Celebrate Green Blog

by Lynn

Many families are hurting financially this year and others just don’t want to buy expensive toys their kids may or may not play with any longer than Christmas morning.

Enter the toy swap.

Just like our National Costume Swap Day swaps, toy swaps are becoming more popular, especially before the biggest holidays of the year.

Moms groups, schools and religious institutions are all great candidates for hosting swaps. And of course, swaps among groups of friends and neighbors can work well too.

In addition, if you have time between now and the big day, you also can check out online toy swap sites. (Be careful when searching online for “toy swaps,” as there are some sites that swap only adult toys!)

Try to organize a swap with people whose kids are similar ages to yours to find appropriate toys and games.

You probably won’t discover 2011′s hottest toys, but if you give your kids several gifts, you are bound to find some items that will cost you nothing but the time to swap.

Go through your children’s toys (preferably with them if they’re old enough to care) and choose those that are in good condition. Talk with your child about the idea of giving some away and let him know he’s doing a good deed for other children and (depending on the age and your family’s beliefs), Santa is watching!

Speaking of doing something great for other kids and on an entirely different subject, wanted to let you know that our favorite twins Tristin & Tyler (pictured above), have a brand new, upgraded website where you and your children can check out their video interviews with all sorts of greenies via their great video series as well as find some other fun activities.

Not only are these guys adorable, but their videos are learning adventures your children will enjoy. Another freebie!

And if you’ve hosted a toy swap or attend one, let us know about it in the comments section.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.