Where Food Comes From

Day in and day out my kids come to the dinner table and are fortunate enough to have full plates and eventually tummies. At times I get frustrated that they aren’t more grateful. They seem to think the food will just appear, just as the sun rises. I constantly find myself urging them to eat all their food, similar to Ralphie’s little brother from A Christmas Story… “Show me how the piggies eat”

I don’t believe kids can actually appreciate what they have, whether it be a motorized scooter or a chicken taco, unless they gain knowledge about it, or even work for it. I decided to give my kids a hands-on experience with the food they eat and share it with Nature For Kids.

We recently took a trip to Idaho and on our way passed bold green fields of potatoes, sugar beets, corn, wheat and alfalfa. My kids had the opportunity to learn where food comes from and how exactly it grows. Their grandpa is a farmer of over 500 acres in south-central Idaho!

When they dug up the potato plants their eyes widened as they counted the golf ball sized potatoes, each plant having 12 or more.

Their grandpa explained that the potato plant grows from seed potato. It’s a very healthy potato cut in half and placed in the ground and then covered with dirt. He then pointed out the rows and rows of sprinkler pipe that keep the fields irrigated.

In the Fall I hope we can make another trip to show them the harvest process. They will surely be surprised to see how their golf ball sized potatoes have grown to become truckloads of large spuds filling huge potato cellars to the ceiling. 

Later that same day, the kids helped plant corn in grandpa and grandma’s garden. Ideally I’d like them to be there to water and weed the corn and then a couple months later taste the fruits of their labor right off the cob.

Fortunately we’ve planted strawberries and a cherry tree at our house that they take care of willingly. Mostly because each time they water and weed there’s always a red juicy sweet treat to reward them!

For a family dinner, before we left Idaho, we cooked up loads and loads of french-fries from potatoes grown the previous year. The kids seemed pretty impressed with the results. Hopefully our dinner table conversation won’t be plagued with lecturing and persuasion any longer. Yeah right! I think their experience of learning where food comes from will help take the edge off though.

Everyone Needs To Read This!

I came across this interesting quote by way of Farm Aid, “Young farmers are becoming a rare breed: only six percent of American farmers are younger than 35, while the majority of today’s farmers are between the ages of 45 and 65.* Introducing children to farming and gardening at a young age may inspire a new generation of family farmers that will strengthen American agriculture and protect your food choices.” *United States Department of Agriculture, 2002.

ACTIVITIES -These are some really fun and educational food activities that you can do with your kids.

Where Food Comes From:

Here’s a fun idea I got from Kids and Cooking. After grocery shopping take your food and lay it out on the table. Have your kids read each label on the food products to find out where they came from. Then go to a world map and find the location of where your food came from. It’s a fun way to educate kids.

Fake vs. Real:

I came across this activity at USA Today. Ask your kids what they think cave men ate. Their response will probably be something like nuts, berries or meat. Explain to them that these types of foods are “real foods”. Then point out some “fake foods” or foods that cave men didn’t have like fruit snacks, cheetos, or jello.

 *picture from USA Today

They’ll probably catch on pretty quick. Explaining that real foods have more nutritional value than fake ones can help your kids make better food choices. You take this activity further by having them keep a journal of what they’ve eaten in the past three days and then circlce the foods that are “fake”. This can help your kids and you as a parent realize where you’re getting your nutrition!

Pick Your Own:

Picking your own veggies or fruit is fun and rewarding. Check out the blueberry picking post submitted by Becca Renfroe of Northwest Arkansas. Have your kids decide what they want to pick and then go to pickyourown.org to find a farm near you.

Plant Your Own:

Planting a garden would always be ideal but if you’re lacking the space for a full-on garden consider follwoing these step by step instructions for container gardening. Making your own pop bottle terrarium is also a space saver. Planting chives inside it is a great way to add flavor to your kids’ day and your baked potato!

Besides teaching kids where food comes from, do you have any other ideas on how to get them to appreciate healthy food more? Leave a comment here at Nature For Kids.

gardening, farming, food, plants, healthy kids

Pop Bottle Terrarium

I did this activity a couple weeks ago with the scouts I work with in our area. It was so fun that when I got home my kids wanted to do it. I thought I’d share it here at Nature For Kids.

