Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

Gardening and children are a perfect fit. Children love being outside and playing in the dirt. Most are fascinated by plants and flowers, so why not teach them to garden where they can learn about a plant’s life cycle firsthand? There are many benefits to gardening with children. It’s the perfect way to teach them about responsibility, healthy foods and respect for the environment. This has been recognized by many schools across the country, who are incorporating gardening in their curriculum. (Learn more about programs and find great resources for gardening with children at Kids Gardening.)

So how do you encourage your children to garden without making it a chore? I think the most important thing is for them to see how much you love gardening and spend a little time with you in the garden every day. Here are a few more tips for gardening with your children.

1. Let them have their own garden or area - a space that is all their own. Their age will dictate how much you will need to help out with the watering and weeding, but try not to take over.
2. Allow them to choose the plants, but steer them towards those that are easy to grow - Lettuces, cherry tomatoes, potatoes and carrots are few favorites. And no child’s garden is complete without quick growing, sunny sunflowers!
3. Start from seed - children enjoy watching seeds sprout up from the soil and they learn so much more than starting from seedling.
4. Have fun! Make time for digging holes and inspecting insects. Don’t forget to express how proud you are of their hard work. Be sure to show off their garden when guests visit your home.

How do you get your children involved with gardening?

Photo by tm-tm

Using photography to help children appreciate our earth

Behind the lens, the world becomes a canvas – and all we have to do is find ways to capture the scenes. As photographers, we become more observant, more curious, more contemplative.

Teaching our children to look at the world with the eye of an artist helps them to look deeper and become more appreciate of the beauty – and damage – before them.

Are your children asking to borrow your camera? Are they grabbing your iPhone to click a picture?

Capitalizing on your child’s budding interest in taking photos can be a wonderful opportunity to help them learn more about nature – and of course introduce them to the incredible world of photography!

Where to start?

It may seem daunting – how does one teach a child the skill of photography, especially if you aren’t already a photographer?

Fortunately we live in a digital age – and photography has never been more accessible!

Here are 3 tips to get your child started taking photos:

1. Provide your child with a user-friendly digital camera that has an auto setting, and is equipped with a zoom lens.

You can choose a point and shoot camera or even an entry-level DSLR for a child who is responsible and old enough to take care of it. DSLRs also have auto settings, so a basic, light weight DSLR is can actually be a reasonable option for an older child if your budget allows. 

I recommend providing a camera with a zoom lens. This will give your child the added creative freedom and excitement of changing their focal length and working on composition. (Of course, using a fixed lens is another creative challenge that they will want to tackle one day too!)

I remember the first camera my dad gave me when I was a teenager. It was a high quality point and shoot with a zoom lens. I fell in love with photography with that camera on a trip to Prince Edward Island. The beautiful landscape was perfect for me to practice composing shots. When my dad saw my photos and praised me for my good eye, it meant the world to me.

Several years later, when he died, I inherited his Canon EOS SLR and lenses. It was before the Digital SLRs were available and so I “cut my teeth” on that film SLR, shooting my son’s first three years of life with my dad’s camera.

2. Teach your child the basics – and no worries, the internet can help!

The art and skill of photography takes a lifetime to learn. But everyone needs to start somewhere! It is amazing how a few basic concepts can radically improve anybody’s photos – even a child’s!

Teaching your child photography tips like “The Rule of Thirds,” getting in close, and checking their backgrounds, can empower them and help them to surprise you with their shots!

Digital Photography School.com has a great post about lessons to teach your child about digital photography. It also links to more of their posts that explain the concepts in greater detail which is perfect for an older child or teenager or for you to read and teach them. http://www.digital-photography-school.com/13-lessons-to-teach-your-child-about-digital-photography   

3. Let them shoot – and then review the shots with them later

The best way for all of us to improve as photographers is through trial and error. We need to shoot hundreds of shots to get a few that turn out the way we want them to. And the more we experiment, the more we learn.

So encourage your child to get shooting. Remind them that everything from a flower, to an old bridge, to a dirty shoe can be their subject. They are the storytellers and they can tell whatever stories they want to.

Take your child out into nature, on hikes or to parks – wherever you can find for your child to explore with their camera.

When it is time to download the photos and choose what to print, if your child wants you to, sit down with them and talk about the photos together. Listen to your child about what they were trying to achieve and offer encouragement and feedback.

Then celebrate their shots by allowing them to print their favorite photos and make albums for themselves and family members, or even print photo books online.

I am so grateful that my father provided me with cameras and passed on his love of photography to me.

