Weekend Windup {Family Fun in the Chicago Suburbs April 22-23, 2023}

 

The weekend is on its way and this is a special one -- we celebrate our Earth! There are plenty of great Earth Day events this weekend but even if you don't make it to one, spend some time appreciating the magic nature has created!

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6 Restored and Rehabilitated Chicago Suburban Forest Preserves for Earth Day

 

Restoring and rehabilitating our natural habitats creates a more sustainable world supporting the Earth's diversity of flora and fauna. A purpose for everything and everything has a purpose. To maintain the vitality of our Earth, we must work to protect our environment. Over the years, I have visited quite a few rehabilitated sites and there are some fantastic ones for you to visit on Earth Day or any day. In celebration of Earth Day, I am sharing six incredible rehabilitated Chicago suburban forest preserves for you to appreciate:

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Wednesday Weekend Windup {Earth Day, Science, Easter, Art and More}

Earth Day, Easter and more Family Fun in the Chicago Suburbs

Spring is here which means so many of our favorite spring events are happening! Here are my picks for this weekend in the Chicago suburbs:

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Wednesday Weekend Windup {Earth Day, Food Trucks, Art & More}

Earth Day is here and there are plenty of events in the Chicago suburbs to help us celebrate! Here are my picks for the weekend including an art adventure and food truck event in addition to Earth Day fun!

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Wednesday Weekend Windup {Earth Day Fun}

Earth Day is Friday---which means there are plenty of fun activities this weekend! Here are my picks:

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Wednesday Weekend Windup: {Earth Day Fun & More}

With Earth Day and Arbor Day around the corner as well as what seems to be shaping up into a lovely weekend, it is really time to get outside! Here are my picks for family fun this weekend:

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DIY Travel Memory Frame {Mod Podge with a Purpose}

I have never hidden that I am a fan of mod podge. I loved the technique as a child and it is one that my daughter can easily use. {So, it keeps her busy--no complaints here!} Whenever we travel, we inevitably end up with gobs of brochures, pamphlets, etc. I hate giving up these items because they spark memories of the wonderful trip we took. However, keeping mounds and mounds of paper just is not feasible. So, I have been trying to incorporate these items into crafts. Reuse and repurpose! In the past, I used mod podge to make a Travel Memory Box--cute and functional! This week my daughter and I worked on another mod podge travel project---a Travel Memory Frame. This is a fun little project and leaves you with a nice memento of your travels.

What you need:

Cardboard {your desired size}
School glue
Scissors
Brochures, tickets and other paper travel memorabilia
Water
Foam brush
Matte spray

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Simple changes for Earth Day {we can all make a difference}

Earth Day is quickly approaching! With all of the fun Earth Day activities this weekend, we all have the environment and our impact on our minds. Everyone can make a change to decrease their impact. These changes do not have to be grand, even small ones help! Here are some ideas (and the kiddos can get involved, too!):

• Turn off lights if you are not using them! (Simple, simple--yet we always forget!)
• Appoint someone to make sure the lights are off before leaving the house. I don't know how many times we have left the house with a stray light on! If someone is in charge, they are more likely to remember.
• Think out path for errands before you go out. You can cut out extra trips by planning ahead.
• Keep grocery and necessity lists to shop more efficiently, thereby eliminating unnecessary trips.
• Use reusable bags for shopping. Keep some in your car. They should be washable so that you can wash them to prevent a bacteria haven.

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Website Wednesday: TLC ideas for pets for Earth Day

This is a really quick post. During some brainstorming for some other projects, I thought how can pet lovers and pets celebrate Earth Day? Well, it turns out that TLC has a great list. The list not only gives ideas for those with dogs but also for the parents of cats and other pets. There are ways that all of us can make changes in honor of Earth Day. Head over to TLC and read about their Earth Day ideas for pets!

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Tea-dyed Sock Heart {Cute}

I love when I can make a project with materials that are just sitting around the house. It is definitely light on the wallet. If you are lucky, you can reuse or repurpose something that you were going to get rid of. A couple of weeks ago, my daughter brought home a snowman that she made using a sock. That got me to thinking--my husband mentioned that he was about to replace some of his socks. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I used the socks and a little magic to make a Tea-dyed Sock Heart.

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Website Wednesday: PlanetPals.com

This week, I stumbled on PlanetPals.com. Where was this site when my daughter was working on her recycling project a couple of weeks ago?

The website has a whole lot of useful information about the environment and how to take care of ourselves and the Earth. The site also has some games to play in the "playground" section. I am most excited about the craft section where there are tons of Earth-friendly crafts. There is even a special section dedicated just to holiday Earth-friendly crafts.

I did find that some of the crafts may use some items that may be would not be used in a recycled project per se--like a pipe cleaner. But, there really are a bunch of good ideas and neat ways to reuse everyday items.  They actually have a couple of projects using dryer lint--not sure if I should be impressed or scared!

Go ahead and visit Planetpals.com if you need some craft ideas. You are bound to be inspired!

Image via stock.xchng

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Earth Day Dreamcatcher!

Recycle. Reuse. Renew. Repurpose. Reduce. These are very important words. I am very proud that my daughter has totally embraced them! Of course, like any 7-year-old, she can take them to the extreme by saving every minuscule little bit to use for some project or another. But, she has the right idea!

This week, she has been working on a project for school using recyclable materials. While working on this project, I got to thinking---we should actually be making something out of materials that are a little less easy to recycle or reuse.

Just the other day, we were punching out some plastic pieces for a new game. When we were finished, we were left with a yellow plastic frame. I looked at it and immediately thought dreamcatcher!

Newly inspired, I looked around the house for some random little things that would most likely end up in a landfill to add to our dreamcatcher. I also scoured my daughter's stash of items to be reused. There are so many items that would work with this project!

I save ribbons of all shapes and sizes from gifts. Some of these you can use on other gifts, but others you cannot. My daughter and I used the longer ribbons to tie across our frame. If you notice in the photo, one of the ribbons says "Care Credit." Now, when else are you going to use that?

We accumulated plastic covered paperclips, beads, pipe cleaners, candy wrappers, and fancy decorations from long ago gifts. Everything we found somewhere around the house. We used some of the items to attach others to the dreamcatcher. Altogether, these castoff items made a colorful catcher.

The project was fun and easy to do!  The scavenger hunt for materials was as fun as the assembly! On top of it, we have a festive decoration by our front door!

Close up!

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Earth Day Events at Michael's, Pottery Barn Kids, and Lakeshore Learning

There are some neat Earth Day inspired events at Michael's, Pottery Barn Kids, and Lakeshore Learning stores across the country this weekend.

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