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Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Campaign for Fair Food Drawing Contest

Posted in Action Alerts & Activism, Fun Stuff for Kids, tagged , , , , , , , on February 17, 2010 | 2 Comments »

When I first got this notice ,  Julia and I immediately sent her teacher an email about the upcoming Coalition of Immokalee Workers Kid’s Coloring Contest and guess what? She gave it to the school art teacher who is now getting ALL the grades involved! It’s awesome!

Here’s the flier and info if you and your kids want to include this in a homeschool “food unit, ” share the news with friends,  or just enter in the contest!


To young people, their parents, and all their teachers:

Farmworkers across the country pick the fruits and vegetables we need to stay healthy. And though they help put food on millions of tables across the country, most farmworkers don’t earn enough to support their own families, and many times they are treated unfairly at work in the fields. Through the Campaign for Fair Food, farmworkers and their supporters across the country are working together to create a more just food system in which farmworkers are respected and treated fairly.

To highlight the connection between young people and farmworkers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers announces the first-ever Campaign for Fair Food drawing contest! To enter, use your imagination to draw what “Fair Food” means to you, and show how you can work together with farmworkers to make a fairer world for the people who pick our fruits and vegetables.

Farmworkers in Immokalee will select one winner from each of four age groups:

  • Pre-K – 2nd grade
  • 3rd grade – 5th grade
  • 6th grade – 8th grade
  • High School

Winners’ drawings will be featured on the front of new Campaign for Fair Food postcards, which will be distributed around the country! Each winner will also receive a framed copy of their drawing signed by members of the Immokalee farmworker community.

Submissions will be accepted from now until April 1, 2010. Drawings may be created in any medium: crayon, colored pencil, marker, etc. There is no size requirement.

Click here for the drawing contest entry form.

Fair Food Curricula
Age-appropriate curricula are available for both secular and faith-based classes by clicking on the approprite links below. If you have difficulty downloading a curriculum, please contact drawingcontest@ciw-online.org.

Pre-K through 1st Grade: general | faith-based
1st through 5th Grade: general | faith-based
Junior High: general | faith-based
High School: general | faith-based

Complete Curriculum: general | faith-based
(Pre-K through High School; zip archive containing 4 files)

Click here for photo galleries from the fields that might serve for a little inspiration!

Please contact drawingcontest@ciw-online.org with any questions.

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Making a Root Viewer and “One Bean” Book

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Organic Gardening, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

We’re just around the corner from breaking out the seeds, transplants, compost, and more. Over at my house, we have to get the square foot garden beds ready by building new grids.

Those of you gardening with children might want to think about ways to incorporate them into the fun of fall planting.

While you can find toys like this Toysmith “root viewer” online for around $10 at various online toy shops…

…it isn’t like they are hard to make.

First, get a clear plastic cup and make a hole in the bottom for water to drain. You can use a drill or just carefully use a nail with a hammer to punch it out. Next you fill it with potting mix and water it so it is damp and draining decently. If too much dirt comes out of your hole when you water, take the dirt out. Put a small pice of cloth or paper towel in the bottom so water will seep out but the dirt will stay in.

Because the dirt is brown-black, I like using a white beans like green beans or lima beans with preschoolers so they can find their seed easily. Have them plant 2 or 3 around the cup against the side of the cup so it can be seen.

Put it in a sunny window and in two or three days, you will see the seed coat starting to break open and the main root starting to make it’s way down into the cup.

Six days later we have long main roots, some side roots, and the emergence of little plants.

Here is the view from the top of the cup:

About a week after planting, the little bean plants will be showing off nice root systems up against the side of the cup:

HINTS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

For the homeschoolers wanting to try this project out, it’s fun to do along with “One Bean” by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by Megan Halsey. They story covers a little boy who plants a bean seed and cares for his plant and watches it grow and develop into more beans. The bright, cheery illustrations are a hit with the preschool crowd and the vocab could go up to first or second grade readers.

My daughter also enjoyed watching time lapsed beans growing when we made hers:

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Are you looking for Summer Eco-Theme Day Camp?

Posted in Deals Around Town, Fun Stuff for Kids, Lessons and Classes for Kids, Local "Green" Events, Spirituality, Vegan/Vegetarian Options, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Ever the “green events” party girl, I finished 5k racing and sock hopping and now I’m off to teach summer camp kiddies with a vegan and homeschooler friendly eco-twist!

Anyone is welcome to come aboard for summer camp, UU style!