When I have my camera with me I am never bored. Looking at the world through the lens allows me to slow down and look for beauty – and I always can find it somewhere. My camera helps me appreciate, even more, the world around me.

YOUR TURN: Do your children like to take photos? Has it been hard for you to “hand over the camera?” If you are a photographer, how old were you when you first picked up a camera?

Photos by Janice Croze

I had placed the box of vegetables from the market on the kitchen floor when my son, Jackson, who was two years old at the time, picked a giant red pepper and bit into it like an apple.

My first instinct was, “He is going to waste that, I better get it.” But then I figured if he was eating a vegetable – I wasn’t going to interrupt, nor complain about how he was eating it! Besides, when he tired of it, I could just slice up the parts he hadn’t eaten and use them with dinner. But to my surprise, my two year-old went on to eat most of the sweet pepper!

Ever since then, my kids have chomped into peppers like apples and eaten cucumbers whole. Sure, I slice them for them too. But if they want to grab a whole vegetable and start eating – who am I to get in between my children and a fresh vegetable? 

When we were at Cascadian Farm last month, Jackson picked a pepper and started chomping away. One of the PR team members was surprised, and remarked that she had never seen someone eat a pepper whole.

It got me thinking about veggies and some ways to make eating vegetables MORE FUN for kids!

1.       Hand it over whole – I remember eating carrots like Bugs Bunny when I was a kid, the green tail swinging while I did my best Bugs impression. My kids also love the freedom of eating their veggies whole. From peppers, to cucumbers, to carrots – skip the slicing and hand ‘em over whole! (And if your kids don’t finish the entire thing – no worries, you can take over. I bet you could use the extra veggies too.)

2.       Cut it cookie style – Grab some small cookie cutters and cut peppers into fun shapes. Just cut the pepper in half or thirds to get the pepper flat enough to cut into shapes. Kids will love making pepper cookies! (And you don’t have to worry about calories when eating the left over cookie scraps!)

3.       Pick it fresh – Even if you don’t have room for a vegetable garden, you can have fun growing and picking your own tomatoes from pots. My kids are never more excited to eat a vegetable than when they have grown and picked it themselves!

4.       Mix it up – Salads and salsas can be a great opportunity to let kids “make” their own food. To speed things up, you can pre-cut the produce and let your kids “build” their meal! Don’t forget that nuts, dried cranberries, and shredded cheese are great ways to spice up a salad and make it more kid-friendly.  And if you are making salsa – try adding corn or mangos! Your kids will love the different colors and flavours.

5.       Blend it in – If your kids aren’t buying it and they still wrinkle their noses at your veggie creations, you can always resort to pureeing vegetables and hiding them in their favorite foods. Your kids will never suspect that there is pureed cauliflower in their macaroni and cheese or pureed zucchini in their spaghetti sauce!

YOUR TURN: How do your kids eat their veggies? How have you made eating vegetables more “fun” for your children?

Photos by Janice Croze

One of the best things about parenthood is that you get to re-live (and reinvent) your favorite family traditions with your children. As the “grown-up” you get to decide what’s important to do as a family and what values you want to instill. I’ve always looked forward to autumn and everything that goes along with it… the changing leaves, Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, baking, etc. One of things I looked forward to most as a child was going to a farm in New Jersey to pick apples and pumpkins. The lush, wide open space was a welcome change of pace from where we lived on Staten Island. I loved being able to select my very own pumpkin, I would carefully examine dozens before finding the perfect one.

I wanted to continue that tradition by taking my son to a farm to select his very first pumpkin. Although you can buy pumpkins at any grocery store or from the little “pumpkin patches” they set up in parking lots near malls – going to a farm supports your local economy and is so much more fun. We went to Oma's Pumpkin Patch at The Van Ommering Dairy Farm in Lakeside, about 30 minutes east of San Diego. Although Grayson’s not quite one, he loved it! He had a blast crawling along the pumpkins, looking at the cool trucks and tractors and petting the goats. Of course we took advantage of the many great photo opportunities. There were a number of playgrounds and a large sloped “play-pen” full of cotton seed that the older children were rolling around in and sliding down like snow! When it came time to select a pumpkin, Grayson’s approach was slightly different than mine; he grabbed the small pumpkins with the longest stems, so he could get a good grip and tossed them as far as he could. When he tired of that, he held on tight to the one that was left. Despite my efforts to examine it and make sure it was a “good one” - that was his pumpkin!

We concluded the lovely morning with a scenic hay ride to see the cows, including an adorable one day old calf – so sweet. By the end of the slow, bumpy ride Gray was barely able to keep his eyes open and slept all the way home! I know this will be a place that our family will enjoy going back to year after year.

