Bee-Eazy Reusable Bag Buzz

Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden



  Did you know that saving a bee is as simple as planting a seed? It’s true. By planting your very own bee-friendly garden, you can keep our little friends buzzing and pollinating. Don’t worry if you don’t have a green thumb—we’ll give you simple instructions that show you how.

Download the simple instructions here 

This link courteousy of our friends at Haagen- Dazs and their helpthehoneybees.com website

 

Make your Own Smoothie Snowman

  

Materials:  scraps of craft foam or felt, permament black, red markers, glue or gluestick, smoothie containers

Cut a black circle of craft foam approx 3'' across and cut a hole in the center just a tiny bit smaller than the top of the smoothie container.  The craft foam will stretch when you slide over the brim of the container.  This piece is put on the container to look like the brim of a hat.  Use a black permanent marker to color the top of the container to finish the hat look.  Draw eyes and a mouth with marker.  I used a red permanent marker to draw some buttons.  Use up scraps of craft foam or felt to make the carrot nose and scarf that can be glued directly to the bottle.  

Check out the Mom Tried It Site for more fun winter ideas

BPA exposure may lead to pregnancy difficulties

Discovery 12.2.10

A study published this month in Environmental Health Perspectives focuses on the affect endocrine-disrupting chemical(and popular water bottle/receipt additive) Bisphenol-A has on the reproductive abilities of mammals over the course of their lifetime. While the study focused on mice, researchers believe the results may lead to further concern for humans in contact with the ubiquitous substance.

The study involved allowing a selection of female mice to become pregnant. At that point, the pregnant mice were separated and given BPA-containing solutions. The concentration of BPA in these solutions ranged from miniscule amounts to a mouse-sized version of the human dose. A control group was given none.

These different groups of mice were then allowed to continue breeding throughout their lifespan to see how the amount of BPA would affect their ability to breed.

Within four months, litters of those given the BPA solution had shrank by 25%, and the frequency of pregnancies was also notably lower.

Read more about it at Discovery.

Create your Own Bee House

Due to disease and other factors, bee populations are declining, and fewer pollinating insects means trouble for crops and wild plants alike. You can help counteract this trend by building a simple home for orchard mason bees, a wildly productive pollinator found in most areas of the United States. The house offers holes sized perfectly for mason bee nurseries.

Mason bees are gentle, they don't swarm, and they rarely sting, making them a considerate guest in your garden. They lay eggs in the spring, so be sure to get your house out early.

Materials

• Ruler and pencil
• Handsaw or power saw
• 8-foot-long 1 by 10 board of pine, spruce, or fir (not pressure-treated)
• Tape
• Hammer

• 24 to 36 (1-1/2-inch) wire or finishing nails
• Power drill with a 5/16-inch (8 mm) brad-point bit at least 8 inches long
• Sandpaper
• Picture-hanging kit rated to hold 8 pounds or more

X

Instructions

1. Measure, mark, and saw off section 1 from the board, as shown in the diagram. Use it as a template to mark and saw the five matching pieces.

2. Stack the six pieces and temporarily wrap them with tape. Place the taped stack vertically on the remaining board and mark the base. Saw along the line. The remaining board is the roof.

3. Use the hammer and nails to attach the base and roof to each of the six pieces. Make sure the back of the roof is flush with the house's back. Remove the tape.

4. Mark holes every 1-1/2 inches on the front of the vertical pieces, then drill a hole 3 to 8 inches deep at each mark, avoiding nails. (The bees lay female eggs in the backs of the holes, male eggs closer to the front.) It's easier to drill the shallower holes on the outer boards. Smooth the openings with the sandpaper. Knock the sawdust from the holes.

5. Using the picture-hanging kit, mount the house facing south or southeast on a wall, fence, pole, or other support. Look for telltale mud walls inside the holes over time. Next spring, full-grown bees should emerge.

   
   Fun Bee Facts

   There are more than 25,000 species of bees. They live on every continent except Antarctica.

   
   To make one pound of honey, a honeybee would have to travel more than 55,000 miles and visit about 2 million flowers.

   
   The smallest bee species is Trigona minima, a stingless bee only 1/12-inch long.

Thanks to our friends at Family Fun Magazine for the great idea

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-age/preschool-crafts/bee-house-876193/

 

 

Go Green Coloring Pages

These coloring pages are adorable and a fun way to get littles ones in the spirit to go green.  Many thanks to our friends at Onethingct

for creating such a fun booklet. 

Download Coloring Book

Start your own Eco Friendly Business - The Happy Gardener Direct Sales

I'm always looking for fresh new ideas and recently came across a new direct sales business focused on eco-friendly products.  The Happy Gardener allows consultants to build their business around their passions in the garden, allowing them to start their own gardening business while providing extra income for their family with unlimited earning potential.  What a green idea!

The Happy Gardener Website

Recycle a Carton into a Wallet

Carton Wallet

Family Fun Magazine

Recycle a milk or orange juice carton into a clever carrying case for change, trading cards, and more. The carton's cap keeps the wallet closed. Watch a video demonstration of this craft.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Half gallon milk or juice carton with plastic cap, rinsed
	Scissors
	Paper towels
	Tape
	Wallet Template
	Ballpoint pen
	Ruler
	Craft knife (optional)
	Butter knife
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Cut open the carton so it lies flat, as shown; put aside the cap for now. Dry the inside with the paper towels. Tape the template on top of the carton so that the top circle lines up with the spout. Mark the outline of the template with a ballpoint pen. Using firm pressure, trace the lower circle and the dotted lines of the template so that they transfer to the carton. (This will score the lines for easier folding.) A ruler will help you mark the straight lines. Cut out the shape from the carton.

2. Use scissors to cut out the lower circle as marked. (Tip: To make cutting out the circle easier, first make an X with a craft knife.) Use a ruler and a butter knife to further score the fold lines.

3. Following the fold lines you marked, create an accordion fold on each side of the wallet.

4. Tightly squeeze the accordion folds. Fold the top flap down, pushing the spout through the hole. Screw on the cap to keep the flap in place.

Turn our shipping containers into free playthings for your kids

 

We can't think of a better way to get more mileage out of our shipping mailers than with fun bags, watches and capes for your litle ones.

 

Link: CookieMag.com  

Tote Bag

Materials: Tyvek envelope, scissors, hole punch, rubber bands, and markers.

1. Cut the envelope to create a pouch.
2. Punch holes through both outside top edges.
3. Thread a rubber band through each hole, creating slipknots.
4. Loop additional rubber bands through these anchoring bands to create a chain.
5. When you reach the center, tie both chains together with one cut rubber band. Decorate with markers (or stickers or stamps).

Cape

Materials: Tyvek envelope, scissors, ribbon, and markers.

1. Open one side of a 10-by-14-inch or larger envelope along its center seam, leaving the sticky tab intact.
2. Round off the bottom corners to create soft edges.
3. Cut a length of ribbon for the neck, and use the sticky tab to secure it to the cape. Decorate with markers.

Watch

Materials: Tyvek envelope (or scraps from one of the other Tyvek projects), markers, scissors, paper fasteners (brads), and hole punch or awl.

1. Draw watch hands (big and little), a watch face, and a watch band on the envelope. Cut out each separately.
2. Punch a hole in the center of the face and band and in the ends of both hands. Stack the holes on top of one another and stick a brad through to attach them.
3. Punch holes in both ends of the band and secure it to your kid's wrist with a brad. (For a bracelet, just follow the appropriate parts of steps 1 and 3.)