Young Scientists Club

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

That Summer weather has simmered and now we’re back to the fun Spring weather that we all love.  What better way to welcome Spring “back” and get outside with a few nature-inspired kits.  Because Earth Day should be celebrated every day, I think these new eco-themed kits from The Young Scientists Club put a cool spin on the 3 Rs—Reduce, Reuse and Recycle—as well as embrace fun with good ol’ nature, making them a perfect environmentally-friendly gift idea or a great green addition to science classrooms.

Science on a Gardening Adventure
Through hands-on science experiments, kids can learn the ins and outs about gardening, underground habitats, explore plants, grow seeds and study bugs.  The kit for kids ages 4+ includes a handy dandy carry-all kit and kids can also create a terrarium and much more.

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Magic School Bus Going Green
Through experiments kids ages 5+ can go for a “ride” and learn even more about how to go green, specifically on how to recreate the water cycle, build a compost tube, shrink plastic, magically make packing peanuts disappear, decompose food with fungus, form pulp, create new paper, design recycled paper shapes, and much more.  The Going Green is a part of the award winning Magic School Bus series.

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Go Green Mini-Kit
With this kit, curious scientists can better understand what it really means to be green by learning more about acids and bases, use pH paper to test rain water, make Styrofoam magically disappear, create pulp from old newspapers, recycle paper, make new paper and recycle leaves in a peat pellet.  To better care for our ailing environment, it’s never too early to foster green-living for the next generation with a cool Save the Earth kit like this.

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The Young Scientists award-winning science kits were created by a Harvard-trained mom and can be found at various toy and parent/teacher shops.

Lego my…MP3 player

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The world of Legos is getting all techy! Digital Blue and Lego are teaming up to launch a Lego-inspired line of electronic gear. This Lego branded line channels the classic toy’s bold colored building block in the form of fully functional digital cameras, MP3 players, walkie talkies and USB drives.
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The line is scheduled for release this summer at price points ranging from $19.99 to $59.99. The Lego MP3 Player mirrors the look of an actual Lego brick, and you can even mount the MP3 Player on other Legos on the top/bottom.  The camera, set for release this fall, will have kid-friendly functions, including an LCD Display, 3MP and 128MB internal memory.

I am so adding these to my wishlist!

Retro Tees from Sandbox Threads

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With temps hoovering in the high 80s today, I can’t help but look around for some summer duds for the boy.  We’re your typical t-shirt, shorts and flip flops kind of family in terms of summer attire.  We have several t-shirts with catchy sayings and ones with our favorite surf shops logos, but I always love a few retro tees thrown in the mix.  So, when I came across this expansive collection of cool logos, I was immediately drawn to Sandbox Thread’s Joystick design.  How appropriate!
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Sandbox Threads specializes in original toddler t-shirts and baby onesies, and also offers organic options, as well as a variety of big kid and adult sizes, too.  Sinceimg_9812 Sandbox Threads is literally a pop operation, each shirt is unique and handmade.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Whether you’re on the market for a funky shirt or retro cool onesie for your babe or as a gift, be sure to check out Sandbox Threads’ spectrum of cool designs.

If you’re not into geeky retro like me, how about some Lloyd Dobler or Molly love?

Bumkins Natural Collection

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Last week, I talked a bit about the significance of organic cotton, and how the softness and natural aspects make them so great for baby and kid products. Perhaps some of my favorite baby staples that we still use on a day-to-day basis are our Bumkins organic burpcloths, bibs and washtowels. In the abundance of bibs, towels and other baby textiles that we own, the organic terry bibs and cloths, with their pastel-colored satin and cotton trim on this collection make the Bumkin products quite distinctive.

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The quality of Bumkin products, in general, have always stood out to me; however, among all of our other baby textiles, the Organic Collection truly stand out because of the soft and plush feel.  I try to stay away from loud patterns, especially when the boy was an infant.  It always seemed like most bibs were mini-billboards with their cute sayings and characters, so I loved the neutral color of Bumkins bibs, particularly the chin bibs which look like a collar/halfbib.  The were small, but did the trick for mealtimes when we were dressed up or out and about.  Soft and functional, all the bibs and burpcloths are thick enough to absorb whatever comes our way. The bibs feature a velcro closure that can withstand even the strongest bib-resistant babe.

