Choose Green Sleds This Winter
What ever happened to sleds that last a long time which aren’t made of cheap plastic? It’s time that we begin buying green sleds which are made from natural or green materials.
Wood Sleds
The classic flyer sled made of sturdy wood and are still on the market. I remember when I was a kid, I would use an old wood sled that my dad used a kid. They cost a little more upfront, but these things last for a long time.
They still sell the original Flexible Flyer Sled that is constructed with the same quality as the original. They also sell a new Wood Flyer Sled which is also made of wood, but just flat with a foam base and handles on the sides.
Recycled Plastic
Not all plastic sleds are bad. There are some on the market that are made from recycled plastic. Mad River Rocket makes sleds out of recycled plastic yet are some of the top performing sleds on the market. These sled received great reviews and the only negative was the fact that they are a little heavy. This is probably attributed to their quality construction.
Make Your Own
Since there doesn’t seem to be a lot of green sleds on the market, you could always make your own custom sled. What better project to do with your kids than a custom sled? The most basic type of sled would be a wood sled similar to the flyer mentioned above. But you can get really creative when making a sled, check out some of these cool sled designs for ideas.
If you have made your own custom sled or bought a sled that is made from eco-friendly materials, please share.
Comments
Just checked out the cool sled design link and I must say the recycled bottle sled looks really cool! I think that kind of material would take you REALLY far since it’s so smooth…Over here in the West Coast we don’t get a lot of snow so whenever we would go to the mountains, we just bring trashcan lids which I guess is alright too as it serves a dual purpose.
My mom always talks about how she and her (big) family used to sled on a car hood. When they wanted to stop they had a chain that they threw in front of it to catch on the sled! I can’t imagine anyone letting their kids do that now (or the crust being hard enough), but it sounds like fun.
It can be a big waste to buy a cheaply made plastic sled. Once it is broken, there is not much use for it and it can be tough to get recycled. So a sled is the kind of toy that you do want to invest in quality. Building your own sled sounds like fun too. Not only can you create a unique sled for your child, but you can also have a lot of bonding time as you build it.
I could have used these ideas in college! So much for the lunch tray idea, these put that to shame.
We don’t have to worry about this – living in Atlanta we are lucky if we get a snowflake or two each year!
What an awesome idea. I wish I lived where it snowed to utilize it. Thanks for sharing.
Laptop Briefcases is right – those cheap plastic sleds break. Our kids took us sledding one day and the sled broke into a million pieces. Thankfully nobody got hurt, but sledding was over for the day.
Wow, that picture brought back memories. I grew up in upstate NY in a family of eight and we had lots of those sleds. I can attest to their durability:)
It’s really good thing, sleds made from natural or green materials.
Living in a warmer area, sledding is one past-time that I do miss. I used to live in a much colder area and we got out sledding every other weekend during the winter. It is such a blast and quite inexpensive.
I wish I lived where it snowed to utilize it