”Green” Screens: Online Sites Teach Eco-Values

It’s been said time and time again, but there’s no denying it — kids are the future. After all, children of today will be affecting the economy and politics of tomorrow — voting with both their ballots and wallets Now, Web sites, designed specifically for kids, provide parents with new tools to teach their kids green values. Crafts, Web games and environmental facts are all communicated through a cast of various green characters, complete with theme songs, colorful graphics, and yes – merchandise. Here’s a look at some our our favorites on the growing online greenscape: Planetpal, Scrap Kins and Treesures.

Green is the Way to Grow!

As kids become passionate about the environment, that enthusiasm spills over to parents, who in turn may become more eco-conscious. The following companies give parents the opportunity to spend quality time with their kids while inspiring them to grow up a little bit greener … and a lot more aware and responsible for their own impact on our environment. It’s fun to get more involved as a family, with our kids leading the way to a brighter, and greener, future!

Planetpals — Working for a Better World

Planetpals is no newcomer to the ever-growing green landscape – it’s been in the eco-education game since 1991, when artist Judith Gorgone created her Planetpals characters. Launched in 1998, www.planetpals.com was the first environmental site for educators and kids. Since then, it has earned numerous awards and is recognized as a leading eco-education Web site. In fact, Planetpals.com is rated among the top .3% of all websites worldwide, and is endorsed by top educational and news sources.
Planetpals are “the best characters on Earth, at work for an even better world,” and are targeted to pre-school through pre-teen aged children. The illustrated characters have fun planet-related names like Sunnyray, Earthman, and Greenbean and have brand recognition in the pre-school and elementary market.

Planetpals makes it easy and entertaining for kids to learn about environmental concepts. For example, kids can learn about the food chain through a colorful graphic depicting the sun giving light to plants,

which are eaten by omnivores (a ladybug), which are eaten by carnivores (a spider) and on up to the decomposers (a snake) which puts everything back into the soil. Or, kids can learn about how much waste we create by playing the interactive “Litterbug” game. The monthly Planetpals e-zine features a different craft for parents and kids to enjoy in every issue.

Creator Judith Gorgone has been licensing her designs for over 20 years. In addition to worldwide licensing, Planetpals merchandise, such as high-quality board games and wooden puzzles, are available at retailers nationwide. Planetpals music can be heard on the Web site too, and CDs are available at retail outlets. Fans can also pick up tote bags and t-shirts on the Planetpals website. For more information about retail products and licensing opportunities, visit www.planetpals.com.

Scrap Kins™ – Using Imagination for Sustainable Fun!

The Scrap Kins are a group of creatures that live in a recycling center, and use stuff that people throw away to build new things. The mission of Scrap Kins is to inspire kids to use their imaginations while teaching them about recycling. Creator Brian Yanish knows all about the power of a child’s imagination – the Scrap Kins are actually his own childhood drawings. Each of the six hand-drawn Scrap Kins has a different personality, targeted at kids 3-7 years old. Scrapkins.com features a cartoon, kid-friendly green tips, downloadable coloring pages, and instructions on how to draw the Scrap Kins.

Highlights of www.scrapkins.com are the craft projects which empower kids to do-it-themselves and turn things that would otherwise be thrown away into fun works of art. Directions (complete with hand-drawn illustrations) to make a Floatable Milk Carton Pirate Ship, can be accessed on the site. These projects are impressive and teach a child to turn “trash” (milk carton, egg carton, toilet paper tube) into toys! For the more ambitious trash-to-craftster, there are instructions to upcycle an old pair of jeans into a mini jean tote bag. Kids can then send in photos of their crafts, which are posted on the Web site.

Scrap Kins has a line of recycled paper for kids being marketed as a way to go “green” for back to school, sold at various stores nationwide. For a unique gift, visitors can buy handmade Scrap Kins Eco-Cards on Etsy.com. There are even Scrap Kins shoes and t-shirts, sold through Zazzle.com.

Scrap Kins has been available for licensing for six years, and licensees include Mighty Fine tees and fleecewear, Aljan Corp stationery, Lafayette Puzzle Company, and Somé Publishing sticker calendars. For more information, visit www.scrapkins.com.

Treetures – Hearts of Green!

The Treetures are a community of tiny tree friends that teach kids about the care and planting of trees. There are 28 illustrated Treetures, each with a different name and a different job. By learning the jobs of the Treetures, kids learn about the function, benefits, and importance of trees. There are even Treetures costumed characters who are U.S. Forest Service volunteers!

At Treatures.com, preschool through elementary kids are encouraged to earn their “green heart.” The Treetures earn their green hearts by learning about all the parts of a tree and how important trees are to the Earth — at which point a green heart appears on the Treetures’ clothing and it glows when they do a green-hearted deed or have a heart-greening thought. Kids visiting the site are reassured that although no green heart will appear on their clothes, once they visit all the Treeture’s pages and learn about trees, they will know that their heart is “”green””on the inside.
The site also includes information for parents and teachers along with free recipes from the Soup to Nuts Kitchen. Coloring books and activity guides are also available for purchase. For more information, go to www.treetures.com.

The Giggle Guide™ Green Scene shares information about products, services and practices that help raise awareness of environmental issues. Add your comments here, or let us know what “green” you find that’s golden. Editorial Director David Gaunt, .