KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Miki

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Fair Trade Fortnight started yesterday, and the next couple of weeks will give us us even more reason than usual to contemplate where our purchases are coming from.

To not think about this aspect when buying an item – any item – is the equivalent of a child assuming that milk comes from the supermarket shelf as opposed to a cow.  Everything we buy is made, produced or handled by people somewhere in the world, and many of those people are appallingly exploited and work in conditions which would horrify us if only we could see them.

Luckily, the Fair Trade movement works to give people like this fair treatment, by paying a ‘fair price’ for their goods or services, and by monitoring their social and working conditions.

As the FairTrade.com.au website explains:
“Fair Trade is about giving disadvantaged people power: by paying producers and workers fair prices for their work, by helping them gain the skills and knowledge they need to develop their businesses and to operate in the global economy, and by challenging unfair trading practices. It is about providing fair go, not charity.”

There are plenty of easy ways for us to support the Fair Trade movement.  I now buy only Fair Trade coffee, for example; it’s on the supermarket shelves and I’m more than happy to pay an extra dollar or two to make a difference to people’s lives.  And Ange and I can both testify that Fair Trade chocolate is absolutely delicious

It’s easy to outfit your kids with Fair Trade clothes and gear too, and it’s never too early to start teaching them about social responsibility.  Check out some of these gorgeous examples, and click on the links below the images to go to some wonderful stores selling Fair Trade kids fashions and toys.

1. Lark Designs Knitted Fleur Tortoise, $55.00 from Lark Designs
2. Purebaby Knitted Dress, $59.95 from Purebaby (NB: Purebaby clothes are not officially Fair Trade, but they are registered with Made-By which works to similar principles)
3. Rock Babies Salt Crystal Lamp, $19.95 $18.00 from Anklebiters Duds
4. Eternal Creation Overalls, $59.95 from Eternal Creation
5. Fire Engine Red Boots, $39.95 from Skeanie
6. Wooden Fruit Basket, $21.95 from Mudd Kids
7. Romantic Ballerina Dress by Piccalilly, $46.95 from Generation Wonder
8 Lion & Friends Finger Puppets, NZD$19.00 from Finger Puppet Heaven (this is a New Zealand site, but they post cheaply to Australia and the exchange rate is on your side!)

Please check individual sites for postage details, and as always, check the KidStyleFile ‘All Current Deals’ page to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck!

Today’s post written by Miki

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When I was little I had a selection of finger puppets, and I used to spend hours putting on little theatre shows with them.  My long-suffering parents must have sat through dozens of performances, and bless them, they never complained once.

My finger puppets have long since disappeared, and so I’ve been on the lookout for some for Alex and a couple of weeks ago I found the most gorgeous range ever:  Finger Puppet Heaven – www.fingerpuppetheaven.co.nz.

As you can see from the web address it’s a New Zealand website but they do ship to Australia (very cheaply too!) and with the exchange rate at the moment you’re saving around 18% on the already cheap prices as you see them.

You can calculate the cost in Australian dollars using this calculator, and the price for shipping will be shown at checkout once you’ve entered your address details.

There are several different ranges of puppets, from Australian natives to farm animals to zoo animals, witches, princesses and loads more.

The number of puppets to choose from is immense!  They can be bought individually or in comprehensive sets, and I just can’t think of a better stocking stuffer.

What makes these puppets really special is that they’re all Fair Trade, hand knitted on the high planes of Peru (about 4000m above sea level) and sourced through a certified IFAT producer.  No sweatshops involved in making these little beauties! A portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to supporting a community school in Peru.

I really love how all the puppets have so much personality – Alex has a good number of them now and each one of them is a little individual.

Now I’m just looking forwards to the day when he starts putting on little theatre productions of his own.

Each of these finger puppets costs NZ$4.25 (around AUD$3.50 at the time of publication of this article). They are also available in larger sets.

1. Cockatoo
2. Bilby
3. Cheetah
4. Rhinoceros
5. Platypus
6. Kangaroo
7. Porcupine
8. Cotton-top Tamarin

Please see Finger Puppet Heaven’s shipping policies and charges at this link.