Should Public Schools be Allowed to Examine and Regulate Home-Packed Lunches?

This past January, a little girl from North Carolina’s West Hoke Elementary School arrived home with her packed lunch still intact. When her mother asked how come she didn’t eat, her 4-year-old said she did, she just ate the school lunch instead. When pressed further, this mama found out that her child had eaten three chicken nuggets and nothing else, because she didn’t like the hot lunch. Unhappy with the situation, the mother complained to state Rep. G.L. Pridgen, who plans to investigate the incident further. The above is true, but how this little girl ended up with just three nuggets for lunch is much hazier. According to Carolina Journal Online, an agent from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Child Development and Early Education was at West Hoke in January to assess the pre-kindergarten program. The agent supposedly examined the lunches of six students and determined that one lunch, containing a turkey and cheese sandwich, a banana, potato chips and apple juice, didn’t meet the proper nutritional criteria.

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Sarah Turner’s Recycled Bottle Family Glows for Nottingham Light Night

A glowing family, complete with glowing pup, hit the streets of Nottingham thanks to British lighting designer Sarah Turner. The parent, children and dog are all made from the artist’s signature materials - recycled plastic bottles! The Bottle Family debuted at Light Night Nottingham to the delight of children of all ages.

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Teach Baby Sign Language with Amazing Natural Blocks

From rattles to safe baby teethers to amazing toys that go, Little Sapling Toys continually charms us with both their imaginative designs and commitment to child safety. Now they’re offering up a new natural wooden block set that allows you to teach your baby sign language and have fun building at the same time! This natural ASL Alphabet Blocks set is perfect for parents interested in teaching signs to their babies. Each set includes 26 blocks …

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Kids Who Eat Sugary Sweets Exposed to Higher Levels of Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide doesn’t sound like something you’d find in a sugary treat, yet it’s in there. Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many consumer products. Although most people know about titanium dioxide in cosmetics and sunscreen, the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) points out that titanium dioxide actually accounts for about 70% of the total production volume of pigments worldwide. It’s used to brighten up and add opacity to paints, cosmetics, plastics, papers, inks, toothpastes and even food. It’s also used in almost every sunblock on the planet, even the ones on Environmental Working Groups’ safe sunscreen list. Titanium dioxide is useful in that it can help protect your skin from ultraviolet light, however in higher amounts it can be a hazard and new research shows that young children may be at the most risk for exposure.

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14 Favorite Green Toys from the 2012 American International Toy Fair

Earlier this week, Inhabitots attended the 2012 American International Toy Fair in New York City to find the latest and greatest green toys for kids. More than 1,200 exhibitors show over 100,000 products at the show and we were able to narrow down the field to just 14 favorite finds. Several of our favorite green toy companies are working with new eco-friendly materials including Plan Toys who is creating composite wood from sawdust to make everything from the train set you see above to old favorites like their classic alligator pull-along toy. Keep on reading to learn about all of the great eco-friendly games, building blocks, crafts and baby toys that we found. Then, check out more fun photos from Toy Fair 2012 on Flickr.

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Arsenic Found in Cereal Bars, Energy Bars and Baby Formula

We were hoping the whole arsenic in food ordeal was over. First arsenic was found in apple juice and grape juice than it popped up in rice-based foods. Sadly, it’s not over, with new reports showing that unhealthy levels of arsenic have been found in cereal bars, energy bars and even in infant formula. In the arsenic in rice post we noted that many parents feed their children rice-based cereals and other foods containing rice, which is part of the problem here. Many baby formulas and grain-based bars contain brown rice syrup used as a sweetener. The problem? If there’s arsenic in the rice, it’s in the rice syrup and thus arsenic is passed on to the food product it’s used in. The interesting thing about this new research, published ahead of print in Environmental Health Perspectives, is that the brown rice syrup used in these foods is organic. Of the foods looked at, researchers found that infant formulas containing organic brown rice syrup as their primary ingredient had arsenic levels 20 to 30 times that of the other infant formulas. Cereal bars made with brown rice syrup contained levels of arsenic that ranged from 23 to 128 parts per billion (ppb). Cereal bars free from rice had much lower arsenic levels, ranging from 8 to 27 ppb. To compare, as we’ve pointed out before, 10 ppb total arsenic is the limit permissible in public drinking water.

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Would You Buy a VBAC Baby Doll?

We’ve seen sweet mama and baby doll sets, Waldorf inspired birthing dolls and even a breastfeeding doll that admittedly freaked some people out, but we’ve yet to see a doll like this. The VBAC Doll collection from MamAmor is a collection made to show various birth situations, from vaginal birth to c-section birth and yes, even a VBAC birth. This doll is as realistic as you can get and made with natural materials, including cotton interlock for skin and each doll’s hair has a combination of soft merino yarns. The baby doll, which is included, comes with placenta, cord, diaper and receiving blanket. Other accessories for this mama and baby doll set, such as a sling or diaper bag may be purchased separately. MamAmor makes truly beautiful dolls, although they’re a little steep in price for the average family. However, the real question is – do kids really need a VBAC education?

