We were thrilled when the gparents decided to all pitch in and buy one big Christmas present this year instead of a bunch of little gifts. We had to stay up late Christmas eve assemble the Plan toys chalet doll house, but after a glass of wine (or two), it was a cinch. It’s trés modérne and reminds us of our favorite Dwell magazine lodgings. One day we hope to cash in our piggy bank and maybe have a house like the chalet. We like the fact that it’s not pink or frilly and both boys and girls dig it. It has two separate sides, so a few kiddos can play with it at the same time and the biggest bonus is all the furniture that  came with it. Definite crowd pleaser for mamas and tots alike. Highly recommended. As with all plan toys, the chalet is constructed from replenishable rubber wood. From $197. 67, here.

When looking for a desk for our toddler, we knew it had to be compact, since her bedroom is roughly the size of  a king sized bed. We decided on this one by P’kolino for it’s portability and size, plus it’s perfect for small projects and has a bit of storage built in. Constructed from fiber board with wood veneer. Measures 17¾” x 22½”  x 20″ and weighs 16½ lbs. Perfect for the 2-6 crowd. Meets US, EU, and Canadian safety standards. Affordable and good looking, sold. $69.99, here.

We’ve been drooling over Helen Rawlinson’s textiles for months now and recently discovered that a friend of ours had beat us to buying one of her pillows. Oh well, we’ll get to it soon. We absolutely love Rawlinson’s vibrant prints and are particularly enamored by the fact that her screen prints are hand pulled using solvent free, water based inks on unbleached organic, plain weave cotton. All of her prints are gorgeous, but we love the alphabet and numbers print so very much. Perfect for any kiddo’s room and safe for even the most wee of babes. Sold as textiles or pillows, her fabrics can easily be transformed into a pillow or if you’re a better seamstress than this cleeo & bea mama, you could make some new duds for your tots. Measures 18″ square. $14.50, here.

When we were kiddos, we had loads of pennants hanging on our  bedroom walls. We collected them while on family vacations and held onto a not so good looking, pink Disneyland pennant for about a decade. We recently happened upon these pennants by Petit Collage and think they’re a nifty take on the ones from our youth. Printed on fabric, each wall decal is removable, reusable, and don’t wrinkle. Safe for any wall and the kiddos, the decals won’t leave a sticky residue. Designs repurposed  from vintage wallpaper (love that) and can be made to look like a bunting, or you can make your own interesting designs. Cool. 12 pennants each set. $72.00, here.

When we think of upcycling, we can’t say skateboard decks are the first resource to pop into our heads, but then again, why not? We love these tiny top spinners by Portland’s Board Games. They’re the perfect toy for kids of all ages and are repurposed from the coolest of materials. Constructed by stacking the layers of three old decks, each spinner is unique and (in their words) “spins like your grandma’s dreidel”. Can’t beat that. Pictured spinner measures 1 ¾” x 2″. One, two and three deck spinners. Dirt cheap and awesome. $10.00 each, here.

It’s pretty difficult to find environmentally friendly and 100% recycled print art. A lot of times when we do, we don’t like it, but occasionally we get lucky, and in this case we did. We love these sweet little forest friends prints we found by artist mama Rebecca Peragine of art & philanthropy. They’re minimal, gender neutral (thank you), cute and the perfect, eco-friendly piece for any kiddo’s room. Created with scrap paper, some of the tree trunks even display text, and printed on heavy 100% PCW recycled paper using soy ink. Non-toxic. Measures 11″ x 14″. Price is right, $28.00, here. And for more on Rebecca Peragine’s inspiring and environmentally responsible works of philanthropy, check out her website, Children Inspire Design.

Did you know that by planting a tree, you’re not only protecting the environment by creating an oxygen filter and storm water tun-off interceptor but, you could be providing shelter and food for humans and other animals? You’re also positively influencing climate and restoring a depleted natural resource. We think planting a tree on Earth Day is a great activity for the whole family. The kiddos will love it, so if you have the green space and can accommodate another tree, we say, go for it. If you don’t have enough room and would like to get involved in tree planting in your community, look for tree planting organizations in your area. In Portland, Friends Of Trees are working on green space initiatives and neighborhood tree planting and are always looking for volunteers. We rate this experience at the top of our rating scale. 

