In The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Parenting(Green Books, 2016) author Kate Blincoe explains that it’s not about being perfect — it’s about giving it a try, feeling the benefits for your family, and having fun while you do it. This guide provides essential advice on food and eating, eco-buying, learning and playing, family-friendly foraging, growing plants and food with your family, green days out, activities and parties, green parenting in the city, and balancing your green ideals in a busy life. Kate’s pragmatic approach will inspire you to balance green living with the realities of raising children. In this excerpt you will learn to create a delightful toy to pique your infant’s interest.
Sensory Bottles for Babies
Clear-plastic water bottles filled with different household objects will intrigue and delight your little one. Aim for a mix of sounds and colors for maximum impact.
You will need:
• 4 or so clear-plastic bottles – the small 250-ml or 330-ml ones are ideal for little hands.
• A few of these items: buttons, pebbles, dried beans, dry rice, beads, tin foil, water, food coloring, washing-up liquid, baby oil, golden syrup, pipe cleaners, cut-up drinking straws,
Instructions:
1. Simply fill each bottle with a variety of objects, such as tin-foil balls, water and blue food coloring; or pipe cleaners and dried beans; or golden syrup, baby oil, water and red food coloring.
2. For best results, leave at least a third of the bottle empty so it can all swish around.
3. Seal the bottle carefully, using gaffer tape over the lid.
More from The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Parenting:
• Tips for Choosing Environmentally Friendly Toys
• Gooey Silly Putty for Preschoolers
• Making an Eco-Friendly Jump Rope
Reprinted with permission from The No-Nonsense Guide to Green Parenting by Kate Blincoe and published by Green Books, 2016.