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Adorable Little Red Riding Hood Nesting Dolls Designed to Hold Snacks

The classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and the fun of Russian nesting dolls come together in Mike He’s clever Matryoshka doll design. While many nesting dolls are for play or nothing more than show, Chinese designer He says this is actually a food container set. ”With various sizes of bowls and dishes, users can use them for cookies or fruits, and avoid bugs when caps on. It can also be stacked as an interesting decoration and save …

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7 Fun, Kid-Friendly Salad Recipes That Go Beyond Iceberg Lettuce

Looking for a fun way to encourage your kid to eat more veggies? Try a few new, exciting salads – your kids will enjoy helping to prepare them and the whole family will savor them. Salads are a great food to get your child started cooking on his own, too. As long as you do the chopping first (though some salads don’t require any!), no dangerous jobs are needed to prepare a delicious salad. Plus, we bet your kid will love picking and choosing different veggies to toss in – playing with colors, flavors and a variety of dressings. Salad making may even encourage your kids to try vegetables they’ve never eaten before! So read on to discover seven easy-to-make veggie-packed salads that are healthy for the whole family.

This post is sponsored by Hidden Valley® Ranch. Discover how you can make vegetables delectable!

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P’kolino Traveling Art Sets Make Drawing on the Go Easy

P'kolino's crafty art supplies previously scored a place on our favorite green art supply list - both for their non-toxic qualities and innovative, child friendly designs. Now, your child can take P'kolino art supplies on-the-go with the brand new traveling arts and crafts collection. Each of these creatively smart sets makes it easy for your child to carry art to play dates, on road trips or even to school.

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P’kolino Playful Rubberwood Xylophone Makes Sustainable Melodies

This fantastically fun xylophone is brand new from P’kolino. Made with sustainable rubberwood and metal with a bright, yet non-toxic water based finish, this playful and fun melody-maker helps your child develop an early interest in music and teaches shape & color. This unique xylophone breaks down into individual pieces that can be rearranged to create new sequences. Plus, when …

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Turn Boxes Into Play Spaces with MAKEDO Find and Make Shop and Space Pod

We're always amazed by what you can do with a little imagination and a cardboard box. MAKEDO makes the process easier, and opens up possibilities to craft even more fantastical creations by providing clips, hinges and pins. Their latest Find & Make kits go big, providing kids tools and inspiration to build awesome kid-sized play spaces - a Space Pod and a Shop.

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Better Parent Education May Lead to Lower Childhood Obesity Rates

In news that will surprise no one, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center recently figured out that teaching moms and dads how to be better parents could possibly help combat the alarmingly issue of overweight and obese children in America. So, it’s not shocking to hear that better parenting skills may lead to healthier kids. What was a little more surprising in this study is that even when the parenting skills taught did not include education surrounding exercise and nutrition, kids still benefited. During the study, researchers followed a large group of 4-year-old kids from low-income, minority families in New York City over several years. Some of the kids parents were involved in intervention, or parenting classes. Kids of parents who were taught good parenting skills were more likely to be healthier, while kids of parents who did not take the parenting classes were more likely to become obese by second grade. It’s very interesting that these parenting classes didn’t focus on food, weight, or exercise, but instead the classes taught parents how to be more responsive and nurturing towards their kids.

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6 Amazing Treehouse Beds That Bring Magic to Bedtime

We love treehouses here at Inhabitots, but who says they have to stay outdoors? Bring inside a bit of magic to bedtime by updating your kid's room with a unique treehouse bed. Imagine a bedtime routine that includes your child eagerly climbing up a ladder to his bed situated high (but not too high) off the ground. A lofted bed also means no mess underneath it - instead you can use the newly created space for another tot to sleep or storage. Read on to find six eco-friendly, dreamy treehouse bed designs to DIY or buy.

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Forgo Drugstore Valentines for Eco-Friendly Cards from Letter C Design

No time to make your own Valentines? We found some ready to buy options that are eco-friendly and adorable. Etsy designer Cindy Slater prints her Valentine offerings on FSC-certified cardstock. Choose from several different designs complete with clever and slightly corny (in a fun way!) sayings like owls that say “You whoo,” or monkeys that say, “I’m bananas for …

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6 Adorable DIY Valentine’s Day Cards to Make for Your Love

Nothing says, "I love you," better than a Valentine you took the time to craft with your own two hands. So this Valentine's Day forgo buying cards and go DIY instead. Whether you want to make a sweet and fun Valentine to present to your kiddo, create a sentimental card for your sweetheart, or help your little one design a card to give to a friend or family member, we've found some extra special ideas to spark your imagination. Read on to learn how to make six adorable DIY Valentine's Day cards from paint chip bookmarks to thumbprint hearts.

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