Hey there! It’s Earth Month! Yup, a whole month for fine tuning your Earth saving skills and teaching them to your kids. Forget Earth Day, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’re getting into the details and are breaking into new territory to celebrate Earth Month by supporting one of our favorite Earth-friendly toy company’s mission.

Let’s start here: I consider our household mostly screen-free but when I read this quote, I almost choked.

“The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics state infants aged 0-2 years should not have any exposure to technology, 3-5 years should be restricted to one hour per day, and 6-18 years should be restricted to 2 hours per day.”

Now, we don’t watch a screen every day, as far as I know. What the nanny does out of the house will always be a mystery. But under my watchful eye, we do not watch a screen more than a couple of days each week. Still, on occasion, we’ll binge. Maybe we’re sick, maybe I’m tired, or maybe it’s raining and we’ve already done art projects, taken an extra bath, had a dance party and read lots of books. On those days, we can watch more than an hour. We have yet to complete a movie, which I’m (sort of) proud of. Anyway, this advice has me worried. How many kids are getting too much screen time? My guess would be like 90%. I wonder what it will do to the focus, communication and creativity of the generation that will be caring for us in our old age. We shall see.

So to help combat this destructive trend, one of our favorite eco-friendly toy brands who makes beautiful toys from recycled milk jugs, Green Toys is celebrating Earth Month with a #PledgeToPlay initiative. Earth Month kicks off today, March 19th, by the way!

#PledgeToPlay is asking us to pledge to disconnect from technology for one hour per day and play ‘unplugged’ with their children and family. I think we all do that already, so let’s show everyone else how it’s done!

Families that share photos of their unplugged play time on social media using #PledgetoPlay will be entered to win a Green Toys toy chest constructed entirely of heavy-duty recycled cardboard, like the one pictured here, packed with toys that will all be new for 2016 from Green Toys. Ten lucky winners will be chosen throughout the month!

There are two ways that you can enter – either directly on the Facebook tab on the Green Toys Facebook page or via Instagram / Twitter / Facebook using the #pledgetoplay hashtag. Submissions outside of the Facebook tab will be added to the gallery by the end of each day due to moderation.

The campaign will live on the Green Toys Facebook page, or visit http://woobox.com/qo3tnz to see a gallery of the #pledgetoplay pictures of fans taking the pledge by unplugging and playing in real time!

And, to help families stay busy off-screen, Green Toys will be sharing ideas with their social media followers on how to spend that extra quality time with their kids. I can’t wait to see the creative, sustainable, eco-conscious ideas that they come up with. I have a feeling we’ll be making good use of them at our house throughout the summer.

So, why is Green Toys taking on this mantle?

“In today’s hyper-connected world, families are striving for more balance, but it has to fit with the realities of their on-the-go lifestyle. The pledge to disconnect from devices and spend that time reconnecting through play gives families a simple but impactful way to make a positive change both at home and in the larger world. So while families are making memories together, they are also saving energy! Imagine the potential impact!” Charlie Friend, President

The toys included in this mega toy chest made entirely of recycled heavy-duty cardboard are:

• 1 Rescue Boat & Helicopter
• 1 Cupcake Set
• 1 Tea Time Puzzle
• 1 Garden Puzzle
• 1 Dump Truck Puzzle
• 1 Character Pack

I can’t wait to see the pics of your kids in action on the Green Toys Facebook page! What do you plan to do to make good use of an extra hour of quality time each day? Or, what do you do already that other families could try, too? Share, please!