A pop bottle terrarium is like a small garden that you never have to water. The water cycles through the soil, plant and air. The plant soaks up the water where it is then released through its leaves. It then condenses, forming droplets on the pop bottle wall. Then it drips back down into the soil and is reused by the plant.

What a great opportunity to teach your kids about the water cycle!

Here is a short video I made with my kids to show you how to make your own pop bottle terrarium.

After making our pop bottle terrariums we took a two week trip to visit grandparents. The first thing my son did when we arrived home was check on the progress his plants had made inside the terrarium. He was so excited to see that several little stems with healthy leaves awaited him.

Dog Days Of Summer

In one of my previous posts, Hydration For Kids I talked about the importance of keeping cool and well hydrated while playing outdoors. Unfortunately what’s sometimes overlooked are our pets. Dogs can suffer the same problems kids do, like overheating and dehydration.

To help your dog get through the dog days of summer  try filling up a kiddy pool with water.

Skadi, taking an afternoon dip!

Here are some other quick tips that I got from msnbc.com

• Always have fresh cool water available
• Bring your dog indoors during the hottest part of the day
• Provide a shaded area in your yard
• Never leave your dog in the car
• Be aware of hot surfaces like sand or asphalt, these can harm your pets paws 

On the Hiking With Dogs post I mentioned the packable dog bowls. This is a great way to be sure your dog stays hydrated when on the go!

What are some things you do to get your pet through the dog days of summer?
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Berry Good Books

This post is an extension of the Blueberry Picking post done on Friday by Becca Renfroe…

Before we went (blueberry picking), we read my number one favorite children’s book: Blueberries for Sal. We read it about three times every night during the week leading up to our excursion. I love anything by Robert McCloskey, and I really think Blueberries for Sal is his best work, even though it was awarded a Caldecott honor, and not the Caldecott medal (which he won for Make Way for Ducklings, but, sorry folks–Blueberries is the more endearing choice). I don’t think your home library can be complete without this book . . . and it’s still as fresh and entertaining now as it was when it was first published, sixty years ago.

I got some more books about blueberries from the library to read to the boys–one is one of our repeat check-outs that I plan to buy, and it is called The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers. The reason we got this one is because the hodag in this picture book (and the pictures are amazing, beautiful woodcuts) eats blueberry bushes as his food of choice. But two of the books I checked out were new to me: Blueberries for the Queen and Blueberry Mouse.

Blueberries for the Queen is based on a true story. Apparently, the Queen of the Netherlands fled to the United States during World War II, for her safety. She rented a house in Massachusetts, and a local farm boy took a basket of blueberries from his farm to her as a present. Queen Wilhelmina invited him right in and treated him very kindly, thanking him for his gift. Children’s book author Katherine Patterson and her husband, John Patterson, teamed up with illustrator Susan Jeffers to create a perfect story for children that really happened. Truman loved this one.

Brigham liked the second book better. Blueberry Mouse is a fun, rhyming story about a mouse whose favorite food in the world is blueberries, and who lives inside a blueberry pie. She nibbles her house, one piece at a time, until it is all gone . . . but then she decides to replace her house with a blueberry cake.

I recommend checking out books to go along with any outdoor adventure. Our family loves fiction and non-fiction alike, and most kids will get excited when a story captures their imagination about an activity, or when they feel like they are an “expert’ already. All of these books got my kids excited about berrying, and our preparation and then work paid off when we got to, literally, enjoy the fruits of our labors . . . á la blueberry buckle. I’m warning you . . . one taste and you may dread the eleven months of the year when fresh blueberries aren’t in season.

Becca Renfroe is an at-home mom, a lover of all things outdoors, a freelance writer, and a baker of desserts. She and her family live in Northwest Arkansas.

outdoors, adventure, kids, books, reading, summer fun, activities for kids, activities for children, childrens books, kids books

Conserving, Protecting Water

To kids water is a sure thing. It will always be there when you’re thirsty and it’s always fun to play in. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. Overused and polluted waterways are as much of a problem as any other these days.

