April 29, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
As a family we are always looking for ways to cut down on our grocery bills. We like to cook with fresh herbs as often as possible, which can start to add up when you purchase them from the produce aisle at your local market. To cut down on the cost we grow our own herbs on our windowsill for at least half of the year.
When you grow your own produce food tastes fresher and it helps minimize pesticide exposure. Plus you don’t have to worry about recalls on tainted produce and you can have fun doing it as a family! But sometimes I have bad luck growing certain herbs from seedlings, and that’s why we are huge fans of Bonnie Plants.
I love using Bonnie Plants because the biodegradable peat pots prevent transplant shock by allowing the roots to remain intact from container to soil. Bonnie’s exclusive peat pots have already prevented more than 100 million pounds of plastic from ending up in landfills. They’ve also dramatically reduced energy and petroleum required in the manufacture of plastic pots. Those are some great reasons to check out Bonnie Plants when you start to plan your garden!
April 27, 2009 by admin · 6 Comments
Gratitude
The number one way my parents taught us gratitude was by volunteering for our community. We volunteered as a family doing everything from Sub for Santa to cleaning up homes after a flood.
If your children are old enough to join (or start!) a Community Service Club then sign them up! In different schools I participated in various activities such as organizing an Easter egg hunt for orphanages and throwing a Halloween bash for the children at a battered women’s shelter.
One year we were having a hard time deciding with whom to spend Thanksgiving so instead of arguing about it, I signed us up to help with Thanksgiving dinner at a whole homeless shelter. (It was more work than I had planned, and I was not the best cook back then so I should probably host a re-do when my kids are older!)
My children are too young to help with most of these activities but not too young for some of these ideas:
- Have your children go through their toys and donate them to a shelter.
- Host a huge birthday party and suggest they give their presents to charity.
- Teach them DAILY gratitude whether you do it through prayer, around the dinner table or right before bed. Get your children in the habit of sshowing gratitude for the people and things around them on a daily basis.
- Thank your children! It will teach them to be polite, make them feel appreciated and they will follow your example and thank others.
- Help them write thank-you notes. I was a little scared of my Grandmother…Whenever the phone rang and it was Grandma calling, my first thought was, “Crap, did I forget to send a thank-you note to Grandma for something?” It was one of her biggest pet peeves. Always send a handwritten thank-you note!Amanda Blake Soule, author of The Creative Family, gave a great tip for thank-you cards for those with young children: Sit down one day with blank card stock, have them decorate the fronts and use that as your stationary for thank-you cards. When your child is old enough, have him join in helping you decide what to write inside the card.
- Focus on one alphabet letter a day and have your child color a picture of something she is thankful for that begins with that letter. Use a wire or fishing line and display each one!
Here are my favorite resources for those of you who live in Utah for finding volunteer events:
United Way of Utah County
United Way of Salt Lake
April 24, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
All-natural homemade glue is a simple recipe to do with your children and it can keep for weeks in the fridge. My girls enjoy using it for all their weekly
art projects and I don’t get worried if my baby takes a taste or two! You simply mix 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of water (you might need a bit more or less) and 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Then you warm it up on the stove till it thickens a little bit, let it cool and then it is ready to use!
We make our art “masterpieces” with odds and ends from the pantry: broken pasta, dried beans or snack items that have gone stale. That way I don’t have to spend any money at the craft store and still have fun art projects to do with my children. I find it important to teach my children how to minimize their carbon footprint. Even little art and craft projects are a great way to reduce, reuse and recycle!
April 22, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments
To help consumers further separate fact from fiction this Earth Day, Cotton Incorporated has created an interactive quiz (“Do You Know Green?”) on its two popular websites, www.MysteryFabric.com and www.TheFabricOfOurLives.com.
The quiz doesn’t have too many questions promoting their brand and is a great resource for educating “greenie newbies.” I even ended up using the quiz as a game to teach my children a few new things.
The quiz takes users through a series of true-or-false statements that challenge them on various topics:
· Is it more energy friendly to cool down your car with the air conditioner or by rolling down the windows?
· Is it better for the environment to wash dishes in the dishwasher or by hand?
· Do electronics use energy even when they are turned off?
It answers the question that recently evolved from “How can I go green?” into “What can I do that will really help the environment?”
