Sierra Magazine: 14 Green Gifts for Kids
Sierra's holiday gift guide for the junior set
We’ve been scouring toy stores, game outlets, booksellers, and the internet for unique gifts designed to provide kids with some old-fashioned (i.e., screen-free) fun while challenging developing minds. Here are 14 of the most Earth-conscious—and awesome—gifts we could find for green-minded kids of all ages.
Got stuffed-animal-adoring tots on your list? Check out sweet Kiki and Tembo ($39 each) from the Elephant Project. Not only does the founder give 100 percent of net proceeds to respected agencies that care for orphaned, abused, and injured elephants, but also each gift comes with a little poem, plus info about the plight of elephants. The idea is to benefit the beloved species while teaching children how to act as voices for the voiceless.
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On the border of toddlers and preschoolers, many 3-year olds are exploring the connections between their emotions and their bodies, engage in imaginative play, and can follow basic directions. As their interests and skill levels increase, it’s helpful to give gifts that can help foster independence and are also just plain fun!
Use this guide to find the right gift for your needs, budget, and interests.
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From brightly colored STEM toys and cool books to read to stuffies, vehicles and gifts that make mealtime and bedtime better, your favorite one-year-olds will love these holiday gifts for kids from about 12 to 18 months. With stocking stuffers and big-ticket items, you’ll find something for every budget.
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Let the holiday season be a teaching moment for littles ones, and a time for giving with a gift of Kiki or Tembo from The Elephant Project. A passion project launched by product developer Kristina McKean, these stuffed animals raise funds for elephants while also fostering awareness of their mistreatment in various parts of the world. All net proceeds go to agencies with well-established programs for the care of orphaned, abused and injured elephants.
The Elephant Project to Host COVID-Safe Digital Walk on World Elephant Day, August 12
Organization Encouraging People to Take a One Mile Walk, Wherever They Are, to Raise Funds and Awareness About Threats to Elephants
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Elephant Project, a California-based organization that’s helped save over 300 elephants worldwide and educated children about the threats to these majestic creatures, will sponsor #ElephantProjectWalk, a COVID-safe, digital event on World Elephant Day, August 12, to raise funds and increase awareness about the plight of elephants.
In partnership with the social impact platform and app Cluster, The Elephant Project is encouraging people to donate, share their participation on social media and walk or run one mile with family and friends, wherever they are, on the 10th Annual World Elephant Day, a day dedicated to helping conserve and protect elephants. All funds from #ElephantProjectWalk will be donated to Trunks Up, a nonprofit organization helping critically endangered Asian elephants.
In advance of World Elephant Day, The Elephant Project and Cluster also helped launch an education campaign and video, entitled “Don’t F***ing Ride Elephants,” to promote teen awareness about elephant abuse.
“In the name of entertainment, elephants around the world are subjected to beatings, starvation and the use of bull hooks and crush boxes to break their spirits,” said Kristina McKean, The Elephant Project’s founder. “By donating to their protection and walking in solidarity with the elephants on World Elephant Day, we can demonstrate our determination to end this torture.”
McKean first witnessed this abuse during a trip to Thailand and returned to the U.S. determined to help save elephants. The Santa Barbara native founded The Elephant Project in 2017 and developed two plush elephant toys, named Kiki and Tembo (Swahili for “new life” and “elephant”). She donates 100% of net proceeds from their sale to organizations that fight poaching and provide care to injured, abused and abandoned elephants. Kiki and Tembo also come with educational materials that inform children and their parents about the importance of protecting elephants.
To purchase Kiki and Tembo, click here. To donate directly, click here.
To participate in #ElephantProjectWalk:
Register at https://clusterforchange.com/ or download the Cluster Social Impact Platform to sign up.
Walk in your community or join in-person events in Los Angeles’ Runyon Canyon or Santa Barbara.
Win prizes, including an elephant sponsored in the winner’s name, Trunks Up merchandise and Kiki and Tembo toys, by registering the largest team.
Photos of McKean, Kiki, Tembo and educational materials available here.
About The Elephant Project
Founded in 2017 by Kristina McKean, The Elephant Project is a California-based organization that donates 100% of its net proceeds to helping save elephants worldwide and educating children and their parents about the threats to these majestic creatures. Through its partners, which include the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Elephant Nature Park, The Elephant Project has helped rescue and protect over 300 elephants.
Media Contact:
Ryan Walker
310-529-3214
ryan@mecoy.net
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f64d6bf0-839d-4ece-897e-63b5b6730c25
Kristina McKean, Kiki and TemboPictured Here: Kristina McKean With Kiki and Tembo plush toys
The Hill: Nonprofits and Activists Unite Globally to Celebrate World Elephant Day
Thursday Marks the 10-year Anniversary of World Elephant Day.
Thursday marks World Elephant Day, sparking numerous efforts in support of the magnificent creatures.
Originally created Aug. 12, 2012 by Canadian film director and writer Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, the day aims to drum up support for elephant conservation and the ethical tourism of elephants.
To mark the day, Moving Giants has partnered with World Elephant Day 2021. Moving Giants is responsible for the rewilding effort that is relocating 200 elephants from South Africa to more sustainable areas of Mozambique.
The United Nations is also participating through its United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, utilizing social media to highlight the depleting numbers of elephants worldwide and encourage conservation efforts. The current elephant population is estimated to be about 444,000.
In the United States, California-based The Elephant Project hosted a digital event, as well as two in-person events in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
Called the Elephant Project Walk, people were encouraged to walk wherever they may be, as well as donate and share their impacts via social media to raise awareness and funds toward educating people on elephant conservation and the abusive practices elephants in captivity face.
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“In the name of entertainment, elephants around the world are subjected to beatings, starvation and the use of bull hooks and crush boxes to break their spirits,” Kristina McKean, The Elephant Project’s founder, said in a press release. “By donating to their protection and walking in solidarity with the elephants on World Elephant Day, we can demonstrate our determination to end this torture.”
All proceeds from the event are to be donated to Trunks Up, a nonprofit organization that aids the critically endangered Asian elephant.