• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Beautiful Nerd

Healthy Living Tips & Shopping

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Lifestyle & Wellness
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Money & Travel Tips
    • Reviews
    • Spirituality & Metaphysical
    • Sustainability & Green Living
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • News
  • Schedule a Call
  • Contact Us

Sustainability & Green Living

Kids’ Food Ideas for a Green Party

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

Kids’ Food Ideas for a Green Party

Kids’ Food Ideas for a Green Party

One of the biggest impacts on the environment is what is termed greenhouse gases, produced in part from discarded food decomposing and releasing these gases. Studies have shown that in the United States alone, people throw away 60 million tons of food every year. This represents around 50% of the money they spend on food.

Why throw half your grocery bill in the garbage? Planning ahead can lead to big savings. Planning for a party in particular is a must. You need to cater to various food tastes and certainly don’t want a lot of waste.

Here are some eco-friendly food ideas that can save money, and the planet.

Snack Items

Instead of buying individual plastic-wrapped bags, make your own buttery or cheesy popcorn with an air popper. If you are worried about grubby little fingers getting into a common bowl, use brown paper sandwich bags to portion them up and take their leftovers home. Have your child decorate each bag and be sure to write the person’s name on each.

Homemade Granola Bars

Buy the ingredients in bulk online, such as oats and raisins. Cut up and lay out on a plate. Any leftovers can be frozen or sent home with the kids in their favor bag.

Eat a Rainbow

Create a rainbow centerpiece using thin slices of vegetables such as carrots and celery, and berries such as raspberries and blueberries. Use any leftovers for healthy smoothies. You can drink fresh, or place in a jam jar or travel mug for an ice-cold smoothie on the go.

Pizza

Pizza is always a popular favorite. Make your own from scratch and top with your favorite cheese and toppings. Make them thin crust without a lot of rolled edge so the children don’t have trouble chewing. Any leftovers will freeze well.

Sandwiches

Choose whole grain white bread if possible, otherwise a quality loaf of white bread. Cut off the crusts and save them for homemade bread pudding. Make just enough for the number of guests you have coming. You can always make more if you start to run out. Avoid peanut butter; so many people these days are allergic to nuts. Choose ham, turkey and cheeses. Use condiments like mayo lightly. Lay out the sandwiches with cards saying which is which.

Grilled Cheese

Cut off the crusts. Use American or Cheddar. Be sure the cheese is cool enough so no one burns their mouth.

Pasta

Try thin spaghetti and your own homemade sauce. Ravioli is another choice kids love. It is tasty hot or cold and you can freeze the leftovers.

Cake

Bake your own cake from scratch. Avoid whipped cream because it does not freeze well. Use jam between the layers and either buttercream or glaze on the outside. Use a reusable cake topper for the décor. Freeze any leftovers.

Cupcakes

Assemble cupcakes into a cake if you wish. Use recycled cupcake liners. Add some buttercream frosting and an attractive reuseable cupcake pick.

Sundaes

Use Mason jars or nice jam jars to serve. Layer ice cream with a few colorful candies, and some syrup and sprinkles on top. If there are any leftover sundaes, just put the lid on and save for a sweet treat any time.

Drinks

Make up your own Kool-Aid using the natural variety. Serve in Mason or jam jars. Keep soda to a minimum. If your family can’t live without it, consider investing in a SodaStream system so you can cut down on the number of plastic bottles used. Always recycle plastic whenever possible.

Waste not want not! Hope you will give a few of the mentioned suggestions a try. Let save this planet together – one idea at a time!

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: eco-friendly, go green, green, green party, reduce carbon footprint, reduce waste, sustainability

Favors for a Green Party

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

Favors for a Green Party

Favors for a Green Party

Party favors are the norm these days, rather than the exception. You don’t have to give them, but if you choose to, there are a number of ways to make them greener and cut down on expense and waste. The last thing you want is a lot of trash, or your hard-earned money ending up in the garbage.

