Tips to Inspire Kids To Care For Living Landscapes, Get OutsideWhen it comes to our yards, school grounds, parks, and other living landscapes, you don't have to be big to make a big difference.
School is back in session soon for students around the country, and Lucky the TurfMutt is offering tips to inspire elementary school students and their families to take care of the green spaces around them -- and get outside and enjoy them!
-- Fall is a great time to explore nature all around you. After spending a long day inside at school, encourage your child to take time afterward to enjoy your yard and nearby parks.
Tip #2. Notice the different kinds of plants in your yard.
-- Take your children around the outside of your home. Encourage them to take notes and sketch what you see. What makes your yard unique? Draw the living (plants, trees, grass) and the non-living (patios, grills) parts of your landscape. What might impact living plants? Does your yard need plants that do well in the wind, full sun, shade, or occasional flooding?
Tip #3: Notice the areas needing improvements.
-- Do plants need mulch around them to help them save water? Do you have plants that attract pollinators like hummingbirds, bees and butterflies? Do you have a healthy mix of grass, shrubs, trees, and flowering plants? Are some parts of your yard a little worn out?
Tip #4: Make a plan to take care of your yard.
-- Have a family talk about how you can care for your lawn and landscape, and the improvements you want to make. Create a plan to take care of the yard and make the improvements together.
Tip #5: Put the right plant in the right place.
-- Check the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out what plants are best for where you live. Use a mix of native and adaptive plants and place them where they will thrive.
Tip #6: Visit TurfMutt.com to play games and read digital storybooks for free to learn more.
-- Join Lucky the TurfMutt and his friends, the Outdoor Powers on their adventures to save the planet one yard at a time. The website offers home-based activities, digital storybooks, lesson plans for families and teachers and more.
For more tips, go to SaveLivingLandscapes.com
About TurfMutt
TurfMutt was created by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's (OPEI) Research and Education Foundation and has reached more than 68 million children, educators and families since 2009. Through classroom materials developed with Scholastic, TurfMutt teaches students and teachers how to
save the planet, one yard at a time.TurfMutt is an official USGBC® Education Partner and education resource at the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2017, the TurfMutt animated video series won the coveted Cynopsis Kids Imagination Award for Best Interstitial Series. TurfMutt's personal, home habitat is featured in the 2017 and 2018 Wildlife Habitat Council calendars. More information at TurfMutt.com.
Make cooking dinner easy by using a slow cooker to help you with your meals. Not only do they make for easy cleanup, but it only takes minutes to prep a meal for the entire family.
Our friends over at Your Best Digs recently created 10 5-ingredient slow cooker recipes to make the transition from summer to fall so much easier. Simply throw the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, and you have a prepared meal by the time the kids come home from school.
One of my favorites (and the kids too!) is the homemade creamy mac and cheese!
And, if you’re looking for a healthy option, try out the herb-roasted vegetables! The great part of this recipe is you can swap out the vegetables throughout the week and make this multiple times.
Download and print the rest of the free recipes at the bottom of this best slow cooker post!
Which recipe is your favorite?
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| Road Trip Bingo |
They are a chance to create memories to last a lifetime, to explore the historic landmarks of our beautiful country, and for many, the opportunity to experience the freedom of wide open spaces that you can't find anywhere else.
For parents, these on the road adventures might bring back a sense of nostalgia for childhood — everyone camped out in the back seat, snacks in hand and miles of exploration ahead.
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| Word Search Road Trip Style |
Others picture more of a Griswold family vacation disaster and dread the inevitable question from the backseat,
Are we there yet?
While it's true family road trips often get a bad reputation, they don't have to.
Just like any vacation — with or without family — proper preparation is the key to alleviating stressors and repetitive questions that come along with the journey.
Planning games and activities prior to hitting the road are a great way to solve this so you can focus on enjoying quality time together and getting excited for the destination that lies ahead.
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| Are We There Yet? |
Modern parents often struggle with their children's dependence on screens, so to help provide some alternatives ideas for road trip activities — and give your kid's eyes a rest from the blue light.
CarRentals put together this list of free road trip printables.
Use them for your next family trip or even the morning commute to school!
The digital rewards site Swagbucks is offering big payouts during on their September Swago Board, which runs from September 10th through September 17th at 9am PT!
Swago is just like bingo, but in this case, you're filling out squares as you earn points on their site for doing things you already do online.
If you're thinking of trying Swagbucks, this is a great chance to learn all about how the site works and earn bonus points while doing it, meaning you can get more gift cards faster.
Here are a few tips:
- Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. They can be anything from getting a search win, completing a survey, or just visiting one of our popular stores!
- Once you complete the action item in a particular square the square will change color signifying the action item is complete.
- You have until 12pm PT/3pm ET on Monday, September 17th to mark off as many squares as possible so use your time wisely.
- Be mindful of the patterns and their corresponding bonuses located on the right of your Swago Board. The patterns will vary in difficulty and bonus value. Once you’ve achieved a pattern, the corresponding
Submit
button will light up. You can have multiple patterns available for submission, however, you can only submit ONE pattern so choose wisely.
- Each activity you successfully complete on your Swago Board will give you anywhere from 1-20 spins on the Spin and Win Wheel. PLUS, when you submit your board for a bonus you'll get additional spins. The number of spins will depend on the pattern you complete. The wheel has all sorts of great prizes that you can win, and each spin is a winner!
The Spin and Win Wheel will be available all throughout Swago and you have until 11:59pm PT on Monday, September 17th to use all your spins.