Today we plan on going fishing at our local Gigliotti Pond . I thought it might be a good opportunity to talk to my kids about conserving and protecting water.

I found this great two-page activity sheet to help kids realize the importance of conserving and protecting water. It was created by the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

No matter what state you’re from, I encourage you to print it off and take some time today to go through it with your kids.

Here are some quick tips on how to protect and conserve water:

• Don’t liter (broken glass and plastic items are harmful to fish and unpleasant to see)
• Dispose of harmful chemicals the right way
• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth
• Take short showers (baths use more water)
• Put drinking water in the fridge (waiting for it to get cold from the sink wastes water)
• Water your lawn during the cool part of the day (water will evaporate more during the hot part of the day)
• Repair leaky toilets and faucets 

 Do you have any other ideas on how to conserve or protect water?

Check out the EcoMom post on Nature For Kids for more information on how to have less of an impact on the Mother Nature!

Container Gardening

Now that the spring rush is over, your nearest nursery has more than likely reduced the prices of their flowers and other plants. If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to let your kids get their hands dirty and make a container garden. It’s an easy way to introduce your child to the fun and rewarding process of gardening and Nature For Kids.

At The Nursery: Choose flowers or vegetables that are already established and ready to be transplanted into your container. Seeds are a little too late to get started now. Try to choose plants that are just preparing to bud out. That way you’ll have the blooming to still look forward too. But we can’t be too picky…it is the middle of June. 

Preparing The Container: Find a container with holes in the bottom or sides to allow drainage. This can be anything from a pot bought at a store or an old rusty wheelbarrow found behind the barn. Terra cotta pots are inexpensive and a clean slate for your budding artist. Get out the paints and let your child create a one of a kind container.

Now that you’ve found the container you’ll be using, place a layer of large rocks or gravel, filling the container about 1/4 full. This will be sure to allow proper drainage and save on potting soil. Next dump the potting soil into the container to fill it about 3/4 of the way. This will leave enough room for our plants. Stir up and mix the soil allowing it to soften and aerate a bit. Prepare two-inch holes where you want your plants to be placed.

Transplanting The Plants: Carefully grab the plants (more than likely they’ll be individually set in plastic cubicles). With your fingers squish the plastic base with your fingers. This will loosen up the plant and allow you to pull it out of the plastic easily. After your plant is out gently loosen the roots of the plant without knocking off too much dirt.  Place the plant in the hole you dug earlier. Press the dirt firmly around the plant. The dirt should be level with the base of the stem. Place in a sunny spot. To give your plants a boost, feed them a little Miracle Grow or aged chicken manure.

It’s amazing the ownership and responsibility kids will take on after going through this process of picking, planting, and watering. It’s something for them to be very proud of and see quick results for their efforts.

Email us a picture of your container garden at shawna@natureforkids.net!

Kid Powered Toys

Kids can accumulate toys really fast. After parents, grandparents and friends give birthday, Christmas and Easter gifts it’s hard to remember what came from who. And if your toys are like ours, they’re all running on semi-dead batteries, making that talking baby doll sound a bit like Barry White.

Well I came across these great toys called Sprig, by way of Treehuggingfamily.com. They’re not battery powered toys but kid powered, imagine that! The company describes their products like this, “kids power the fun which fuels their imagination! It’s where batteries stay out of landfills and kids get off the couch. …Active kids, happy parents, healthy planet.”

The line of toys include the Discover Rig, Rally Racer, Baja Scout and several little characters with headlamps that light up when put inside a vehicle.

Here are the main features of the toys:

• Push and pump action makes the lights and sounds work
• Made from recycled wood and reclaimed plastics
• Battery free (no more Barry White)
• Exapndable (mix different characters with different vehicles for new adventures)

I could totally see my boys outside in our gravel/dirt pit creating adventures for hours. I tried to get my hands on these early for my son’s birthday but no can do. They don’t come out until the Fall of this year. I’m so excited to see what else Sprig will come up with that encourages Nature For Kids.