Avoid the Plastic Bags

Most party favors are given in small plastic bags. Try a brown paper sandwich bag instead. There are also waxed food bags that are greaseproof. Both will hold up to any cake, candies or cookies you want to send home with the children.

Food

Send home cookies, homemade granola bars and so on, for a treat for the child and/or their family. Bake from scratch and even include a recipe card if you wish. Avoid nuts, as so many people are allergic these days.

Homemade Fudge

Fudge is a welcome gift and is easy to make at home. Put in a bag, or pack up in a reusable cute tin.

Useful Items Kids Love

Oriental Trading and similar companies offer useful party favors in a range of colors and styles, and holiday-themed ones as well. You can buy some items individually, and others in packs of 12. Any remaining items, the family can use. Good choices include fun pens, pencils, erasers, rulers and stickers.

Puzzle Books

Most kids love puzzle books. Choose them based on the right age group.

Coloring Books

These are also good for younger children. Give a little pack of crayons as well. You can usually find inexpensive options at Oriental Trading.

Adopt an Animal

Some parents host their party at an external venue, such as a zoo. Ask if they have an “adopt an animal” scheme and make a donation. Give all the children a little certificate and biography and handout about the animal. The kids may not be able to own a red panda, but adopting one can be the next best thing.

Charitable Donations

Charities like Heifer International (https://www.heifer.org/) give animals and trees to poor families around the world so they can be self-sufficient. You can print off cards at the site about the animal and give them to the children so they can learn more about the animal and about useful giving. Good choices are llamas and sheep because of the wool they produce, or a honeybee hive. If you are vegan, give a gift of trees.

Seed Packets

If you love to grow things, give the children seed packs and a little starter kit of soil and instructions on how to grow the flower. This is great for early spring birthdays.

Seed Bombs

Further to the above, seed bombs are a fool-proof way for children to grow things. They are available for flowers and herbs. They also come in a range of colors. Just be sure to include instructions and give them to older children so no one tries to eat them!

Plantable Cards and Flowers

This is a fun new trend. The items are embedded with seeds. The child plants the teddy and will soon get flowers or herbs. You can find these online at sites like http://www.ecopartytime.com/birthday-favors/.

Thrift Store Treasures Grab Bag

Head out to your local thrift store to see what gently used games and other useful items you can find. Number them and have the children pick a number out of a hat on the way home. Have more favors than children, and items that should be good for both boys and girls if you are hosting a mixed party. Only choose items your family would be happy to have once the party is over.

Try some of these eco-friendly fun ideas and save help save the planet when you do.

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: eco-friendly, go green, green, green friendly party favors, green party, Green Party Ideas, party favors, reduce carbon footprint, sustainability

Décor for a Green Party

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

Décor for a Green Party

Décor for a Green Party

Every party needs decorations, but some are greener than others. Here are a few ideas to help make your child’s party special.

Biodegradable Latex Balloons

Rubber balloons can last in landfill for decades, but biodegradable balloons will break down.

Paper “Balloons”

Cut balloon shapes out of various colors of construction paper and create a wall display. Use ribbon as the string for the balloon. Reuse again as needed.

A Recycled Paper Piñata

A piñata makes a great decoration and a fun activity for the children as well. They come in a range of popular characters. If you are handy with arts and crafts, create your own with papier mache and glue an image of their favorite character on each site.

Paper Banners

You can buy a recycled paper happy birthday or similar banner, or you can make one yourself with your printer and either greeting card software or free templates online. Save any printed items that might not have come out correctly and use the back of the paper to create the banner. Use eco-friendly inks if possible.

Paper Pom Poms

You can find paper pom poms, stars and more in a range of colors at most party supply stores. Unfold and hang. When the party is over, refold and store until the next time.

Paper Lampshades

Use inexpensive paper lampshades to add a whole new look to your room. Use on the ceiling and swap them out for your usual lampshades. Choose colored ones if your party has a certain color and/or theme, such as pink for princesses or a deep blue for Spiderman or Superman. Cut out images and glue them on to continue the theme, or draw on them if you are talented in that way.