Fill up your board and then submit your pattern to get even more points - if you can fill in the whole board, you get a 500 SB bonus, which is enough for a $5 gift card from the retailer of your choice.
Click here right now and click
Jointo get started!
If you don't already have a Swagbucks account, you'll be able to quickly sign up; PLUS, if you earn 300 SB before the first of October, you'll get a bonus 300 SB!
All throughout September, you can earn large bonuses when signing up as my referral on Swagbucks.
Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for things you're probably doing online already, like searching the web, watching videos, shopping, discovering deals, and taking surveys.
Then you take those points and exchange them for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, or PayPal cash.
When you sign up through me this month, you can earn a 500 SB bonus!
Here's how:
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| Food Cycler Platinum Recycler and Kitchen Compost Container |
1. Sign up using this link
2. Earn 500 SB total before October 1st, 2018. You'll get a 500 SB bonus for it!
3. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks is for real.
I use it myself, and I've earned 369,114 SB so far. That's $3,691.14!!
Every month I earn enough for at least a couple of $25 Amazon cards. This month I used it to buy a Food Composter for my kitchen!
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| Photo credit: How to Make Seed Bombs, by upcyclemagazine.com |
Have you wanted to put a flower garden in one of those lots but have been afraid of being arrested?
Would you like to do some random acts of beauty as you pass by an unkempt lawn?
The seed bombs can be tossed into any bare patch of dirt.
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| Seed Bomb Matrix |
Just toss the seed bomb onto any patch of dirt, and when it rains, the seeds will spout - creating a spot of beauty!
Make your own seed bombs and give them to your friends and family. It only takes a couple of minutes to make.
NOTE: The clay is used to protect the seeds from insects, birds, etc. who might eat them. If clay isn't available in your area, you can use Crayola Air Dry Clay and is found in Amazon or Walmart.
How To: Make Seed Bombs
Ingredients:
• 5 parts dry red clay (available from large department stores or garden centers)
• 3 parts compost
• 1 part Seeds (use seed mixtures of native flowers/plants)
Mix the clay and compost, adding just enough water to make it hold together (Similar to play dough). Place a few seeds in the middle and roll into a small firm ball. Dry for a couple of hours.
From: upcyclemagazine.com
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| Crayola Air Dry Clay |
The seed bombs shouldn't break open. In fact, they should stay relatively intact even after they have been wet by rain a few times. This way the seeds stay protected and moist. When the seeds germinate, they will break through the clay.
The seeds don't need water right away. They will stay dormant until rain comes. If the seeds are the right for the area, then they will do fine. Of course, not every single seed will sprout.
From our Facebook fan page:
Cindy Weining Waller posted: JUST make sure you are not introducing a plant which will destroy the natural ecosystem. Remember seeds travel. Bufflegrass is an invading seed fueling most Arizona fires and chokes out the native grasses.
Kristin Davis posted: Has anyone here used these? I'd love pics. I'm trying to grasp how many flowers and over what span of area each ball would give you (theoretically, I know it would depend on how many seeds you put in), but maybe just a general idea. I think they would make great Christmas gifts or Mother's Day gifts.
Stacy Jay posted: Obviously you would need to use seeds not needing a lot of care for your area once they start growing. Should plant veggie seed bombs for areas of poverty. But once again, would need care and water.
Shopping Suggestions:• Hirt's Wildflower Seeds - 1,000+
• Crayola Air Dry Clay
• Potting Media Clay Grow Media
• Seeds By Seed Needs Wildflower Seeds - 3,000+
• Ready-made Seed Bombs
NOTE - If any of the above links are not working or the freebies or coupons no longer available, please post a blog comment below and I'll edit it!
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| Photo credit: Preparing - One Day at a Time |
It will still be fresh and crisp when you pull it out!
This also works for stored broccoli for up to seven weeks wrapped in foil wrap, and even heads of lettuce for up to six weeks!
No need to cut it up, you can store it still all attached, just like it came home from the store.
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| Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil |
Just rinse and shake dry. Then wrap tightly in the foil wrap.
From our Facebook fan page:
Jodie O'Brien Ooooo posted: I knew the celery but not the broccoli and lettuce - great tip!
Michelle Tomkins-Floyd posted: Thanks for that one
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| Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Keeper |
Stephanie Miko posted: I buy a thing of celery for Thanksgiving stuffing . . . I leave half of it in the bag it came in, and shove it to the back of the drawer and use it for Christmas. I don't do anything fancy, and it's fine.
Carol Sanders-Sheehan posted: Just tried this with some celery... I never knew!
Caring Karen Canse See posted: Thanks. Great to know. I hate when it spoils within days.
Heather Minnich posted: Damn, thanks for this tip! I have some broccoli I have to ditch cuz I didn't know this.
Amanda Moore posted: Good to know!
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| Banana Storage Bag |
Paulette Reeves Schreifels posted: I use so little celery, I can buy it at the salad bar pretty cheap.. and no preserving the remains!
Justine Hipson posted: You have no idea how much this makes me happy. Those items are ALWAYS going bad in my house!!!
Phyllis Pegg Tyler posted: What a great idea!
Laurie Mohler posted: I wrap my onions in foil too
Jack O. Gilliland Jr. posted: Try it with corn on the cob. Wrap onions like this and put some garlic with the onion.
NOTE - If any of the above links are not working or the freebies or coupons no longer available, please post a blog comment below and I'll edit it!
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