National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, will feature more than 450 events across the nation.  Click here, to find an event near you.

Big Dates:
May 9^th – Bike to School Day
May 14^th -18^th – Bike to Work Week
May 18^th – Bike to Work Day

Tips to help get you started:

• For those wanting to commute to work, the Sierra Club has a great Bike Commuting Resources page.
• The League of American Bicyclists also offers a Ride Better page that lays out the “Rules of the Road” and commuting tips to making riding fun and safe for all new and returning riders. They also have bike maintenance and fix-it info.
• Our biggest safety tip as you embark on your bicycle adventures, WEAR A HELMET (please!). We know it can be tough for kids to keep their helmets on, so here are some “cool” helmets we’ve come across that just might be worthy of keeping on. Make it fun, let them pick one out that they like, one that they may find “fashionable”.  Make sure you have your helmet too. If mom and dad are wearing one, they will be more apt to comply. You are their role models, so make it fun and safe for the whole family.  Our favorite helmet brands include: Nutcase (lots of fun designs to choose from!), Bell and Giro. Yakkay also offers great, fashionable options for adults. Do you have a favorite? Please share!

National Bike Month has inspired Surf Sweets to take the month of May to train for Climate Cycle’s Ride to Recharge, June 16^th and 17^th.  Climate Cycle is a not-for-profit that provides curriculum for renewable energy education and raises funds for solar panel installations in Chicago, to which  Surf Sweets donates one percent of the sales of its Gummy Bears and Sour Berry Bears Snack Pack multi-packs. We look forward to taking this challenge and coming together to help our students and schools go green. If you’re in the Chicago area, click here to learn more about the Ride to Recharge.

1. A tisket, a tasket, buy just one Easter basket. It’s smart to invest in just one Easter basket per child and reuse them year after year. Buying new baskets each year can be wasteful. Better yet, repurpose an old basket with a fresh coat of paint. Whatever you do, avoid buying a basket made from petroleum-based plastic.

2.  End Easter egg emission. Petroleum-based plastic Easter eggs generate tons of emission and landfill waste each year. Consider a switch to Eco Eggs — made from corn starch instead of petroleum-based polymers–and reduce your carbon footprint. They are made from non-toxic, durable plastic, have a tight snapping closure and are fully compostable after use. They come in five assorted colors: pink, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Try the 48-ct box for only $15. Eco Eggs

3. Shred your own Easter grass. We have a great new use for your shredder…Easter basket grass! Prevent landfills from filling up post-Easter season with fake plastic grass by shredding grass yourself with old newspapers or magazines. If you don’t have a shredder, pick up some straw or Eco Grass – available in paper or corn starch-based plastic grass – at Eco Egg for only $2 a bag (green, pink and yellow). Eco Eggs

4. Choose jelly bean quality over candy quantity. Fill your eco-eggs with Surf Sweets delicious new 8-ounce seasonal spring mix of its popular Organic Jelly Beans for only $4.49. The new seasonal spring mix includes six new fruitfully delicious and naturally good flavors: tropical punch, lemonade, mixed berry, pineapple, tangerine and watermelon. Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans use certified USDA organic ingredients grown the way nature intended. When a product is certified USDA organic, its ingredients have been grown free of artificial fertilizers and harsh chemical pesticides. Organic agricultural practices enhance the biological structure and nutrients of the soil resulting in a pure, high-quality harvest and the long-term sustainability of the farm. Add Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans to your Easter baskets with the confidence that you are making a better choice for your family and your planet. Being responsible never tasted so good. Surf Sweets

5. Get your eco artist on. Clementine Art offers modeling clay, paints and crayons that are all natural, certified non-toxic and environmentally friendly, all for under $14. Even the packaging is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled and reusable materials. Clementine Art

6. Who ate the sidewalk chalk? Conceptualized and crafted by a mom and artist, Edible Veggie Sidewalk Chalk is lead-free and made with vegan, organic food-based ingredients including beets, spinach and blueberries. It’s fun to draw with and tastes good too. It contains no wheat, sugar or preservatives. Available in Original and Swirl for $12.Wee Can Too

