Skogen ger friska och smarta barn

Once the vacations are over and school, sports and other free-time activities start, it seems there is never enough time in the day to just get outside with our children. Enjoying the outdoors with children is a fun, healthy way to spend quality family time. I am a firm believer in getting lots of nature time - anything, as long as it includes plenty of fresh air, surrounded by dirt, plants and TREES.

Naturskyddsföreningen has an on-going campaign for preserving small-forests for the well-being of our children. Forests play an important role in the future of our children and our environment but most of all, when children are spending their playtime outside, it fosters creativity and healthy childhood development, while helping prevent childhood obesity, attention deficit disorder and emotional stress. Through this campaign, you can contribute for the preservation of forests.

And in case you need some tips on how to have outdoor green-fun, here it is:

Explore Nearby Nature
No need for a costly outing – explore your backyard, a local playground or beach. Remember that adventures can be made by keeping it simple - jump in mud puddles, catch snowflakes on your tongue, throw leaves in the air or skip rocks on the water.

Have Fun
Go outside and play! Take a break from chores, schedules and to-do lists. Try not to look at it as one more “should”. Just 15-20 minutes outside is often enough to rejuvenate us and push the “reset” button on our hectic lives.

Set Limits on Screen Time
Don’t be afraid to set time limits on TV, video games, computers and cell phones. Likewise, it’s more than okay to require time spent outdoors each day or week. Don’t let the grumbling deter you – the entire family will reap the benefits of unplugging and getting out the door to explore./connecting with nature.

Encourage Unstructured Play
Kids need unstructured playtime outdoors to explore, discover and use nature on their own terms without grown ups giving all the directions and rules. Stand back and watch where their imaginations and creativity take them.

Slow Down, Relax and Enjoy
Make time for “down time” outdoors. Often we forget to just “be here now” – watch the clouds, lie in the grass or lean against a tree trunk. Have children identify a special ‘sit spot’ that they can return to on their own to unwind.

Expand Your Comfort Zone
Stretch your own comfort level with bugs and worms, rain and mud, snow and cold, darkness and the likes. Your kids will pick up on your squeamishness or discomfort. Let them see you relaxed and enjoying yourself outdoors.

Don’t Be Afraid of Not Knowing the Answers
You don't have to know everything about plants and animals to help your children enjoy them; half the fun is asking questions and being curious. Use your sense of wonder to learn and discover together.

Direct your children's attention – and join in their fun
Research shows that children learn more when someone participates in an experience with them. It's as simple as pointing out trees or touching a leaf with your child; encouraging her or him listen for birds, smell the flowers, or feel the wind or soil.

Go outside and play – together!
Twenty years from now, your child may not remember your driving them to every piano lesson or soccer practice. But you can bet they'll remember climbing a tree, making a snow angle or having a mud fight with you!

Share Your Childhood
Teach your kids the games that you grew up playing – the ones that didn’t require lots of equipment but needed lots of creativity or negotiating. Building forts or fairy houses, flashlight tag, kick the can, pick-up soccer, backyard relay races, sardines and the likes.
Bring the Outdoors In
Have a “wonder tray” on permanent display where kids can display all those nature treasures that just have to come inside. Keep magnifying glasses nearby. Have a bird, animal or weather watching station at the family room window with binoculars, field guides and a journal for recording observations.

Bring the Indoors Out
Go outside to do the things you usually do inside – eating meals, reading books, drawing, or painting projects. Bring the “indoor” toys outside and let your kids use them in new ways.

Be Flexible and Spontaneous
It’s hard to stick to a plan when you’re exploring and making discoveries. Be willing to let your kids take the lead, wherever that may be. Their sense of wonder will most likely lead to many “teachable moments”. Keep a blanket and extra clothes in the car, to help take advantage of spontaneous outdoor opportunities – throwing rocks as the ice is breaking, catching a beautiful sunset or finding a new trail.
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"Baby Einstein" ökar INTE barns intelligens!

For years we have been seeing "Baby Einstein" (so called educational) videos in toy shops throughout Sweden. But now, the Walt Disney Co. has set-up a refund program for its "Baby Einstein" videos for toddlers in response to challenges about the legitimacy of its educational claims. (Just a reminder, the "Baby Einstein" company was founded in 1997 by Julie Ainger-Clark, a mother and former educator, and was bought by Disney in 2001).

The company has started, from last month, offering cash refunds on any DVDs bought from June 5, 2004 to Sept. 4. (However, I believe this is valid only for US and Canada). Buyers can also exchange DVDs for a "Baby Einstein" book or music CD, or receive 25 percent off a "Little Einstein" product. The offer expires March 4.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a Boston-based advocacy group, claimed "victory" Friday (2009-10-23) in its years-long battle to protect consumers from falsely believing the videos could, for example, teach words to babies under 2 years old.

