Happy 40th Earth Day! To celebrate, here are some of our favorite picks

Happy 40th Birthday, Earth Day! You look fabulous! Not a day over 29, honest.

In honor of this big birthday, a great opportunity to teach our kids about the best ways to take care of this nice planet of ours, the EPA has put out a whole list of kids' Earth Day activities. On top of that, I'm recycling some of my favorite Cool Mom Picks' Earth Day picks from years gone by. -Christina

 

I have no plans to serve up a plate of BPA or other harmful plastics to my kids, which is why I love the eco-friendly, recycled plastic plates for kids from Smiling Planet (above). The whole line is lovely, although I think Mother Earth would particularly like to see her own smiling visage on this special day.

Like the original Schoolhouse Rock songs which taught me about conjunctions, adjectives and how to multiply by 5, Schoolhouse Rock! Earth's videos teach kids about the challenges the earth faces in a way that is fun and interesting, not schoolroom boring.

 

There's even more for me to love about the mostly-recycled Green Start line of books from innovativeKids which has expanded to include a board book and game set (shown) as well as  chunky-book towers that would make a great baby gift for the next generation of environmentalists.

Lord knows we've been pitched enough "Eco Kid" tees, but I prefer Barley & Birch's organic cotton children's tees, onesies, pants and hats which don't preach a cause but quietly go about donating a large percentage of their sales to environmental charities.

Made of primarily post-consumer recycled content,the recyclable Elia Mini-Chair Kit is part art kit, part usable piece of furniture that will even support my weight when I join them in play.
Plus, this husband-and-wife team make a 5% donation from sales to children's and environmental charities.

What's a birthday without a party? Green Planet Parties is still one of our favorite one-stop shops for eco-minded party supplies like reusable cloth party banners (shown above), pre-made but environmentally sound goodie bags, and compostable tableware.

Find More: Books for Kids, Cool Clothes for Boys, Kids Clothing, Organics, Party Time!, Toys and Other Playthings, Tunes