Paper Garlands

These can add a festive touch to any party. You can also make them yourself out of construction paper.

Place Mats

Use printables and plastic protectors to make custom table mats. Print image of their favorite character, or printables from, for example, popular fairy tales. Let the children color them in neatly. When they are finished, slip them in the sheet protectors and use as place mats. You should be able to wipe them down and reuse them again in the future.

Table Runners

Using the same place mat idea above, tape several together to make a table runner to dress up the tables.

Reusable Tablecloths

Buy solid colors that will be versatile for any occasion, and dress up as needed with place mats, table runners, or artwork you can tape to the cloth and then remove when the party is over.

Create a Gorgeous Centerpiece

  • There are many ways to create a centerpiece that will add to the décor of the entire room. You could use dried flowers or a bowl of natural objects like acorns, pinecones or mini gourds. You can find reusable versions of these items in stores like Pier 1.
  • You can wrap a paper egg box in colored construction paper to use as the base for a display the guests can help themselves to. Ideas include colorful lollipops to take home as favors at the end, or an array of cake pops. Thrust the end of the stick into the cardboard to make each stand upright.
  • A fabulous themed cake can also make an ideal centerpiece. You can buy reusable cake toppers in a variety of themes. Use themed picks for a three-dimensional effect. Wash them off and reuse once the party is over.
  • If you are good at decorating, make the design yourself. If you love baking, invest in shaped baking pans, such as a teddy bear or a train mini-cake pan and decorate these 3D cakes with frosting, sprinkles and more.

What is your favorite way to decorate for a party? I love them all!

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: eco-friendly, go green, green, green party, Green Party Ideas, reduce carbon footprint, sustainability

Throwing a Green Party for Preschoolers

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

Throwing a Green Party for Preschoolers

Throwing a Green Party for Preschoolers

There are many ways to throw an eco-friendly preschool party. Go beyond the princesses and superheroes, and get back to nature.

Themes

  • Any animal-related theme will do. Puppies, kittens and ponies would be three popular choices. Or, branch out beyond the usual to animals you find nearby, such as foxes, raccoons, hedgehogs and so on.
  • You could also make it all about animals you find at the local zoo or farm. You could host a party at the zoo, or ask the farmer if they would host a party and if they had any animals to pet. As long as it isn’t harvest time, they will probably say yes.
  • You could get the children to help plant a garden using seeds or seed balls. The ideal time for this is spring. In the autumn, they could help plant bulbs.

Activities

  • Since preschool children are so young, it’s important to plan a range of activities to keep them busy. There should be a mix of quiet activities with more active ones.
  • For quiet activities, coloring pages or printables based on the theme of the party should be available for them to color and take home. Have crayons and colored pencils.
  • Animal stickers and sticker books are also a great idea. Dover Publications has small ones for less than $2 on a number of animal themes. They would make a great party favor as well.
  • You can also look up puppy or kitten stickers on Amazon to see the range available.
  • For more active ideas, you could have a pin the tail (or ears, etc.) on whatever animal/s you are focusing on.
  • You could also do an animal treasure hunt, with clues that lead up to a (stuffed) animal in the “jungle” of your garden. Use small stuffed animals or toy animal figures and let each child have a turn at winning and taking their prize home with them. You can buy Beanie Babies and animal figures in bulk online.

Going on (Camera) Safari

Set up the stuffed animals and go around the room or garden “on safari”. Tell them a bit about each animal and its habits. Get them to pose with their favorite “animal” and download the pictures and print them out. You can have a record of a great party you can share with friends, family and partygoers online, and they can take home a copy as a party favor.