7. Make your bunny eco plush. miYim’s Baby Victoria is a precious pink bunny perfect for your child’s collection of eco toys. She comes wearing a white hemp dress. She’s soft to touch and made with certified organic and natural cotton. She’s colored by nature and 100% certified non-toxic to help make your home a safe and chemical-free environment for your child. Find her for $16 at Ebay’s World of Good. EBay’s World of Good

8. Jump BPA-free double-dutch. What could be better for the planet than crisscrosses and double-unders when they are done with a BPA-Free Plastic Jump Rope? For only $10.99, this eco-jumper is made with USA made, 100 percent organic cotton rope (7 feet long and adjustable) and 100 percent recycled BPA-free plastic handles. Available in pink, purple and green. Green Toys

9. Have 100 percent kid-powered fun. Whether reading under the covers, making fun shapes on the wall or finding your way in the dark, every child should have a flashlight – with no batteries. The $9.95 Hand-Powered Zoo Flashlights from Ecotronic are magical sources of light. With just a friendly squeeze it’s ready to light your child’s way into the night. One minute of squeezing gives 5 to 10 minutes of light. Available in four different animals: Tiger, Penguin, Monkey and Panda. No batteries mean less waste in landfills, which means less carbon in the atmosphere. Even the packaging is biodegradable. Planet Happy

10. Tap you child’s inner gardener. Young plant lovers can watch nature at work by growing a beautiful flower garden and fresh herbs in just days with the world’s most earth-happy gardening set. This Green Toys Indoor Gardening Kit is made from advanced environmentally friendly materials, helping to reduce fossil fuel use and CO2 emissions, all in the name of good green fun! Nine-piece kit includes peapod-shaped planter tray, three planting pots, a trowel, soil and three packs of organic seeds (Teddy Bear Sunflower, Basil, Zinnia) with easy-to-follow planting instructions. Find it for only $19.50 at Amazon. Amazon

Say I love you in your own words.
Homemade Valentines are just about the sweetest Valentine you could get. And letting your child use their imagination to create something of their own will surely make them very proud. Here are ideas to help inspire you.

Easy Homemade Valentines:
from Kaboose.com
These cute little homemade Valentines are much easier than they look! Just grab some construction paper, scissors and glue to get started. It makes for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for teachers, the babysitter, or even a best friend.

You Color My World.
Get some use out of those old, broken crayons. Recycle them into Crayon Hearts! This is fun and incredibly easy. Makes a great Valentine for friends at school.
from Familyfun.com

Actions speak louder than words. Spend time with your lovies to show them how much you love you have for them.

Family Game Night. How about a game of family bingo! You can use Surf Sweets Gummy Candies as your game pieces or prizes. Now that sounds like delicious FUN!
from Kaboose.com

Valentine Play Dough. This recipe is gluten-free, allergy-friendly and GREAT to have for safe play.
from Kidswithfoodallergies.com, created by Jennifer D

1 1/4 cups rice flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Food coloring or sparkles (optional)

Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a large pot. Add water and oil. Cook over medium heat until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan (about 5 minutes),
stirring constantly.

Add vanilla extract (for smell, not taste). Mix thoroughly. Put play dough on a clean surface. When cool enough to handle, knead lightly. Store in an airtight container.

*Variations: Add food coloring to the water to make colored play dough. Add sparkles during the hand mixing time for sparkly play dough.

Our lightly sugared all natural Fruity Hearts are fruity, sweet, and irresistibly fun. Fruity Hearts are certified organic watermelon and cherry heart-shapped gummies made with organic sweeteners and organic fruit juice. They include 100% of Vitamin C per serving, are allergy-friendly, gluten-free and vegan, so you can feel good about sharing with your lovies. Think outside the conventional chocolate box. Try something NEW that is fruitfully delicious and naturally good in oh-so-many ways.

