PUTUMAYO MUSIC
This company dedicates itself to overcoming hatred and bigotry by bringing people together through music.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Established in 1982 by a consortium of educators, Cultural Connections strives to offer cultural and language materials to enhance global education. There are posters, games, books, folk art from Jalisco, México, and picture dictionaries. They also offer a "peace" tote that is especially meaningful at this time in world history.
NANCY'S PLUSH TOYS AND GIFTS
This company has excellent customer service and will special order unique animals.
HOW TO LOVE YOUR DOG: A KID'S GUIDE TO DOG CARE
A site for dog lovers (like me!) and any family thinking about getting a new dog. Explore puppyhood through old age topics in a child-friendly format which includes riddles, stories, tricks, and training tips.
MUSIC FOR LITTLE PEOPLE
This retail store offers a large selection of child-sized musical instruments and more.
CHINABERRY
This company offers the very best in children's literature and other materials relating to family life. Chinaberry features outstanding selections, personal service, and in-depth book reviews. I have been ordering from them since its inception eighteen years ago.
CONCORDIA LANGUAGE VILLAGES
Immersion experiences for children, ages 7-18, families, and adults only in Chinese, Danish, English as a Second Language, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Arabic, and Korean are offered.
MAGIC CABIN DOLLS
Explore this delightfully simple assortment of heirloom-quality, all-natural playthings, including Japanese dolls. In addition, there are dolls, toys, arts and crafts, books, and items for creative play.
GUAYAKI YERBA MATÉ TEA
Yerba maté is a healthful alternative to coffee from the South American rainforest. It is marketed by a company that works with indigenous people to sustain and renew this precious resource of the earth.
ASPCA FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals exists to promote humane principles, prevent cruelty, and alleviate fear, pain, and suffering in animals.
TOLERANCE.ORG
It's important to remember that parents and caregivers are children's first teachers. This website will help you instill the ethic of tolerance in toddlers, teens and kids in between.
THE GOOD MANNERS CLUB
Dr. Manners offers parents and teachers a fun and practical guide on how to teach manners to children.
MAPS THAT TEACH
Explore world geography with downloadable interactive map puzzle games to learn continents, countries, states, capitals, borders, physical features and cultural monuments.
BAREFOOT BOOKS
This company celebrates art andf story with unique books that open the hearts and minds of chidroen from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, an explore their own creative gifts. Inspiration comes from many different cultures and focuses on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and accpetance of other traditions.
FAMILY PASTIMES
I highly recommended these cooperative games which family members still enjoy.
CHILDREN'S MUSIC NETWORK
Parents, teachers, performers, songwriters, and radio hosts who care about the quality and content of children's music established this non-profit organization that has members in the US, Canada, and elsewhere.
WORLD OF READING
Show your support for learning world languages by wearing multilingual t-shirts, sweatshirts, ties, and scarves.
INCHWORM SHOES
Take a look at these shoes that have been designed to grow with your children. Amazing!
EMOTIONS ANONYMOUS
Emotions Anonymous (EA), a twelve-step program, has helped many people deal positively with such diverse feelings of depression, anger, broken or strained relationships, grief, anxiety, low
self-esteem, panic, abnormal fears, resentment, jealousy, guilt, despair, fatigue, tension, boredom, loneliness, withdrawal, obsessive and negative thinking, worry, compulsive behavior, and a variety of other emotional issues. There are groups all over the world and online ones as well. The well-written literature offered by this thirty-plus year old organization provides "between-meeting" reinforcement of the principles for healthy everyday living within family circles and places of employment.
POODLE RESCUE OF NEW ENGLAND
Close to my heart are black standard poodles. This wonderful organization is ready to shelter and place unwanted or left-behind poodles of all sizes and colors.
SOFT CLOTH BUNZ
The motto of this cloth diaper and cover company says it all -- "Soft on your baby ... Soft on our planet." As a mother during the seventies and eighties who always used cloth diapers on my two little ones, I am heartened to see that the healthy tradition is still a possibility.
COMPASSIONATE LIVING PROJECT
The Compassionate Living Project (CLP) is a non-profit humane education organization whose mission is to advocate ethical consumerism. It cultivates critical thinking about consumer choices and empowers individuals with practical suggestions to practice sustainable and compassionate living. CLP celebrates the health, environmental, spiritual, and economic benefits of veganism.
BETTER WORLD MOVEMENT
In many ways the state of the world seems more precarious than ever. And yet, all around us, so much is being done to make this world a better place. Throughout history, there have been many social movements for change ... for democracy, for the abolition of slavery, women's rights, for peace, for the environment ... Many advancements have been made, but each of these causes is just a piece of larger wish for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. And until now these efforts for thousands of different causes have not been organized and coordinated. We could take that leap and create the world people have imagined and longed for throughout history, if only we could create a unified better world movement.
CARUS PUBLISHING
My two children grew up reading Cricket Magazine. Now there are even more selections from these high quality publishing company.
WASTE FREE LUNCHES
This ecologically-friendly site will provide you with all the information you need to participate in (or to start!) a waste-free lunch program at your school or place of employment.
FAMILY VACATIONS AT THE LANGUAGE IMMERSION SCHOOL IN VERACRUZ, MEXICO
The world has changed so much over the past 50 years. Today there is so much more to be aware of and so much more to know about. Success in tomorrow's world will require far better understanding of the commonalities and differences among the world's peoples. A Mexico vacation will give your kids the headstart of international multicultural experience, and because of it they'll be able to more deeply and fully understand future learning and events.
SAPPHIRE SUN
Felted wool original artwork (see below) as well as artistic interior painting done by a old family friend's daughter Kari Berg.
FIDDLEMAKER
Lynn Berg is a family friend who is an expert fiddlemaker and string instrument repairperson.
CON-KERR CANCER
My latest charitable venture is sewing colorful pillowcases for sick children at my local children's hospital. Please consider joining the effort in your region.