In celebration of Earth Day be sure to play this quiz/game with your kiddos! If you don’t learn a new tip or two your children certainly will!
“For 200 years we’ve been conquering nature. Now we’re beating it to death.” ~Tom McMillan (The Greenhouse Trap, Francesca Lyman, 1990)
April 22, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
The following post is an interview I did with 10-year-old Katie, who is sharing with us her experience of
helping end childhood hunger. She wanted to share this in hopes you would follow in her footsteps using her fantastic ideas. Be sure to give her a warm welcome; she is an amazing young lady!
How did you first get involved in the fight against childhood hunger?
I first got involved with the fight against hunger when I received my cabbage seedling from a third-grade cabbage program with Bonnie Plants. I planted my seedling, cared for it and it grew and grew and grew. When it was done growing it weighed 40 pounds. It was huge! My mom called Fields to Families and they helped us find a perfect home for my cabbage: Tri County Family Ministries. I brought it there and it fed 275 people. They let me serve my cabbage and it was so great to see what my cabbage did. People thanked me and it made me feel so good. For that one day I made a big difference in the lives of 275 people and I was only 9 years old. I had the idea that I could do more and help more people.
Can you tell us more about your fundraising efforts and garden?
I found a very creative way to launch my dream and start gardens. I entered the Amazing Kids! Launch My Dream! t-shirt design contest. You can see my cute t-shirt design at Meri’s site, www.verymeri.com. The profits I get from my shirt go towards the fight against hunger (10%). Amazing Kids! also gets 10% to help other kids launch their dream.
What were some of the first steps you took to work towards your dream?
My garden originated in May of ‘08. We had all sort of plants. But the biggest was my cabbage! It stood out with its soaring cage around it to protect it from wild animals.
How have others helped your work towards your goal?
So many people helped me. Fields to Families found the right soup kitchen, which started my dream, and now they are helping me become a Master Gardener. Meri from VeryMeri has helped by selling my shirt to raise money. Amazing Kids! selected me as the winner and are helping to launch my dream also. My family helps me every day by encouraging me and my school has been great by helping me start a garden.
What is your inspiration? Have others around you inspired you?
I was inspired by seeing how many people don’t have food to eat. My parents always told me not to waste food but I didn’t really understand until I went to Tri County Family Ministries. Now I see the news at night and there are even more people who need food because they have lost jobs. If I can help even a few of them it will be great. I hope when other kids see what I have done that they will help too.
What are your plans for the future?
I hope in the future to have lots of gardens that can grow food for thousands of people. I hope lots of people will buy my ‘No Hungry Kids’ shirt so I can help fund the gardens. The shirts are also a great way to spread the word. It would also be great if one kid from each state would agree to start a vegetable garden and donate the harvest to their local soup kitchen. Together would could make a huge difference in the fight against hunger.
How can others help you with your current projects?
I would love to have other people help with my dream and it is so easy and fun. If you have a spot in your backyard you can start a garden, or if you don’t have a spot in your yard you can use planters to grow vegetables. You can start with seeds or seedlings from a garden center and then water your plants and care for them. When your vegetables are ready to harvest you can locate a soup kitchen to donate your food. It is a great project for the whole family; my little brother is helping me now with our garden at home.
If you could give advice to another youth about completing their goal to help others what would it be?
I don’t think it matters how young you are; if you have an idea find someone who will listen to you and don’t give up until you do. My family, my school, Amazing Kids, my friends and Meri from VeryMeri have all supported me and my dream. Hard work pays off and there isn’t anything you can’t do if you try.
April 20, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
In my family we make it a goal to have unstructured play in nature every day. Unstructured play in my family means giving my children access to a safe environment without distractions like toys, playground equipment, and electronics and give them the opportunity to explore nature and learn to be creative on their own.
When we spend time in nature I notice a huge behavioral change. My children tend to be calmer, more obedient and happier when we’ve spent time outside. Child development specialists have preached the benefits of nature play for years, some of which include an increase in your children’s academic potential, social skills and creativity.
During the cold months of winter and often into the first parts of spring, our goal of spending time in nature can be difficult. If the temperature is really low or the rain coming down in sheets, it keeps us from staying outside, but the following is a quick activity my girls enjoy doing even when nature isn’t so friendly.