Our oldest kiddos are heavily into organization at the moment. Lots of grouping and sorting going on, so we think it’s our duty to provide them with loads of stuff to work with. We love these rainbow felted wool acorns by Sewn Natural. They’re quite sweet, very colorful and fun to sort or pile into a little nest that we have. Constructed from upcycled wool, each acorn measures ½” and is delicately stuffed into an acorn top. Completely safe, but fairly destructible, so mind taste testing little ones and dog. 12 acorns per set, custom acorns in one color, if you’d like. $24.00, here. 

We love books about nature and so do our kiddos, so in honor of Earth Day we thought we’d recycle a review of a cleeo & bea fave book. Janice May Udry’s classic “A Tree Is Nice” is on our list of favorites for a few reasons. Not only is it wholesome and sweet, it teaches our tots that trees are beautiful and quite useful in their living state. Marc Simont’s illustrations are fantastic, too. Originally published in 1956 and a Caldecott winner in 1957, “A Tree Is Nice” is just the kind of message we like to convey to our kiddos about caring for the earth. It encourages them (and us) to slow down, appreciate simple beauty and remember not to take it for granted. We particularly like that Urdy mentions babies and cows can nap in the shade of a tree. Too cute. Used and new from $3.50, here.

One of our all time favorite things to do in Portland is to go to the farmers markets. We love to buy local produce, sometimes seafood and are always up for a breakfast burrito or pastry. This year our youngest tot is walking and loves to push anything with wheels, so we’re thinking it’s time to put her to work. We recently saw this little stroll cart, by kaiku, in action and are adding it to our must haves list for the summer. Great for first time walkers, but even more perfect for kiddos already comfortable steering with more control. Constructed from formaldehyde free, baltic birch, a cotton-poly soft basket and safe, non-toxic finishes. Wheels are non-marking, soft and durable. Lovely. Not cheap, but worth it for a push toy that will last a long time. Measures 20″ x 20″ x 14″. $149.00, here.

Our tots love to play in the dirt. Digging and Dumping can make for a great afternoon. In fact, when we gave this eco-friendly Sprig dump truck to a friend of ours as a gift, our kiddos had a blast loading rocks and dirt in it and dumping it out, over and over again. We really like Sprig toys, they’re thoughtfully designed with recyclable materials and are priced (we think) reasonably  for a green toy. Recommended for 3 and up, but our tots are younger and enjoy it so. Measures 5½ x 11″ x 7″. $14.99, here. 

Every kid needs a pair of rubber galoshes for the rainy season. Our tots need them doubly so, since our rainy season is year long. We’d been searching for a durable winter and spring boot that would last through a couple of seasons and keep our tots feet and legs dry. We settled on Tretorn’s Jolly wellies, but the Balloong style is our new fave. They’re perfect for the professional puddle jumper or sailor, will keep them dry and they’re great looking. Waterproof rubber upper in a rain boot style with a pull tab and logo accents. Warm lining and cushioned insole. Flexible midsole. Traction patterned outsole for minimal slippage with enough height and girth for a pant leg. Super. Priced reasonably for quality. Colors vary. Sizes 10.5-2.5. $45.00, here.

When warmer weather hits, we do everything outside including art projects. One of cleeo & beas’ tots received these Faber-Castell watercolor crayons as a gift recently and they are so cool. Our tot loved them so much we had to go out and buy a new pack. The colors are rich and fantastic as the watercolor paints they’re intended to be. Paintbrush included makes this a two part operation and the kiddos love it. They can draw a full mural and than go back and turn it into a painting. Yippee. Premium quality triangular shape of crayon is perfect for small hands learning to draw and can be sharpened with a standard pencil sharpener. Recommended for 3+, but our younger tots have no problem. Non-toxic.15-pack. $14.00, here. 

Spring time means outdoor activities, and how, for this cleeo & bea family. On the weekends, we pack up the kiddos and dog, and head out to explore trails or go to the beach. We always need the essentials, including water and were looking for an easy to use bottle that would encourage water drinking. We picked up a camelbak water bottle for the kiddos and we love it. Our tots love to drink water from this bottle because all it takes is a little bite and suck to release  water through the internal straw. Perfect for small fingers to operate with clever cap that flips open at the touch of a button. Recommended for the 3+ set, but our 17-month-old uses the camelbak with aplomb. Simplified stem and straw are child-safe yet easy to remove for cleaning. All parts are dishwasher safe. BPA and PVC free, yippee. 12 oz. $14.00, here.