This Giveaway has ended… Thanks for all that entered!
I found another Eco-friendly Charlotte company called Thinkbutton! They carry tons of Eco-friendly educational products that are fantastic! Thinkbutton’s motto is to inspire children to strive to be more than just smart. They want to challenge young minds to embrace the extraordinary with the help of their outstanding products. They believe in the “Triad of Knowledge” philosophy where children should learn about Environmental Awareness, Social Understanding and Creative Expression. Each product Thinkbutton carries matches one of these philosophies.

I love how easy it is to navigate their website. You can find the “Triad of Knowledge” categories on the right and choose to view their products in each category. You will find companies like Melissa and Doug, ImagiPLAY, HuggaPlanet, CitiBlocks, Angel Bear Yoga and more at Thinkbutton! They carry toys for ages 1-grown ups. They also have an amazing list of books.

Thinkbutton sent me their “EcoArt Craft Book-Earth Friendly Arts and Crafts for Children” by Laurie Carlson to review. I was really excited about the book since I was starting to run out of ideas for projects to create with Ella. But this is more than just a arts and craft book. It teaches you how to make your own natural dyes, natural clays, recycled paper, glues, finger paints, and more. It also gives you ideas on how to use things from nature to make works of art. I also love the reuse section where you take household objects and make coasters, flower pots, castles, scoops, piggy banks, games and so much more! Each project is labeled for difficulty by leaves, but with a parent’s help, a younger child can still participate.

Today we made a Stick Puppet. In the book, they recommend using a Popsicle stick or long twig. We had some long wooden sticks leftover from making Christmas trees last year, so we used those. EcoArt then says to have your child draw a puppet on paper or cardboard and decorate. You can make hair out of various textiles. Ella drew a flower then taped it to the stick. Here is her flower puppet:She wanted to stick it in a flower pot with the other flowers, so it has become more than just a puppet. EcoArt shows a cute mouse picture, so when Ella is a more advanced drawer, we can revisit this activity.

Another fun project is Stone Critters. Ella wanted to paint hers and didn’t want to make an animal. So we still followed the instructions, but in our own way. EcoArt says you can use stones for ears, arms or legs. You can also draw the eyes and mouth. They have tons of more ideas for this project! Here is Ella’s Pet Rock: It can be a paper weight, door stop, garden sculpture, magnet or just a cute design. Whatever your child would like to make it for, it’d be a cute present for the grandparents.

I love that the EcoArt book comes with easy to follow instructions that can be altered without messing up the project. It also has drawings to help your child follow the directions. There are over 100 art and craft projects to complete! So if you do 1 or 2 a week, the book will last over a year. All of the projects include recyclable, reusable, or nature’s own art materials. I can’t wait to complete them all with Ella!

Want it? You can get the EcoArt book at Thinkbutton for only $12.49!

The Giveaway: Thinkbutton would like to give 1 lucky reader a EcoArt book!!Rules: You have until 11:59 p.m. EST October 23, 2009 to enter. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced after they respond to the winning email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning email, or a new winner will be chosen. You must leave your email address! This contest is open to the US and Canada

2. Become a fan of Mkokopelli on FB, Mkokopelli on Twitter, or Follow my blog
3. Subscribe to my blog by email (on the right sidebar) You must verify and be active at the time of the giveaway- those who are unverified will become disqualified

4. Blog, Tweet or send a message on FB and leave a link here (3 extra entries)@Mkokopelli win a EcoArt book from Think Button! Ends 10/23 http://ow.ly/tFqM
5. Enter another giveaway I have going on and tell me which one or leave a comment on a non-giveaway post (1 extra entry total)
6. Follow Thinkbutton on Twitter and Tweet your favorite product- leave a link back code
7. Become a fan of Thinkbutton on Facebook and tell me a product they have listed on their fan site
8. Grab the Homeschool your Preschooler Button and post on your blog or FB page and link back
*New disclaimer- I was sent a EcoArt book for free from Thinkbutton to review. These are only my thoughts and opinions.