What is your favorite fall family tradition?

Photos by Kari Burks

Their world includes recycling bins, organic fruit, and energy-efficient light bulbs. They won’t have to breathe second hand smoke in airplanes or install asbestos into building walls.

But not all of the ills of environmentally damaging behavior are behind us.

Our children will have to inherit the fight to clean up their world – and work hard to build a sustainable, healthier future for their planet.

I have to admit; sometimes I grow weary of the battle. Some days I want to throw the canned salmon tin in the trash instead of washing out the smell and putting it in my recycling bin. Often I reach past the organic produce for the more inexpensive option.

But I am convicted – not just for the world I want for myself, but for the world I want for my children and their children.

I am tired of the pesticides coating our fruit. I am sick that my son’s school has asbestos leaking out of its walls. And I am mad that lobbyists win over logic.

So I need to keep the passion for reform and healthy living alive in my children. I need to teach them about how far we have come and how far we have to go.

They have a long life of fixing our mistakes ahead of them.

Here are three ways that I try to inspire my children to be eco-conscious:

1. Learn from our mistakes.
Every time I say, “When I was your age...” I think of the old joke: “I had to walk to school uphill both ways!” It may seem like ancient history (and a pinch of urban legend) when we tell our kids about how life was decades ago, but teaching our kids about past generations' mistakes and how we have learned from them is critical.

2. Every little bit counts.
Fixing the damage humans have done to the environment is overwhelming for all of us! Kids can also feel like their contributions don’t matter much. Just as I try to remind myself, I talk to my kids about how our participation in environmental clean-up counts just as each person’s actions contributed to the problems.

3. The future looks brighter.
For all of us to keep inspired, we need to focus on the positives – on how far we have come and the better future that waits. Yes, there is much to be done. But our kids are being raised in a world of awareness and education. They are a generation that can and will change their world – for the better!

Photo by Janice Croze

I love Autumn, in fact I would say that it is my favorite season. I love the scent during the cool crisp days, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot and seeing the leaves turn into beautiful hues of yellow, orange and red. Autumn is the perfect time to share traditions with your family.

Family traditions are important because they build memories that will last a lifetime and create a unique, strong bond with our forever friends - our families. Fall traditions are the perfect way to spend fun, quality time together. Starting your own Fall traditions is easier than you may think. Most of these traditions can be done on a budget and in an Eco friendly manner.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Organic Apple Orchard or Pumpkin Patch Visit and Lunch: A visit to your local apple orchard or pumpkin patch is an activity that everyone in your family is sure to enjoy, regardless of their age. Make sure to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy while you lounge on a blanket at the farm. When you get home, spend time together making caramel apples or carving your bounty of pumpkins.

2. Make it a Corn Maze and Hayride Day: What family wouldn't bond -working together to find your way through a Corn Maze? Better yet, by snuggling together under a blanket with a thermos of apple cider on a hayride. It is the simple activities that your child will cherish the most. And you can usually find both a corn maze and a hayride at your local Autumn festivals.

3. Take a Family Hike or Bike: Fall is the perfect time to pull out your hiking boots or take the bicycles out of the garage. Nothing is more fun than spending time together as a family in nature. Take your time and really soak up the changes the environment is making this time of year. And don't forget to grab your camera and nature journal on the way out the door.

4. Stuff a Scarecrow: Grab some of Dad's old overalls and a flannel shirt to create a scarecrow for your family garden. Your children will enjoy stuffing the clothing and drawing a face on the burlap sack. You get a fun and unique decoration for your yard that will last through Thanksgiving.

5. Dim the Lights and Tell Spooky Stories: This tradition has been a favorite in my home since my son was a toddler. Each night before bed, we turn off all of the lights, light candles and take turns telling or reading spooky stories. This is an activity that can be adjusted for the age of your children and is an activity that older children find especially fun.

6. It's For the Birds: People of all ages enjoy watching birds, why not make it a fall family tradition. Make a simple hanging bird feeder, using a pine cone, peanut butter and bird seed. Then hang it on a tree outside your living room window. Give each person in your family their own set of binoculars and a notebook to record what they see. Enjoy your local birds together before they fly south for the winter.

Does your family have Fall traditions?
Which are your favorites?

Photo Credits: Apple Orchard, Corn Maze, Fall Hike, Scarecrow, Spooky Shadow, Bird.

Getting the kids outside (and excited) for a family “nature” walk might not always be the simplest task. So, if you are able to pull them from their video games and TV, you want to make sure that everyone has a great time!