After a new snow or rainfall they love to investigate our yard, the park or the empty field by our home for fresh animal tracks. They become little detectives trying to imagine what kind of animal made the snowy or muddy track and what journey it was taking. They even enjoy making up stories about the creature throughout the rest of the day. With spring showers still in full swing your children should have ample opportunity for some outdoor detective work!
April 17, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
I have wanted our family to be better at recycling for a long time now. We recycle but I know we can be much more effective. We are going to set ourselves up for success by having a plan and executing it tonight as a family. Here are some of the steps we are taking to encourage better recycling in our home:
1. Take a trip to our city center to see our local rules and regulations about recycling.
2. Talk about what we can recycle in our home. Run through a typical day and see where we can stop and recycle!
3. Set up a special bin under the sink or in the laundry room into which our family can quickly and easily throw recyclable items–instead of throwing them in the garbage. (I think I’ll let my girls decorate it with pictures of what they love about the Earth, too!)
4. Teach my girls about recyclable items you can collect and turn in for money. In many locations you can collect cans, glass bottles and even plastic bags!
5. Take the time to talk about what I really enjoy about the Earth and how it important it is that we all do our part to take care of our home.
April 15, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
While reading Last Child into the Woods by Richard Louv I decided to start “Nature Days” and invite others to come along. Some of my fondest memories growing up were unstructured “play times” in Nature. Here is an excerpt from the book:
We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children’s memories, the adventures we’ve had together in nature will always exist. These will be their turtle tales.
Utah’s Natural Kids will be having our SIXTH Nature Day.
Nature Days are quite simple and low key. We meet together to explore nature without set activities. We let the kids play and explore together in nature. Don’t expect to show up and be told what to do 
or that this is a “planned” activity. But it will still be a wonderful experience for the children to participate in every month.
Monday, May 4th at 10am
We will be meeting at The International Peace Gardens is located at Jordan Park, 1000 South 900 West, Salt Lake City, Utah.
It will be a great opportunity to let your children enjoy nature alongside other children. No playground, no toys, no itinerary–the perfect way to have an adventure!
Please send me an email at inevergrewup@yahoo.com if you interested in coming and would like directions.
April 15, 2009 by admin · 9 Comments
Two things my girls have enjoyed doing this Spring: playing in the rain and helping me start the garden. The perfect activity for combining these twoo things is collecting rainwater! With how dry it can be here in Utah we need to save all the water we can. Rainwater can reduce the reliance on city water and save resources, especially as water ordinances and restrictions tighten and water becomes more scarce. Collecting rainwater for your spring/summer garden is the perfect solution and a fun experience for your kids. It is also a great way to teach your children water conservation–and you’ll enjoy the lower water bills!
If you have a small garden like mine (we just have an herb and salsa garden) you can have the children place their buckets and pails outside when you know a rainstorm is coming. This will ensure you have enough water for a couple of weeks.
A popular option is to buy barrels and use diverted gutter water to fill them, but to get more storage for less money you can make your own system. You can find usable barrels at a variety of places or use old whiskey barrels or reconditioned food grade plastic barrels. You can also look under “Containers or Barrels–Used” in your local yellow pages. One word of caution: An open barrel can attract bugs and is a safety hazard. Put a tight-fitting screen over it and never leave children unsupervised. You can also ask at your local gardening center about “mosquito doughnuts” if you are worried about the barrel becoming a place for mosquito breeding grounds. A “mosquito doughnut” will quickly take care of the problem.
Collected rainwater can be used to do other things besides watering the garden. Use it to water your lawn, do laundry, fill decorative ponds and family pools, water plants and even flush toilets! Collecting rainwater is a great way to recycle and reuse one of our most important natural resources!
April 13, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
Cultivating a child’s love of nature will help nurture her love for the earth. In turn she will care more for the environment and have a deeper understanding about the importance of being eco-friendly. Investigating the nature close to your home is the perfect way to start! If your children care for the nature they see every day they will come to love nature everywhere.
We love investigating our neighborhood and the beauty around us. The girls and I enjoy going on “Nature Photography Walks.” We carry two cameras and take pictures of anything that strikes our fancy along the way.
When we get home we put our snapshots in our photography book along with commentary from the girls. I put my picture and thoughts of the nature object beside their photos and descriptions. It is a fun way to see how how very differently children think, what in nature matters most to them, and it makes a wonderful keepsake for the family!
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