Arts and Crafts

  • You could hire a person who makes balloon animals using biodegradable balloons. You could also give them modeling clay or homemade Play-Doh in different colors so they could make their own animal figures.
  • Let them make a birthday card with an animal theme for your child, or a place mat for their table they can then take home. Have plastic pockets on hand to slip their drawing or coloring page in and help them write their name on it.

Animal Face Paints

Get a set of hypoallergenic face paints and choose animal designs.

Storytime

There are dozens of stories and fairy tales featuring animals. Get them to tell some of their favorites. Buy a couple of illustrated Aesop’s fables, and tell the story from one as you pass around the other so they can see the pictures. Or buy different ones and vote on which pictures they like best.

Green Awareness

Explain to the children about green issues and how it is a green party. Have them throw away their own trash, help with recycling (clean) items and so on. It’s never too early for them to learn and it helps you deal with the mess.

There are numerous ways to teach young children the importance of being green. Start them young to help keep our planet clean for generations to come!

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps to save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: children, eco-friendly, green party, preschool, preschooler green party, preschoolers

Throwing a Green Party for Younger Kids

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

throwing a green party for younger kids

Throwing a Green Party for Younger Kids

There are many ways to throw an eco-friendly party for younger kids. Go beyond the princesses and superheroes, to some favorite animal characters.

Themes

Any animal-related theme will do. Take inspiration from some of the latest films, like The Lion King, the Madagascar series, or even Ice Age if you want to include ancient animals. Lots of kids love dinosaurs.

Go for classics like Lassie, Black Beauty or Old Yeller.

In terms of TV shows, Dora and Diego are perfect for talking about green issues. Organize the DVDs of your choice with decorations and a themed cake.

If your child loves the zoo, see if your local one hosts birthday parties. Or, look for a local petting zoo. See if they host parties and have someone on hand to teach them about the goats, sheep, llamas and so on.

Another green activity is planting a garden. You could teach them about herbs or flowers. Let them taste your herbs and plant their own to take home with them. There are seeds, seed balls, and plantable papers and matchsticks with seeds embedded in them that can make the process foolproof. And one thing is for sure, most kids love to play with dirt.

Types of Activities

Since this party is for young children, it’s important to plan a range of activities that last around 15 minutes, which is about the length of their attention span.

You can also organize some quiet activities as compared with more active ones for children who are a bit less high-energy. A craft table is a good idea.

Arts and Crafts

Pom-pom animals are always fun. Don’t forget the googly eyes.

Pipecleaner animals and those made out of modeling clay or homemade Play-Doh can also keep kids busy.

Coloring pages and sticker books also work well. Look for inexpensive ones online with animal themes. They will also make a good party favor for children to take home with them. Print out a range of printables and have crayons and colored pencils available.

For more active things to pass the time, create an animal poster and use it for pin the tail (or ears, etc.) on the animals.

Choose barn animals, big cats or animals from a particular part of the world, such as Africa or the Amazon Jungle.

Organize animal puzzles and quizzes.

Use small, stuffed animals or toy animal figures as prizes. Try a game of charades with different animals that the children have to act out and the others have to guess. You can also try twenty questions, such as, “Is it bigger than a cat?” or “Is it black?” Award problem solvers with fun prizes such as stickers.

You can buy Beanie Babies and animal figures in bulk online as inexpensive party favors that suit the theme. You can also look in charity shops to find gently-used toys and games to give away as favors. You might also be able to make your own games such as a board game all about animals.

Duck, Duck Goose – This is always a popular game in groups.

Animal Tag – This is like regular tag, except the person has to act like an animal when they get tagged. Change the animals to make it more fun, such as monkeys, elephants and so on.

Animal Face Paints are also always a hit with kids! Get a set of hypoallergenic face paints and choose animal designs. Let the children pick their favorites.

What a great way to help save our planet by teaching our young children the importance of being green.

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps to save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: eco-friendly, green party, green party for young children, sustainability, young children

Going Paperless for Invitations to a Green Party

By The Beautiful Nerd Leave a Comment

paperless invitations

If you would like to see this post in video form click here.