I have never been a fan of "Baby Einstein" and in fact never bought any of their videos, neither for my children nor for my friends. However, one must admit that the marketing of Baby Einstein is genius, appealing to every parent’s desire to have a smart child. Probably many parents have "fallen" for the fantastic marketing and have forgotten that children DO NOT develop best from passively watching videos, but from interacting with their environment and loved ones. Playing with open-ended toys, such as blocks, exploring nature, reading books, etc. benefit children in ways a Baby Einstein product NEVER can. In fact, a research study reported on in Time magazine states:

"…with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form."

So, for those of you who have Baby Einstein videos home, send them back to Disney or just throw them in the recycling bin... and consider maybe buying simple-educational-natural-long lasting fun toys. And do not forget to play with your children!
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Mobiltelefonen är INTE en leksak

How often are kids talking over the mobile phone (instead of sending sms) and how often are they using a hands-free? How often do they fall asleep with their mobile in their hands instead of leaving it far from their heads and bodies? And do they carry their mobile in the pocket, close to their heart? All in all, I just know what I see: most kids use their mobiles as if it were an ordinary toy – an amusing, fashionable, status-gadget which in fact has become an indispensable toy for the youngest.

When I googled “Mobile phone health risks in children”, I got 38.900.000 results. Many of them speak about potential health problems children may have if using mobile phone as very young. More I read, more I got frightened. I really think we should write - discuss - read more about the negative effects of an "early" use of mobile phones. Therefore, I would like to share some information I have found and try to give you some tips (I hope nothing new to most of you) on how to reduce your child’s exposure to mobile phone radiation.

Many studies show mobile phone use can increase the risk for brain and mouth tumors although there are not enough studies done on its long term effects (10+ years) – understandable when we know that only 10 years ago it was rare to see a mobile phone (maybe not in Japan?) in every hand, compared to today when (approx.) 2.5 billion people worldwide own a cell phone! Well, as I read various pro and contras regarding potential health risks caused by the use of mobile phones, I say “Better safe than sorry”.

Last year the results of the biggest studies carried out to look into the risk that radiation (from mobiles and wi-fi) causes cancer were published. The researchers scrutinised data from 18 studies from USA, Denmark, Finland, Sweden (5), the UK, Germany and Japan. The Swedish research was led by Professor Lennart Hardell of the University Hospital in Örebro.

Prof. Hardell says that - "people who started mobile phone use before the age of 20 have more than a five-fold increase in glioma, a cancer of the glial cells that support the central nervous system”. He also believes "that children under 12 should not use mobile phones except in emergencies and that teenagers should use hands-free devices or headsets and rather use 'texting' - he says by the age 20 the danger diminishes because the brain is then fully developed.”

Children are especially vulnerable to radiation from mobile and cordless phones, Wi-Fi and other devices, because their brains and nervous systems are still developing and since their heads are smaller and their skulls are thinner - the radiation penetrates deeper into their brains.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), health agencies in six countries (UK, Finland, France, Israel, Germany and Switzerland) have recommended reducing children’s exposures to mobile phone radiation.

France banned the advertising of cell phones to children, and the sale of phones designed to be used by children under 6. Additionally, several cities in France launched major anti cell phone campaigns during the 2008 holiday season (see photo above) urging parents NOT to purchase cell phones for children under 12 years old.

According to EWG, recent studies find significantly higher risks for brain cancer, salivary gland tumours, behavioural problems, migraines and vertigo among people using cell phones (for 10 years+).

Young children’s brains absorb twice the cell phone radiation compared to adults. Therefore children should stay away from cell phones and only use them in emergency situations.

A ongoing study by UCLA and University of Aarhus, Denmark has found that mothers who used their mobile phone while pregnant, and young children who used cell phones themselves, had more behavioural problems at the age of seven than non-cell phone users. Mothers who used mobile phones were 54 percent more likely to have children with behavioural problems. It is the first study to explore the health effects on foetuses and very young children.

Here are 10 simple steps you can take to substantially reduce yours or your children’s exposure to mobile phone radiation:

1. Buy a low radiation phone.

2. When on a call, use a wired headset (not a wireless headset such as a Bluetooth), or use the speaker-phone mode, or send text messages.

3. Keep the mobile phone away from your body (particularly pants or shirt pockets) or use a belt holster designed to shield the body from mobile phone radiation, when not in use (stand-by mode).

4. Avoid use in a moving car, train, bus, or in rural areas at some distance from a mobile tower as any of these uses will increase the power of the mobile phone’s radiation.

5. Use the mobile phone like an answering machine. Keep it off until you want to see who has called, then return calls, if necessary.

