Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in west la, CA

Great Earth Day Books for Your Preschooler

by Susan Choi

April 21, 2009

In continuation of our Earth Day theme, here are some wonderful books to share with your children. It is never too early to teach children information about saving the earth. Plus these books are as fun as they are educational.

Recycling:
Charlie and Lola: We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers

Lola participates in a recycling competition and if she can recycle one hundred plastic, metal, and paper items, she can get her very own real tree to plant. Lola decides to ask her classmates to help and they turn out to be "extremely very good recyclers!" The book is printed on FSC-approved paper and includes recycling tips.

Conserving Resources:

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

The trees of the forest notice that something is not quite right. At first, they all blame each other for their missing limbs and friends, but each has an alibi. So they begin to look into the mystery and discover a clue that leads them to the culprit. Turns out the bear just wanted to win a paper-airplane contest so bad he had run out of paper perfecting his model and cut down the trees to make more. It is a great way to teach children that paper (and other resources) don't just magically appear.

Environmental Awareness:

Planet Earth Gets Well by Madeline Kaplan

It is a great book for older preschoolers to help them think proactively about their environment. This book helps them to think more globally to help make Planet Earth a healthier place. When Planet Earth starts getting sick, Mother Nature challenges us to not be so wasteful and to think about the consequences of our actions. Think globally and act locally!

A Classic Tale:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

I remember watching the film of this story as an elementary kid on rainy days. I still recall the emotional impact of this story on me when I was seven or eight years old. Whenever I read this story to my daughters, they get so quiet. It is a poignant, beautiful story about how nature keeps giving to us and I enjoy passing it down to the next generation.

Weekend Warriors

by Nina Moon

June 27, 2008

Help your children learn about going green at Venice Eco-Fest this Saturday from 10am-7pm at Windward Avenue and Ocean Front Walk. They will have a special Kid's Explor-o-rama featuring animals, stories and music. It's also a great opportunity to safely dump everything from old computers to defunct cell phones. For those who can't manage to wait for Fourth of July of fireworks, Santa Monica  Read more...