FUNKINS: We all have a part to play on Earth Day & EVERY Day #LetsBeLitterFree

We all have our part to play in taking care of our planet.  When it comes to Mother Earth, my six year old knows the importance of treading lightly — on Earth Day and EVERY day. April is Earth Month, and it’s a good time to remind families how they can cut down on paper waste and be more environmentally friendly.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my six year old kid is that she is a “follow the rules” kid and she is very concerned about doing the right thing for others and for the planet.  When we go for walks and she sees litter on the side of the highway, she makes us do a clean up as we walk.  She’ll make comments like, “Oh! Mommy! That person littered! That’s hurting Mother Earth!”

This is the same kid who has to stop and hug a few trees on our way to the bus stop.  It’s not unusual to see her hug a tree and whisper, “I love you, Mother Earth!”

Yes, it’s quite endearing!

Having Little One as my daughter reminds me that Earth Day is every day.

One of the things Little One and I do to be as “green” as possible is make litterless lunches.  I have some favourite products I use daily for waste-free lunches.  One that we have used even before Little One started Kindergarten is Funkins reusable cloth napkins.

Little One uses them as napkins to wipe her sticky hands or as a placemat during lunchtime.  I even carry my own in my purse because I never know when I’m going to need to wipe my hands. I often snack on an orange while waiting for Little One’s school bus to arrive after school.  I always have Funkins with me and they come in handy all the time! Perfect for wiping hands after peeling oranges! I love that you can take them on-the-go with you!  I always have Funkins in my purse and they we really needed them on our trip to Disney World the other month!

All we do is wash them when we’re done and then we get to reuse them.

Little One loves choosing which of her Funkins to pack in her lunch box every day.  With so many colours, designs, and patterns, it’s fun to pick which Funkins napkin you want to use for your litterless lunch.  The fact that Funkins are double-sided gives kids the ability to have two different napkins in one!

Little One wanted to show you just how easy it is to make a litterless lunch.  If my six year old can do it, anyone can!

Tips for making a litterless lunch:

• Use a reusable bento box. We have a stainless steel one and a BPA-free plastic one. I find that making Little One’s lunches in her bento box helps me make sure she’s getting a well-balanced meal with food from all food groups.
• Get your child to help make lunch by choosing food from all the colours of the rainbow! There are lots of colourful fruits and veggies.  Try purple carrots for a bit of flavourful, healthy fun! Fruits and veggies that are red, green, purple, orange, and yellow make lunches look so vibrant and appealing! Not only are they visually appealing, but healthy for you!
• When you discard any food scraps, re-purpose them!  We compost our fruit and veggie scraps or feed them to our chickens and rabbits.  If we have crusts from bread, I make homemade croutons or bread crumbs with them. Nothing gets wasted. Ever.
• Send kids to school with a Thermos filled with water.
• Use Funkins re-usable cloth napkins instead of paper towel/paper napkins!

Do your kids take litterless lunches to school? Who makes the lunches in your house?

Visit the Funkins website and connect with them on Twitter and Facebook!

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Disclosure – This is a sponsored post. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest and my own.