6. Texting is better than talking since you don’t hold phone on your ear when you SMS.

7. Use a corded land-line phone, whenever possible, instead of a wireless phone.

8. Avoid use inside of buildings, particularly with steel structures.

9. Do not allow your children to sleep with a mobile phone beneath their pillow or at the bedside.

10. Do not allow your children under 18 to use a mobile phone except in emergencies.

Yes, I know. It seems like “mission impossible”. What I do with my children is explaining and repeating over and over… and encourage them to read all information I find myself. I must admit it has some effect, but unfortunately limited, as my children are almost adults.

A very good site for both parents and (older) children is Wired Child.
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50 enkla saker barn kan göra för att rädda Jorden

By encouraging children to form "green" habits early on, "The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth" book, promises earth-friendly behaviors to last a lifetime.

I believe we all would like our kids to become eco-responsible citizens and (many of us) are trying to teach/direct them in that way. Books always help and I try to find those that are interesting and fun enough to not only attract but keep children attention - not easy now days when kids spend hours by the computer!

The book "The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth" entertains, educates and inspires children (and the adults that care for them), to become active participants in the quest to solve or lessen many of our planets woes. Printed on recycled paper with soy ink, this book is full of interesting facts and fun activities that offer our earth’s future stewards hands-on opportunities to start making a positive impact now!

The original edition, published in 1990, is the best-selling kids’ environmental book of all time, with more than one million copies sold to date. It created the “kids environmental how-to” genre and spent nine weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.

"Helping Kids Keep It Simple

As 15-year-old coauthor Sophie Javna points out in the introduction,“There are lots of things that grown-ups are allowed to do, but most kids aren’t.” The 200 pages that follow make one thing abundantly clear: Saving the Earth is NOT one of those things.

The book has been published in 1990 and revised. Why? Sadly, not because the problems have been solved. But the good news is there are now more tools than ever to help kids be active and get involved, the most accessible of which is the Internet. This revised edition includes hundreds of URLs for the best kids’ Web sites, providing resources for kids to keep digging long after the first reading. The book’s Web site, www.50simplekids.com, has even more information, updates, and links to these great sites, and serves as a place for kids’ voices to be heard.

The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth demonstrates fun, practical ways to improve the planet. Simple things like taking showers instead of baths are steps any kid can take to make a difference. The chapters focus on such issues as climate change, pollution, and conservation, explained in kid-friendly language with interesting facts and easy-to-do projects to try at home, at school, or around the neighborhood, to get kids involved and enhance understanding.

Children today learn early on that the Earth is in trouble and that it is the responsibility of all of us to save it. Kids are not only willing, they’re eager to do their part, but they need information, encouragement, and the sense that they have the power to make a difference.This book has those tools, and makes saving our planet a family affair."

Recommended for children 8 to 12 years old.
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Största familjen Eko-nallar i Sverige!

I invite you to meet a cool gang of Eco-Teddies. Just one look and I am confident you will realise they are made to become best companions to your little one (or yourself:-) Handmade of natural materials and being produced in an environmental friendly way, not only they become best friends to kids but already are to our Planet.

"Touffie ...lek för en grönare värld" är hem för den största familjen ekologiska nallebjörnar i Sverige. Vita eller bruna, med skallra eller speldosa, stora och små, mjuka och söta, alla erbjuder barn kärlek, gosighet och trygghetskänsla, samt blir snabbt deras bästa vän.

Alla nallebjörnar är:
- handjorda av 100% naturlig organisk bomull,
- fyllda med naturlig ren ull,
- giftfria, och
- tillverkade i Europa eller kommer från rättvis handel.

De uppfyller strikta krav för:
- Öko-Tex certifiering (som garanterar att produkterna är fria från skadliga kemikalier);
- ”Bioland” märkning av den organiska bomullen som dessutom kan vara certifierad av andra internationella organisationer (Bioland är en privat tysk ekologisk märkning för jordbrukssektorn);
- ”Spiel Gut” märkta (tysk märkning av leksaker utvalda enligt strikta kriterier för vad som är det bästa för barnen).

Tips för att adoptera en nallebjörn:

1. Välja den storlek och det utseende på nallen som passer bäst for Ditt barn (eller Dig).
2. Ge nallen ett namn. De tycker into om att kallas ”den”.
3. Presentera Din nalle för familjen och alla andra mjuka vänner, så att hon/han känner sig välkommen.
4. Ta med Din nalle när Du går och handlar, eller till dagis.
5. Promenera och lek med Din nalle men låt honom/henne inte vara ensam, någon kan stjäla nallen.
6. Sjung, läs eller berätta Dina hemligheter och annat, t.ex. när Du är ledsen. Glöm inte att Din nalle lyssnar, för hon/han är Din bästa vän!
7. Krama och älska Din nalle, hon/han behöver kärlek som alla andra.

