Kids are naturals at being creative. Our son is always coming up with some new way to use a simple box or leftover piece of PVC. He’s like a natural born recycler at all he can think of do it with things I would otherwise toss. As a mom supporting our family with natural health throughout our home this makes me proud of him that he already has this mindset of using what we have available.
In our backyard I have over the years planted several types of herbs and plants that vary in color and scent. As much as possible I’ve always taken our son in the garden beds with me to learn what the plants are, let him touch, smell and even taste. Now that he is almost 8 it is wonderful to see him go out and check to see if blueberries are starting to come in or show his friends the rosemary plant and let them touch and smell it. This too is the start of what I hope will be a lifetime of natural presence he will take with him into adulthood.
As I look to expand what my family uses for personal care and cleaners to more things we make instead of purchase I have also involved our son. This has been a wonderful opportunity to not only combine his love of recycling and plants but teach him the value of doing things versus buying them.
Soap Molds
Soap is super simple to make and kids love it. From DIY formulas where you cook it to simple melt and pour you can find natural soap base ingredients including natural color and scents. It is economical and gives the entire family a wonderful way to personalize to their taste.
We have taken varies tubes of PVC scraps and used those as molds to make round shaped soaps. Yes you can buy round tubes and molds but what fun is that when you can recycle something that is most likely laying in the garage or shed? Simply tape one end of the tube.
On one of tubes it is cut at an angle at the end. This was not done intentionally but as it turns out we can use it to create rainbow colored soaps!
When we make soap we take turns choosing what doTERRA essential oil to put in it. This is a great experiment with every batch of soap and has created some fun and interesting bath soap bars.
Dish Duty
We are teaching our son the necessity of chores. He has always helped with laundry and feeding the dogs but as he gets older we add additional responsibilities. One of his responsibilities is adding the detergent and starting the dishwasher when it needs it.
I’ve written in this blog several times about the effects of using regular dish detergent. There are warning labels on every container of it and it’s horrifying to think that we are turning about and using those dishes to feed our family after they’ve been washed with toxic chemicals.
We make our own detergent and I form it into molds that make the tablets so our son can use them easily. You can also leave it as a powder and measure what you need each time. Making the molds is simple and you can make enough to last.
Here too you can add doTERRA essential oil scents to your taste. We particularly like the citrus oils but you could experiment with other scents.
Laundry Loads
Before we switched to all natural products I loved the Downey Unstoppable pellets and Downey Liquid Fabric Softener. It make clothes smell so good! However the ingredients in these products is just not worth the health risk so I sought alternatives.
On that path I found Mrs. Meyers Rosemary Fabric Softener and Basil Scented add-in. It was a beautiful combination of scent to our clothes but these products too contain unnecessary levels of unfriendly ingredients since the company’s purchase by P&G.
Luckily making your own is super inexpensive and you can personalize scents with doTERRA essential oils. I can still enjoy the Rosemary and Basil combination but with ingredients that are good for us. Plus I’m not purchasing plastic containers each month that then need to be tossed in the trash.
Interested in more?
Nothing is more fun than seeing your child develop a love of something you instilled in them. It’s those brief moments when you realize you might be doing a good job as a parent. Instilling a love of nature and finding ways to actively involve and work on ways to reduce our plastic and waste use is a rewarding family activity.
If you have questions or would like the recipes we use simply email me at amyk@dragonspitapothecary.com
To start your family’s natural health journey and enjoy at least 25% off all your purchases simply click here!
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