Going Paperless for Invitations to a Green Party

There are many pros and cons to using paperless or email invitations for a party or other social events. Here are some of the most important ones to consider before deciding which to choose.

The Advantages

  • Free and easy – Paperless invites are free, and easy to organize. You don’t have to spend money on the invitations, or the stamps to send them out. People are always checking their email, so they are highly visible. You can also use a service like Evite.com if you tend to host a lot of social occasions, so you have everything in one place.
  • Saves time – There’s no need to get out the address book, or print out a lot of sticky labels (expensive and time-consuming) in order to access your database of people you would like to invite for a party. At Evite, it creates a list of friends and connections for each person in your family, so birthday party invitations will be a breeze.
  • Eco-friendly – You are saving on paper and the cost of the transportation of the letter, and therefore lowering your carbon footprint.
  • Attractive designs – You can find online stationery companies that have templates for every occasion, so your invitations will look gorgeous.
  • Saving the date – The sooner people know you are having the party, the sooner they can save the date and put it on their calendar to attend. There’s no delay until the mail gets there.
  • Easy to ask and answer questions – If you are inviting children to a birthday party, you might have questions about food allergies, for instance, and the parents might have questions for you, such as drop-off and pick-up times, whether or not adults will also be invited, and so on. It’s very easy to answer an email, rather than deal with these issues over the phone.
  • Present issues – Some parents feel obliged to give presents, but as a greener parent, you might not like their choices or wish to have a large pile of unwanted gifts around the house. So you could say gifts are optional, but if they do wish to give something can it be books, art supplies, or other items your child loves that are genuinely useful and won’t gather dust. They can also turn into activities at the party, like a bead jewelry-making kit at a princess party.

The Disadvantages

  • Etiquette – Most etiquette books still frown on digital invitations, especially for weddings, but times are changing. A child’s birthday party is an informal occasion, so the paperless invitations should not be considered rude by most people. And if you explain in your email that you are going to be hosting an eco-friendly birthday party, most people will like the idea and the parents and kids should be eager to go along with it.
  • Confusion over who is invited – Is it the whole family, just one of the children, and so on? Name the people in the invitation if your child knows both the boy and girl, for example, but is only friends with the girl. You can also state that the parents are invited as well, so there is no guesswork, but be sure to cater for them as well.
  • Some people still don’t use the internet a lot – They might not look at their email often and your invitation might get shoved way down the page, or onto the next one. Be sure to ask them to RSVP you in the email.
  • Email is only about 50% deliverable – Email clients often have sensitive spam filters that might get triggered by images, words, and so on. Be sure to ask them to RSVP by a certain date. Keep a list. If you don’t hear from them by that date, resend, with a second date to reply by.

So there you have it – the pros and cons to using paperless invitations at your next party. Let’s do our part in saving our planet for generations to come.

Until next time!

 

Battery reconditioning helps to save the planet. Click to learn more here

Filed Under: Sustainability & Green Living Tagged With: green party, paperless invitations, paperless party invitations, sustainability

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Products

  • Mastering Social Confidence: Your Path to Thriving in Every Interaction blog post article 🔥 Ignite Your Social Confidence: 19-Page Workbook! $9.98 $0.00
  • the red house mystery by A A Milne ebook The Red House Mystery eBook $9.98 $0.00
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne eBook 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne eBook $9.98 $0.00
  • A Certain Dr. Thorndyke novel A Certain Dr. Thorndyke by R. Austin Freeman eBook $9.98 $0.00

Footer

Elise_Boutique

Shop more of my listings on Poshmark


Recent Posts

  • Global Healthy Living Foundation Receives Four-Year CDC Grant to … – Business Wire
  • Walgreens, Global Healthy Living Foundation to host free virtual … – Drug Store News
  • Healthy living prevents depression, with insights from new research – Tech Explorist

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aNNYEUARAk

Copyright © 2023 · Designed by Amaraq Websites