Top Tens

Today I thought I’d share some “Top Tens” with you that correlate with the purpose of Nature For Kids.
Drum roll please….

Gorp presents ten camping commandments to build excitement about the outdoors in kids. 

Dog Behavior Online  provides 10 ways to exercise a dog

And last but not least…

turnoffyourtv.com gives the top 10 frequently asked questions  concerning why you should turn off your TV.

Let Nature For Kids  know if you learned anything that will stick with you!

Healthy Swim Habits

One of my favorite movies, “The Sandlot”, portrays the perfect summer activities for kids; playing baseball in a vacant lot, campouts in a killer tree house and swimming at the local pool. I’m sure this is every child’s expectation this summer. Unfortunately the pool portion, or any of it for that matter, won’t happen unless we all adopt healthy swim habits.

There’s a nasty little bug that will try to ruin a large portion of your summer, it’s called Cryptosporidium (Crip-toe-spore-id-ium). Basically, It is trying to hitch a ride from someone who has diarrhea into your local swimming pool. And then when you least expect it, it swims into your open mouth and down to your intestines to camp out for a couple weeks. Meanwhile you’re stuck inside by the toilet, looking out the window at that tree house.

Last summer Cryptosporidium made a lot of people sick. So many that health officials wouldn’t allow children ages 5 and under to swim in pools. Some public pools had to even shutdown for the remainder of the summer because people kept getting sick.

Here’s some ways that Crypto can spread:

• A person who has diarrhea doesn’t shower before getting into the pool.
• Someone changes a child’s soiled diaper close to the pool. 
• A person with crypto doesn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom.
• A baby with diarrhea let’s loose while in the pool. Swim diapers can only hold so much!

Okay hold onto your seats, this is pretty gross but I have to share it so you get the whole idea. I found this in our local paper. “On average people have about .14 grams of poop on their bottoms which can contaminate water. People who have diarrhea have millions of germs.” Oh I feel bad for the poor guy that had to do that study.

So after all this being said and you’re still up for going to the public pool, here’s a few healthy swim habits to adopt from Nature For Kids:

• Take a shower with warm soapy water before getting in the pool, that includes your kids.
• If you have diarrhea, don’t go to the pool! And be sure you’re completely better before going back again.
• Wash your hands after using the bathroom or changing a diaper.
• Don’t swallow the water or even let it in your mouth.
• Take your child to the bathroom regularly and check their swim diapers often.
• Change baby diapers in the restroom, not poolside.

Well, the sky is clear and it’s warming up fast so I think we’ll head to our public pool to practice our crypto defense. Have a great day! 

Nalgene Water Bottles

When children play outside, usually the first necessity considered to bring along is a water bottle. With all of the talk about polycarbonate and other different types of plastics it leaves many parents wondering whether their child’s water bottle is safe. 

Our three kids each have a Nalgene water bottle made of polycarbonate, which has a key element of a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA). It is said that BPA mimics the femal hormone estrogen and has been shown to cause defective cell division during development. Nalgene presents a wealth of information including the results of several studies done on this subject on their site. It’s really worth checking out if you have any questions.

Nalgene and many other manufacturers have decided to discontinue their polycarbonate bottles.  At first I thought it was because they believed them to be harmful. But as I read into it further they are simply doing it because consumer demand is weakening for that product.

Nalgene says they have reviewed the studies and tests done by several agencies, administrations and councils and they claim to have proven BPA to be safe. These studies can be found on the site I linked to above as well. To keep in step with what consumers are seeking Nalgene has decided to transition from polycarbonate to Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, a BPA free alternative.

Overall the studies say that the amount of BPA leaching into the liquid inside a polycarbonate bottle is so minimal that there is no risk involved. As a parent it’s comforting to hear that statement ”no risk involved”, but the idea of even a minimal amount going into your child’s body is somewhat unsettling. 

So it seems our choices when coming to polycarbonate water bottles are either over cautious parent or trusting consumer. Which one are you?
Find BPA-Free Water Bottles at REI