Eko nallar är den bästa och mest hälsosamma för barnen och vår planet!
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Miljövänlig rengöring av leksaker

Just like myself, I know that many parents are looking for ways to clean their children’s toys in an environmentally friendly way. Probably many of you wonder what is the best, most efficient way so to make sure we keep our kids safe from viruses/bacteria, be gentle to earth and at the same time avoid harsh chemicals so damaging to our environment.

I have some thoughts and tips for soft, wooden or plastic (!!! ugh) toys which I would like to share with you.

Am confident that most of you do have plastic toys home (whether bought by yourself or by relatives, friends…), they all need to be washed from time to time. Many can be cleaned in the top drawer of the dishwasher which is the simplest manner but it might not necessarily lighten your impact on the earth. Washing them by hand in a sink with slightly soapy water might be a better option.

Wooden toys I usually just wipe with a damp rag to remove the dust, but to make sure to get rid of “some germ leftovers” from the play, you can wash them in a sink using water and non-toxic dish soap. I use Ecover Dishwashing liquid which I assume is safe enough for health. Wooden toys should never be soaked in water for long and must be dried immediately, otherwise the wood can swell and the grain may rise to the surface.

For soft toys (I hope they are made from natural-organic cotton! but if not, this tip is valid as well for other non-natural softies), I use the hand-wash gentle cycle on my washing machine. Usually I turn the machine on 40 degrees but if you are hesitant about the quality of the toy, use cold water instead. Always use environmentally friendly detergents.

I know many children suffer from asthma and allergies so my advice would then be - wash any stuffed animals that they sleep with (along with all their bedding) in hot water (cold & tepid water unfortunately does not necessarily kill dust mites, which are a leading cause for asthma symptoms). I know it is not as earth-friendly as a cold water wash, but the kids’ health comes first in this case. If you do not think the toys can withstand a hot water wash, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for 24 hours - this will kill dust mites & some other stray bacteria.

I can also recommend winegar, of course in small quantity, mixed with water (1/5 winegar with 4/5 water). In our home, winegar replaces most of the time many of the various washing liquids/powders/soap. If you are not too keen on the vinegar smell, I recommend adding a few drops of an essential oil, such as lavender, lemon or tea tree. These aid the germ-busting, as they are anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.

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Etiska ekologiska leksaker

Tips for Green Kids' Ethical Toys! Which one are they? Well, if you want to make sure that when buying toys/games for your children, they are “green” and safe for their health, consider some advices below on how to find more sustainable and less toxic toys, better for the child and the environment:

1. Choose natural and organic toys so to avoid toys made of conventional fibers sprayed by pesticides and chemically treated fabric, unhealthy for the child and the environment. Look for organic and naturally-dyed fabrics (preferably Öko-Tex certified), such as organic cotton, bamboo, natural wool, linen, kapok, or hemp used for soft toys.

2. Wood is great! Look for toys made of FSC-certified wood which are sustainably made toys. The FSC certification is important; it ensures that the toy you buy is made of wood that has been harvested responsibly, allowing for sustainable growth. For the little ones, untreated, unpainted wood is safe to chew unlike plastics that may contain PVC.

3. Look for PVC-free. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) seems to be everywhere we look. Many PVC toys contain phthalates, chemical compounds that make the PVC plastic more flexible, which initial studies have linked to both cancer and hormonal disruption.

4. Power down. Batteries have become second nature in most toys today. It is a problem when these toys get disposed of, and who wants to give their child the opportunity to chew on a battery? Could your child stay just as entertained with a simpler toy, and maybe learn about renewable energy (i.e. solar or dynamo powered toys)?

5. Non-toxic paints. The paint on your child's toys may contain VOCs (volatile organic compounds). There is a range of new toys that use water-based and low-VOC or non-VOC paints (and nearly all of them will advertise this fact). A non-toxic toy means a “healthy” and a safe toy for the child and the environment.

6. Long-life toys. When purchasing a new toy, consider the toy’s potential longevity. Quality means not only that you will not have to buy another one shortly; it also means that when the toy is no longer in use, you can always pass it along. In the long run some money saved + less garbage to the landfill = good for the children and the planet!

7. Have you noticed that sometimes it is the box that interests the child? It can prove the most fun to imaginative children. So, next time you think about throwing away the box from that new toy, think of it as a potential arts and crafts project instead. It is even better if the box is made of recycled material…!

8. And how about the inside of the box, often containing useless plastic packaging that risk ending up in the nature? Maybe consider giving priority to toys with least possible wrapping and packaging?

9. Place of origin. When choosing a toy, do you wonder where and under what human and working conditions the toy has been produced? The name/country of the “designer”/­brand is not always sufficient; check for the place of production and if possible try to choose companies/producers who are committed to safety and quality while embracing fair trade practices.
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