I find a few simple tricks ensure that everyone enjoys the fresh air and the wild world waiting for us to explore...

1. There is magic in a mud puddle.
When you set off on your walk, don’t fixate on your destination. What your kids remember (and enjoy) the most might be found in the mud puddles or wild flowers they find along the way. Enjoy the journey – because with little ones in tow, you might not even make it to your “destination!”

2. Age matters.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges to family outings is taking family members’ different ages into account. Try to plan your trip with age appropriate expectations. If little ones are coming along, keep the walk shorter with more “observation” time. An option is for one parent to lead a faster track, with one parent bringing up the rear. If you plan on splitting up, bring walkie talkies or cell phones that will allow you to stay in contact with each other.

3. Boys Scouts know what they are doing!
Being prepared is critical when heading out into the woods. Make sure you load on the sun block and bug spray, and pack supplies such as snacks, water, tissues, band-aids, compass, and bear-repellent. If you are planning a long hike or going into the back country, make sure you take emergency supplies, map, and let someone know your plans!

4. Count to five.
To keep my kids entertained or focused on a walk, I often suggest we make a list of five things. It can be to find five different kinds of leaves, five different sounds they can hear, or even just five things to report when we get back. One trip my son even included reporting to Dad that our puppy tried to eat horse manure! I am not picky – it made the kids laugh and fun is what it is all about!

5. Pack a camera – and not just for you!
If you have an older child, giving them a camera to take photos along the way will not only keep them interested, it can help them notice things they may otherwise miss. As well, it is a great way to see the world through their eyes when you look through their shots together after the trip is over.

BONUS TIP: Be flexible!!! As in every aspect of life and parenting, being flexible is usually the key to success! If the kids tire sooner than expected, if the bugs are biting too hard, or if no one is in the mood to find five things to collect – no worries! Focus on the positives and you will always have a great time together!

Photos by Janice Croze

My kids live a suburban life.

We pile into a minivan to go to an indoor hockey rink. We shop in huge box-shaped stores all lined up at the end of a massive parking lot. And we go for walks with our dog on a leash, along tree-lined streets with matching houses and primped lawns.

But despite our suburban surroundings, I try to keep a little “back to nature” alive in my kids.

As often as possible, we purchase our fruits and vegetables from the farm market down the street. We vacation in the wilderness, tucked in cabins perched next to lakes. And thankfully, with the green space behind our house, we can abandon the sidewalks and run through thickets and swat away bugs.

My favorite part of this summer, and I bet my kids would say the same, has been our almost daily wild blackberry picking.

Together, we push back prickly branches and maneuver past thorns to find these ripe, juicy blackberries.

We have spent hours these past few weeks in the blackberry bushes popping delicious berries straight from the branches into our mouths. And those we didn’t eat while we picked made it back to our kitchen were we spent the evening baking berry crisps together or packing our bounty in bags to freeze for winter.

Not only was it incredible family time out in the fresh air and then baking from scratch on warm August nights, but my children got to get their hands dirty gathering food – right from where it grows.

Our experiences this summer reminded me to continue to search out more opportunities for my children to be involved with food at the “ground level.”

I am planning on bringing my family with me to visit Cascadian Farm in October for their Harvest Festival, so my kids can learn more about organic farming and how we can make farms that respect the environment and produce healthier, safer food.

This fall we will also visit local farms to go apple picking, pull our pumpkins right from the fields where they ripened, and buy our squash and potatoes from the farm that produced them.

What about your family? How have you inspired your kids to discover “where food comes from?”

I would love to hear your ideas about how to keep our kids closer to our earth!

Photos by Janice Croze

Earlier this summer I wrote about helping your child to cope with home-sickness when heading off to summer camp.

As I told you in that post, I struggled with separating anxiety as a child and so being away from home was incredibly difficult for me.

But, when my teen years came and my desire to be with friends took over, my favorite place in the world was camp.

As a teenager, I would not only attend camp as a camper, but I would spend weeks volunteering for the younger-aged camps. Camp was my life. (In fact, I actually met my husband at camp when we were teenagers!)

So each summer, when camp ended and it was time to come home, coming back to reality was depressing.

I remember sitting in the back seat of my parents’ car on the way home from the boat, staring out at the streets which had suddenly become foreign to me. The city looked harsh, cold and dirty compared to life on the small island where I attended camp. I hated how fast it all moved, and how meaningless it felt compared to the warmth, fun and friendships I had just left.

