Strokes of Genius!

cool stuff
strokes of
| by Candace Walsh | photos by Melyssa Holik
genius
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Get back in the swing of school time
with this ingenious green gear.
Lunch boxes: Each season, I look forward to see-
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ing the innovative lunch boxes cooked up by some very
creative designers. Three featured here have bento stylings: the 1 Go Green lunch box is designed for kids but
cute enough for mom (www.gogreenlunchbox.com). The
recycled and recyclable orange 2 Goodbyn lunch box
has two parts: the bottom, with five compartments, and
the top, which serves as a lid for the entire box and for
each of its compartments. And it comes with lots of fun
stickers so that your child can customize it (www.goodbyn.
com). Like the Go Green, the 3 Alien lunch box has
nesting containers in a sturdy insulated bag (www.lap
toplunches.com). The 4 Fleurville Lunch Buddy, shown
here in the Pink Cocoa Stripe pattern, could pass as a
purse (www.fleurville.com). Tired of snack being eaten for
lunch and vice versa? The 5 Balanced Day Kitty Kat
bag provides clarity with its two equal compartments
(www.balanceddaylunchkit.com).
Inside the lunch box: Bye-bye, plastic
baggies and aluminum foil—the zero-waste
lunch movement has innovatively reworked the
interiors of lunch boxes. 6 Cloth Lunch Skins are
sleeves for sandwiches and snacks that clean up
nicely in the dishwasher (www.creativetoyshop.com).
7 Metal LunchBots are way cute, sturdy, and almost
indestructible (www.lunchbots.com). 8 Aladdin has
just introduced the Do Lunch line of recycled and
recyclable snack and lunch containers in fruity colors
(www.aladdin-pmi.com). The crafty-chic 9 Abeego Flat
is a beeswax-coated blend of hemp and cotton that folds
up to hold a sandwich or snacks (www.abeego.ca). 10 Eco
Packs are appropriately wee for those dollops of dressing
and last bits of blueberries (www.balanceddaylunchkit.
com). And you won’t need to go digging for your fork
with this tidy set of 11 To-GoWare bamboo utensils in
their own microtote (www.to-goware.com).
Backpacks to look for: the smart green 12 Milkdot
Top Kat (www.milkdot.com), and Ecogear’s very dear,
über-smooshable cotton 13 Ecozoo Puppy backpack
(www.ecogear-products.com).
School-supply stars: 14 Lyra Groove jumbo triangular colored pencils featuring fingertip grip zones, and
15 Ticonderoga
Renew Tire Pencils,
made from recycled rubber tires (both from www.dixonusa.com); 16 Banana Paper notebooks, made from post-consumer waste and
banana-leaf fibers, and 17 Green Apple Highlighter
Pencils (both from www.mypumpkindoodle.com). Carolina Pad’s 18 Girls on the Run Dreamsicle notebooks
contain positive messages and encouragements (www.
carolinapad.com). For naptime, the 19 Willow Store’s
organic mini ComfySlumber pillow is eco-wool in a case
of supremely soft cotton flannel (www.thewillowstore.com).
The 20 Soft Party Dress has concealed seams to keep
all children comfortable—especially those with sensoryintegration challenges (www.softclothing.net). New from
Scandinavia: the organic-cotton 21 Landscape Green
summer shorts set, which can also be used as pajamas
when the temperature drops (www.vyssanlull.com).
Random acts of genius: 22 Biodegradable Skoy
cloths are great reusable substitutes for paper towels—
they absorb 15 times their own weight (www.skoycloth.
com). 23 Snottykins organic cotton mini-handkerchiefs wipe noses sustainably, and were inspired by Peggy O’Mara’s suggestion, in “A Quiet Place,” that we “bring
the handkerchief back” (www.limegreenmonkey.com).
24 Fairytale Wishes Super Hero and Sweet Dreams
sprays use aromatherapy to help children feel brave
in insecure moments (www.fairytalewishesinc.com). 25
Lined greeting cards encourage snail-mail correspondence and handwriting practice (www.designschooledkids.
com). The 26 Packin’ Smart Stack-N-Seal food-storage
tower allows for both variety and space efficiency, and
it’s free of BPA, phthalates, and PVC (www.innobaby.com).
Candace Walsh,
mom to Honorée
and Nathaniel,
is Mothering’s
features editor and
product reviewer.
6/4/10 4:10:32 PM
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6/4/10 4:12:00 PM