http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog Eco Parenting: reviews, news & more... Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:10:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/12/christmas-traditions-and-the-true-story-of-st-nicolas/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/12/christmas-traditions-and-the-true-story-of-st-nicolas/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:10:10 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4676 Christmas can be a time full of family traditions.  Most families have their own way of celebrating. The traditions evolve over time and are handed down from parent to child.  You probably celebrate Christmas in some of the ways you did as a child.  Isn’t it fun to recreate those memories and share them with your own children? [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/12/christmas-traditions-and-the-true-story-of-st-nicolas/feed/ 0 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/newspaper-christmas-cracker/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/newspaper-christmas-cracker/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:57:54 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4752 Christmas crackers are a wonderful way to decorate the table at Christmas time.  Here is a simple, yet effective and stylish way to bring colour and theme to your table this Christmas.   You will need Newspaper Cardboard roll (paper towel) Christmas theme cheese cloth fabric Coloured twine or thread PVA craft glue   How [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/newspaper-christmas-cracker/feed/ 0 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/giving-gifts-with-meaning/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/giving-gifts-with-meaning/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:59:11 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4660   Nothing screams ‘I love you’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ louder than expensive electrical or techno gadgets with built in obsolescence, and a credit card bill you are still paying in May. I feel we have lost sight of what Christmas is really all about. Isn’t the purpose of gift giving, at Christmas or any other time, [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/giving-gifts-with-meaning/feed/ 2 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/new-green-science-range-at-eco-toys/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/new-green-science-range-at-eco-toys/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:58:52 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4740 There’s a great new range of toys in stock at Eco Toys, just in time for the Christmas rush! The “Green Science” range consists of four different kits. Your child can learn about saving the environment through wind generation, solar power, clean power and clean water by actually doing it. There is no doubt about [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/new-green-science-range-at-eco-toys/feed/ 0 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/earthoploy-the-new-earth-friendly-monopoly/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/earthoploy-the-new-earth-friendly-monopoly/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:12:57 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4734 Earthopoly is an earth friendly board game played in a similar way to Monopoly but instead of earning money, players earn carbon credits which they can then trade for clean air. This eco board game is fun and gets quite creative, having players become caretakers of many special places around the world including Deserted Deserts, [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/earthoploy-the-new-earth-friendly-monopoly/feed/ 1 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/eco-christmas-tree-choices/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/eco-christmas-tree-choices/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:03:52 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4720 Don’t you just hate the thought of using a plastic tree this Christmas or chopping down a tree to wilt in your lounge room?  I’ve never been a fan of sacrificing live trees to festivals especially when it’s unnecessary, and you know what I think about plastic! There are alternatives to the traditional tree.  Here [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/eco-christmas-tree-choices/feed/ 2 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/why-choose-eco-toys-this-christmas/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/why-choose-eco-toys-this-christmas/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:10:30 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4698 With the pressure of the Christmas season fast approaching, it can be difficult to choose the best present for a child. What can you buy that the child will love but that won’t harm the environment? Our children are our future so we need to nurture them, as well as the environment that they are [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/why-choose-eco-toys-this-christmas/feed/ 0 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/paper-roll-people-kids-recycled-activity/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/paper-roll-people-kids-recycled-activity/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:30:24 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4681 Making these little characters is so much fun as they can be brought to life in imaginative play games.  They are so simple to make and are made out recycled materials that you will find around the home.  How we made our Paper Roll People? Making the Paper Roll People is an activity open to [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/paper-roll-people-kids-recycled-activity/feed/ 1 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/is-it-a-rocker-or-a-ride-on/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/is-it-a-rocker-or-a-ride-on/#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:10:19 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4653 Sometimes it seems that kids outgrow things quicker than you can blink. From clothes and shoes to toys and books, it seems endless! Just in time for Christmas we have a new toy at Ecotoys that we guarantee will last your child through years of play. From the makers of the Wishbone bike comes another [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/11/is-it-a-rocker-or-a-ride-on/feed/ 0 http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/10/growing-your-own-veggies-with-kids/ http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/10/growing-your-own-veggies-with-kids/#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:33:04 +0000 Melinda http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/?p=4644 Can you feel it?  The air is a little warmer.  The flowers are starting to blossom.  The world smells a little sweeter and there is a feeling of energy creeping back.  Spring is here and with it she brings the urge to go outside and play. It’s the perfect time to prepare your garden for [...]]]> http://www.ecotoys.com.au/blog/2011/10/growing-your-own-veggies-with-kids/feed/ 0