When I stepped into my house, the comfort of my own bed didn’t make up for the loneliness. I wanted to be with my friends again. I wanted life to be all about fun. I wanted to be back at camp.

I coped by staying in close contact with my camp friends. We had lots of reunions and got together on weekends. To this day, many of my close friends are people I met at summer camp.

If your child or teenager is enduring the “end of camp” blues, they are not alone. The American Camp Association® (ACA) says, “The blues are not uncommon — causing some children to be tired, moody, and quieter than usual, or even irritable or grumpy.”

Here are some tips from the American Camp Association® for families to help ease the transition from camp to home:

• Help them relax and adjust to the slower pace of non-camp life. Suggest they take a warm shower and get plenty of rest. Plan to have an "old favorite" for dinner.

• Encourage reconnecting with friends from home. Volunteer to set up play dates and get-togethers to help re-establish a sense of belonging with friends they haven't seen in a long time.

• Allow your child to write, email, or call camp friends. Many camps encourage campers to exchange e-mail and IM addresses with one another. Parents should make sure to oversee their child's online activities, and make sure that all camp policies are being followed.

• Be open and available to talk about camp. Allow your children to reflect on their friends, their favorite moment at camp, and what they miss most about camp. Sharing experiences and feelings will help them feel connected to you, and will make the transition easier.

• Organize a small "reunion." Getting together with local camp friends can help reassure your child that though his or her friends are out of sight, they are not out of mind!

The ACA reminds parents that it is normal for them to miss their camp family the same way they missed their home family at camp. “If your child gets the blues, remember that they miss camp because they had fun — and they enjoyed taking healthy risks in a safe and nurturing environment... By being supportive and understanding, families can ease the sadness and help campers adjust to life at home. And, families can help campers remember that next summer is not that far away.”

For more information on camping visit http://www.campparents.org/.

My children are in perpetual motion.

My eight year old son slides down the stairs on his stomach, hits the bottom floor, grabs a ball and begins bouncing if off the walls. My two year old daughter climbs every surface she can find and wiggles off every chair I put her on.

Watching them, reminds me that children are designed to move.

But put on the television, or hand my son a video game, and they come to a complete stop – a dangerously, sedated stop. (I have to admit; sometimes it is a delicious stop for a tired mom!)

This generation of children is facing a new challenge – while life speeds up, our bodies are slowing down. We are sitting still, while technology moves for us.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not hating on technology. As I write this post, I am sitting in Starbucks, connected via Wi-Fi and typing on my laptop. I work online. I love technology. But I know its inherent dangers. And I know I have to work to counteract them.

With physical education programs cut back at schools across the country, homework loads increasing, and the constant temptation of video games, television and computers haunting our children as soon as the school dismissal bell rings, children are losing their natural state of activity and play. They simply aren’t moving enough.

And it isn’t hard to see the results. According to the American Heart Association, one-third of America’s children and teens are overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. The increase in childhood obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects. Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. (www.heart.org)

So what should parents do? The world of computer screens, commuting, and long work days is the new reality. It is life in the 21^st century.

But we can’t give up. If we don’t want our children to be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents, we have to help our kids, and ourselves, get moving!

Don’t get overwhelmed though. We can do it -- even if we have to do it in baby steps.

7 Tips to Keep Kids Active

1. “Walk” to School – My son’s school started “Walk to School Wednesday.” Families are encouraged to walk to school and children get recognition in class for doing so. For those of us who live too far to walk, we simply park a few blocks from school and walk. The morning exercise helps get our children’s mind and body ready to face the long school day ahead of them.

2. Sign Them Up! – It drives me crazy that I have to taxi children to organized sports and it definitely is a strain on the family budget, but a regular schedule of after-school sports activities ensures that your children get the much needed physical activity they are missing during their school day.

3. Get a Dog – A dog is an additional member of the family and brings along extra stress and costs. But if a dog fits well in your family, it is a great way to encourage regular physical activity.

4. Family Walks – After dinner is a great time to relax and enjoy some much need family time. Establishing a regular evening walk time with your children will not only improve everyone’s health, but it helps build stronger relationships.

5. Activity Breaks – Most kids want to enjoy video games or TV at some points during the week. Encouraging short activity/exercise breaks during their screen time can refresh their bodies and minds.

6. Get Equipment – Put up a basketball hoop, buy a hockey net, get everyone baseball mitts and then PLAY with your kids!

7. Go Online for Resources – There are countless programs and ideas online to encourage healthier lifestyles. Check out the American Heart Association for tips on activities with kids, weight and stress management, nutrition and more. www.heart.org

Photos by Janice Croze