Isn’t it amazing what we do for our kids? My daughter and I are very close. We have days when we’ll do arts & crafts together, paint pictures or just watch television. She’s at that age now where shopping at the mall for “fashion” is fun. Actually, spending daddy’s money is what seems to be her favorite activity lately. The days when we just sit around watching the tube can be very tiring. Last weekend, for example, she wanted to watch The Little Mermaid III….over and over and over…..five times in one afternoon.

Yes…it’s amazing what we do for our kids. A really good thing, though, is to pass along practices of green living. Sure, you can tell them to turn off the water when they brush their teeth and don’t just stand there with the refrigerator door open, but if you can make lessons in green living fun, then you’re ahead of the game.

Here’s a great idea that kids really love. Make a solar oven out of a pizza box. This is such a simple project, and there are plans all over the internet for building one. This is the site I used Solar Now, Inc. While you help your child build this, talk about how “cool” it is that you can cook something with the sun. Ask what else they think the sun can do. Above all, don’t forget to bring along some graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, because the solar oven is perfect for s’mores!