Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rebel. That’s the motto at Reform School, a Los Angeles store owned by two high school friends with a focus on sustainable art, design and crafts. Lucky for us non-Angelenos, these best friends realized that not everyone can’t make it to LA so they started a website (with a cool school theme, natch) featuring one-of-a-kind sustainable and handmade finds. And just to keep things interesting, each month at Reform School, different artist is featured as “student of the month.” Make sure you also take a look at their wide and creative selection of stationery, books, posters, house accessories and unique handmade wares for kids like the Mobilhome Recycled Cardboard Dollhouse or the nifty Optrixx Cameras made from recycled wood. This is one school where you definitely won’t mind staying after class!

Find it Here: Reform School

By Sarah, June 24, 2008  
Filed under: Baby, DIY, Home, Learn, Recycle, Reduce/Reuse, Sustainable

This is by far the easiest playdough recipe I have ever tried. OK, well, it’s true that this is only the second playdough recipe I’ve ever tried, but still — after I used this one, I knew I had a winner. The pluses of making your own playdough? You will recognize all of the ingredients, which you probably already have in your home. You can make more whenever you run out. And most importantly, you don’t have to drag your kid to the store buy more. It’s a win-win for everyone! Oh, and this recipe takes about 5 minutes to make - that’s about an hour less than it would take for me to go buy some at the store! Even the kids can help with the mixing and kneading. Store it in an airtight container and it stays moist through many, many uses.

Recipe

1 cup flour

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup salt

1 tbsp. oil

Mix and knead together.

Tipped off By: Cooks.com

Image credit: Pinot & Dita

By Cristina, June 13, 2008  
Filed under: DIY, Kids, Play, Tips

You’re probably thinking we’ve lost our marbles over here at Green Mom Finds. Why on Earth would we be posting about empty toilet paper rolls?? Well, before you have us committed, let me explain. We believe that some of our greatest green finds are right under our noses - they’re things that are lying around the house, and are just screaming to be re-used before heading to the trash or the recycle bin. And what’s greener than finding new uses for old things? So, every now and then, we’re going to feature a find that you already have, but didn’t even know it!

Now, back to the toilet paper rolls. Did you know that there are 101 things you can do with a toilet paper roll before you toss it or recycle it? It’s true! Example - did you know that empty toilet paper rolls are pirates’ telescopes? Yeah, my kid totally played “pirate” with one for 30 minutes yesterday, which is approximately 20 minutes longer (and $20 cheaper) than the last plastic toy we begrudgingly bought him. Toilet paper rolls are also bolling pins, safari binoculars, and whatever else you and your child can think up. All your child needs is his or her imagination and a couple empty rolls. And if you’re lucky, it might be so fun that you even get left alone for a whole half and hour! What could be better than that?!

Find It Here: Your bathroom

[Image source: Inria]

By Cristina, May 6, 2008  
Filed under: DIY, Kids, Reduce/Reuse