Surf Sweets Fruity Hearts are one of the only all natural and organic Valentine’s Day candy options available. What better way to show someone you love them than by giving them delicious better-for-you Valentine’s Day Candy. Available for a limited time!

Available nationwide at Whole Foods Market and other natural food retailers. To find a store near you, please visit our store locator.

Also available online at:
Alice.com
NaturalCandyStore.com
Navanfoods.com
LuckyVitamin.com

Fruity Hearts are:
Made with organic fruit juice and sweeteners
No corn syrup
No GMOs
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Made in a nut-free facility
Vegan

Be sure to stay in touch with us on Facebook. You just might win your very own stash of Fruity Hearts for Valentine’s Day.  Delish.

• Clementine Art offers modeling clay, paints and crayons that are all natural, certified non-toxic and environmentally friendly, all for under $14. Even the packaging is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled and reusable materials. www.clementineart.com

• Empower and energize your teenage daughter with hellomellow lip butter (immune boost) from MyEarth360.com for only $12. This 100 percent natural lip butter deeply moisturizes and protects lips with an “immune boost” of warming herbs (including peppermint) that stimulate the body, mind and spirit. www.myearth360.com

• Keep your kids’ tootsies snug in. Maggie’s Organics Organic Cotton Children’s Athletic Socks at KidBean.com. These soft, cozy, organic cotton socks for kids are made from long-staple organic cotton. They are naturally whitened with hydrogen peroxide (NO chlorine) and dyed with low-impact dyes. www.kidbean.com

• Girls will love Shains new BFF Kits, which include two adorable recycled bracelets, 75 letters, 10  numbers and 15 icons to express how she feels about her BFF. They’re available in 21 colors, some in translucent glitter, for $19.95. www.shainsware.com

• Teenage sons will appreciate a recycled bike tub night out card case at UncommonGoods.com for only $15. It’s sleek and simple, and handmade in Seattle from used inner tubes collected from bike shops. It’s perfect for those occasions when he doesn’t want to be weighed down by a bulky wallet. www.uncommongoods.com

• Teach your child to make a BIG difference in “iddy biddy” steps with the Idbids Eco-friendly Starter Kit at HazelnutKids.com for $20. The kit includes one nine-inch Idbid plush toy handcrafted using 100% organic Egyptian cotton that has been colored with natural organic dyes, organic cotton cinch sack for child to wear, storybook and field guide printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly inks and an online reward program. The kid’s packaging is made from recycled and eco-friendly materials and includes paper doll cutouts and a playland insert.  www.hazelnutkids.com

• For the younger kids, Wett Giggles makes adorable animal nail brushes encased in a fun, sudsy, natural glycerin handmade bar of soap that encourage good hygiene – for only $10. Each bar is made individually with essential oils and shea butter. www.wettgiggles.com

• The tots will love Plan Toys toy cars and trucks – made from natural, chemical free rubber wood and finished with non-toxic and child friendly colors for $8.99 and up. www.oompa.com

• Little girls will fall in love with Corolle Minireves Dolls at Planet Happy Toys. Soft and light, they have squeezably soft bodies, a soft phthalate-free vinyl face, painted eyes and a rattle inside that jingles softly. Available in a variety of ethnicities and clothing colors, each doll comes with a super soft blanket. Plus, all Corolle dolls are made from non-toxic materials and lightly scented with vanilla for sensory appeal can be machine-washed on gentle cycle – Just $9.99. www.happyplanettoys.com

• No stocking would be adequately stuffed without fruitfully delicious and naturally good Surf Sweets^® gummy candies and jelly beans. And you need not look far – they can easily be purchased online at NaturalCandyStore.com, Alice.com and Amazon.com. Delicious, all-natural and organic Surf Sweets are gluten free, casein free and allergy friendly, and contain no synthetic dyes or artificial colors. Prices vary…one 2.75 bag of Surf Sweets Gummy Bears are $1.99 each at www.naturalcandystore.com.