-mama teacher/musicians who make up the organization Unplugged on a Rug. Check out the video that we recently made (above) about our experiences at the last Great Green Playdate!

The next Great Green Playdate is TOMORROW – so if you live in the NYC and you are interested in checking it out – get in touch with Unplugged On a Rug immediately!

Ofrit Peres and Natalie Reyes are great examples of eco-mamas who have managed to start a small business around their kids, and thus find the perfect balance between work and motherhood. I recently wrote a small business profile on Unplugged on Rug here:

What your kids can teach you about growing your business >

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Eco-Friendly Giraffe Rocking Chair from Recycle Studio

If you’ve yet to pony up for a rocking horse for your tot, opt for this hip Giraffe Rocking Chair from Recycle Studio, which is neck-deep in green design. Handcrafted in a limited run with over 90% salvaged materials — in this case, 1/2″ furniture grade 7 ply apple core plywood leftover …

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WIN IT WEDNESDAY! Win a HYmini Wind + Solar Gadget Charger!

Why should kids get to have all the fun? Parents will also enjoy reaping the rewards of this week’s giveaway, which puts renewable wind energy in the palm of one lucky winner’s hand! We’re giving away a HYmini Portable Wind and Solar Charger, (worth $50!) which offers a revolutionary way of capturing renewable energy for your iPod, mobile phone, PDA, mp3, or digital camera on the go! The HYmini is a hybrid, tiny green power station that you can easily tote on your daily travels to recharge nearly all of your electronic gadgets via its built in mini wind turbine and miniSOLAR panels. The HYmini may also be charged in a wall plug, USB outlet or with a hand crank generator on days you’re stuck indoors. Enter to win after the jump!

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Ecotronic’s Wind-Up Mr. Robot Head & Battery Free Green Toy Collection

Fact #1: “Only 2% of batteries 
are currently recycled — 
the rest end up in
 landfills and are 
poisoning our planet.” Fact #2: “Kids love electronic toys.” Add these two facts together and you get the starting point from which Ecotronic has launched a line of wind-up, shake-up, pump-up powered toys. The quirkiest is an …

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Sprig Toys Acquired by Wham-O, Relaunching Under Wham-O Jr. Brand

Sprig Toys is merging with Wham-O (the toy manufacturer responsible for the Hula Hoop, Hacky Sack, and the Frisbee) to offer its eco-friendly toys under the freshly minted Wham-O Jr. label, albeit under its original moniker. Although Sprig loses its indie bragging rights, the award-winning company will be able to tap into Wham-O’s extensive supply-and-distribution chain, which spells not only greater ubiquity on store shelves but also lower prices.

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Eco-Friendly Art Smocks from 3 Sprouts

Whether making crafts, creating art projects or cooking, you can keep your tot clean and cute at the same time in an eco-friendly Art Smock from 3 Sprouts (the same company that brings us adorable organic cotton canvas owl storage bins). The one-size-fits-all pullover style is crafted from recycled nylon and eco-spun felt made from water bottles — and …

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LEGO Architecture Series by Artist Adam Reed Tucker

Long loved by parents for their durability, educational purposes and the LEGO company’s social and environmental responsibility, LEGO bricks have become a standard construction toy in almost every household. And with the addition of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright´s Fallingwater getaway, the Empire State building, Sears Tower and Seattle Space Needle — all part of LEGO’s Architecture Landmark series designed by Adam Reed Tucker — LEGO kits have been propelled into the realm of collectible toys.

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A Flatpak DIY Treehouse Anyone Can Build

Building a treehouse for the kiddos doesn’t seem so daunting when only six steps are involved. In fact, this flatpak version by Rogier Martens and Sam van Veluw of Aandeboom is practically plug and play: The Zelfbouwboomhut (Build-It-Yourself Treehouse) uses a slot-and-tab system in lieu of nails or glue and …

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Forest of Woods from Pen Pencil Stencil

In addition to his vibrant Kokeshi Dolls, artist Mark Giglio of Pen Pencil Stencil creates gorgeous wooden masterpieces in his Forest of Woods collection. Crafted from different types of scrap wood expertly transformed into a miniature forest, these trees are enchanting in their simplicity and inspiring in their sustainable design. We can see them taking …

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ROCCO: A Rocking Horse That Harvests Kinetic Energy

Children seem to be filled with boundless amounts of energy (which can sometimes be a little tiring for us adults who have to look after them). Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn that natural effervescence into power for your home? That’s exactly what Rocco, one of our favorite entries into this year’s Greener Gadgets design competition, does. It’s a rocking horse that transforms the kinetic energy from your child’s play into electricity that lights up its ears. Then the ears can be removed to light up any room in your house!

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SWIRL: Washing Machine, Water Barrel & Toy, in One Big Ball of Fun!

In many developing countries, water sources are located far away from homes, making washing clothes a hard and laborious activity — hauling the clothes, washing them at the water source and then lugging them back. ‘Swirl,‘ a new concept for a non-electric washing machine, designed by German-based designaffairs Studio for children and adults in developing nations, hopes to help alleviate some of the burden of clothes washing with this awesome idea for a combo washing machine, water barrel and toy all rolled into one. ‘Swirl‘ turns a burden of a chore into an entertaining activity — by playing and moving the ball around, clothes are easily transported, rotated, and cleaned inside the washing ball.

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Turned Wood Works of Art: Kokeshi Dolls from Pen Pencil Stencil

Artist Mark Giglio gives vibrant new life to scrap wood with these turned wood Kokeshi Dolls made in his Pen Pencil Stencil studio in Oakland, California. A delightful intersection between works of art and toys, Kokeshi Dolls would be right at home on the shelf or in the playroom of a green family who appreciates sustainable design. …

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“Letterbox” Typography Blocks Teach Kids to Become Font Designers

Tired of old-school building blocks? This toy prototype helps hipster tots learn not only their ABCs but also the basics of font design. (Here’s hoping future generations will never know the horror of Comic Sans.) Instead of 26 distinct letters, the oversize, 4-inch recycled-cardboard cubes (known as “Letterboxes”) divvy up the alphabet into combining geometric parts, not unlike a …

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Cubebots: Eco-Friendly Wooden Robots by David Weeks

Robot toys are typically made of plastic and require batteries — but with designer David Weeks’ latest toy, Cubebots, you can indulge your child with a robot pal while maintaining your green sensibility. Cubebots are an Areaware original debuting for the new season at the New York International Gift Fair. David Weeks creates his lovable and pliable Cubebots with sustainably harvested …

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Become Smitten’s Endangered Animals Are Lovable Green Valentines

Who would have thought a Water Buffalo could be such a cute and lovable Valentine gift? Become Smitten thinks the water buffalo is worthy of some cuddling, along with a range of other endangered animals in plush form including frogs, owls, wolves, rhinos, marmots, bunnies, and more. Each unique stuffie is individually handmade with organic or recycled fabrics exclusively — and each boasts his own sweet personality!

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Pecanpals Plush Toys by Noferin

The Pecanpals started as sustainably designed wooden figurines — now, their personable charm has been translated into a colorful, cuddly collection of 13-inch plush toys, which are both ASTM and CE certified. This latest creation from the artistic duo behind Noferin boasts the same adorable character and wit that makes all of their limited edition wooden collections sell out fast. From Periwinkle the Wildlife Rescuer to …

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