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From gentle newborn spongebaths to toddler repurposing—even after digging in the dirt at the park—the washcloths continue to serve us well at bathtime and for general cleanups.  Because of their natural color and distinctive feel, it never fails, I instinctively pull the Bumkin Organics before any of our other washcloth.  The Bumkin burpcloths (which we’ve repourposed as small towels) and washcloths are definitely a mainstay in our kiddie arsenal.

In addition to various other great kiddie products, Bumkin has a penchant for gorgeous packaging, so be sure to check out their giftsets if you’re on the market for baby gifts!

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And just for Next Kid Thing readers, just enter Nextkid09 for free shipping with any $50.00 order.  The coupon expires 4/30/09 and applies to ground shipping only.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s no big secret that we’re big robot fans.  So, I was pretty smitten when I came across House of Mongrel’s Robot Hoodie, just one of the many cool sweatshirts from the company’s line of organic kid’s clothes. The line, which launched August 2008, features 100% organic cotton t-shirts, bodysuits, hooded sweatshirts, caps, and more.
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The colors and vintage-inspired designs stood out when I approached their booth at the Go Green Expo.  And, it was no surprise that the products were super soft and well made.  Not only are their products stylish and unique, but they’re also green.  The products are rendered in water-based screen-printing inks, on vividly colorful, low-impact dyed fabrics.   House of Mongrel products, including the Robot Hoodie, can be found at various retailers, as well as online at stores like Kitsel.

It’s time to Shell-abrate!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The Tribeca Film Festival is set to kickoff this weekend in NYC, with all kinds of kid-friendly activities to boot.
But one highlight caught my attention: Tribeca Film Festival will screen the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film to celebrate…wait for it….25 years of Turtle Power.
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In addition to tonight’s screening, the Turtles’ year long celebration began when they flipped the switch this morning atop the Empire State Building. The Empire State Building’s lights will go green in honor of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.wallpaper_b_tb

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), directed by Steve Barron, was selected as the Drive-in movie feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. The outdoor screening is scheduled for tonight at 8:15 PM at the World Financial Center Plaza (200 Vesey Street). Open to the public, pre-activities starting at 5:00 PM include a pizza party, face-painting, photo opportunities with the Turtles, dancing, and martial arts demonstrations with the TMNT and The American Taekwondo Association. And of course, The Turtles’ pal, April O’Neil, will join in the fun.

25 years, really? I officially feel old.

BornFree unveils Eco-Friendly recyclable bottles

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

BornFree products just got a little greener:  the company now offers a new line of Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottles.  Back in December, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel of moms to weigh in on one of the brands that I consider synonymous with eco-friendliness and BPA-free baby products.

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BornFree gained popularity in the mom community just a few short years ago as the research and BPA findings in baby bottles picture-1became more rampant.  As with any tried and true product, I saw moms in my circle of friends and family spread the word about BornFree and soon, many families replaced their existing bottles with BornFree products.

So, what exactly is the Eco-Friendly bottle?  Essentially, the Eco-Friendly Recyclable bottle is the same as the original bottle, but in addition to being Pthalate, PVC and BPA-free, the bottles can be recycled when you no longer have use for them.  When you’re done with the bottles, you can just send them back to BornFree for recycling into their other products lines. Ingenious!

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Landmarks to Power Down for Earth Day

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

empireNew York City’s Empire State Building, Chicago’s Sears Tower and Seattle’s Space Needle will show solidarity with kids across the country by “turning off their lights” tonight for Earth Day at 9 p.m. local time– as kids simultaneously do the same in their homes, as a symbol of environmental consciousness.

“Powering Down” the Empire State Building’s tower lights, the Sears Tower’s antenna and the Space Needle’s exterior lights is part of Nickelodeon’s ongoing The Big Green Help initiative, which is designed to empower kids to take action on the environment and connect them to energy saving and earth-friendly activities in their everyday lives.

Nickelodeon’s The Big Green Help is a multiplatform campaign that provides information and tools to help explain climate change to kids through on-air messaging, grassroots activity, and online gaming. To-date, more than 2 million kids have pledged to participate in The Big Green Help.