It’s non-profit and camp registration costs basically go to put on the “eco theme “ half day camp. You do not have to be a church member to attend summer camp. We’re doing it for good, green jollies. :)

Seventh Principle Day Camp

Brought to you by:

Children’s Religious Education and the Green Team

What: A day camp celebrating our Seventh UU Principle:

We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

(We believe in caring for Mother Earth, the home we share with all living things.)

When: June 16 – 20, 11:00 am – 3:00pm

Who: Children of all ages are welcome to join the fun; however, we do request that children under five be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cost: $7 a day or $30 for all 5 days. All lunches will be vegan and we have lots of inexpensive and easy suggestions. We are also accepting donations of sunscreen, “green” bug spray, and clean spray bottles

Activities will include: creating a composting system, planting a garden, creating a wall mural in the courtyard, making ourselves camp tee-shirts, taking an eco-tour of our campus, visiting Dick Azalea Park, and celebrating Mother Earth and our seventh principle in song, dance, and play.

Campers have the bonus option of sharing their camp experiences with family and friends in the June 22, Midsummer Sunday Morning Worship Service.

Need more info?

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Spring Fling

Posted in Chiropractors, Fun Stuff for Kids, Local "Green" Events, Nontoxic Lawn Care, Organic Gardening, Organizations/Activism, Parenting Groups, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Dr. Lynne Whitson-Rosemellia of Hands On Family Chiropractic is hosting a Spring Fling to benefit the Orlando Area Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network. The event will take place from 11-2 on Saturday, May 10th at 2876 S. Alafaya Trail in Orlando.

There will be plantings and paintings for the kids, a photographer to get pictures of Mom with the kids since she always seems to be behind the camera, Our Vital Earth with their worms, music, storytellers, organic snow cones, vendors, and more!

For more information please call Dr. Lynne’s office at 407.340.1293. To learn more about the Holistic Moms Network, please visit their website at http://www.holisticmoms.org.

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SFG: Harvest Bonus!

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Organic Gardening, tagged , , , , , , , on April 23, 2008 | 3 Comments »

While getting a harvest wasn’t part of the goals set out by the mini series of articles, I thought I’d share some pictures of our harvest. I always consider any kind of harvest as “bonus” when gardening with kids. It isn’t the point of the project, but it is fun when a batch of kids can manage to get to a crop of some kind. They are always so proud of themselves!

The church daycare kids harvested their beans and radishes and we had a good time preparing them and eating them. Back here at the home garden, we did the same only the harvest was petunia blossoms and beans.

I like to just use school safety scissors with young kids for harvesting. The scissors are less than a dollar, you can find them anywhere, the kids get practice with fine motor skills, and it helps keep them from destroying the plants by accident. Just a little snip will get the item off.

Granted, mine sometimes performs “plant haircuts” as well as “harvesting,” but it is her garden and so long as she leaves my kitchen garden “haircut free” all is good.

We got a bowl full of green beans from her little 4×4 ft square foot garden box. The beans were nice and straight, had a good mellow flavor, and were easy to tend both at home at church. All the kids said they’d want to grow those again. My family agreed with them.

So I would reccommend planting Burpee’s Bush Bean Bush Blue Lake 47 with kids in this climate. Seed Savers Empress Beans were also a nice bush bean type with good flavor, but I had more trouble keeping it bean mosaic free than the Burpee. Save that for the adult kitchen garden.

I got invited to help set up another children’s urban garden later this year for a charity group — so I’m excited to be planning another square foot adventure for a fresh batch of kids!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the mini SFG series and you are all off planting your own now. Remember, you can always check the Orange County Extension office or the Seminole County Extension office for extra plant help if you run into trouble.

Or drop me a line and I’ll do my best to help you with your SFG. Happy growing!

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SFG Series: Photo Progress and Fertilizing

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Organic Gardening, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2008 | 3 Comments »

PLANT FOOD

If you’ve been following along at home, your little square foot garden plot is now about six weeks old and needs some plant food/fertilizer. We’ve been giving Miracle Gro Organic Choice a whirl, and while a bit whiffy on the nose, it seems to be ok.

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We got it for about $10 ish. I’m not sure this is what I’ll stick with, but for this mini series of articles I wanted readers to get it locally, and preferably all in one stop shopping. So that is what was at the Lowe’s on Semoran Blvd and Lake Margaret Dr. where we purchased almost everything for this project.

Just use about 1 plastic picnic spoon per square and water well. Follow the bag’s suggestions for the next application.

PHOTO PROGRESS

If you followed the same sunny planting plan we did with the bush beans and flowers, it probably has progressed a lot like Julia’s home garden. Hers is in partial shade.

Here it was at 2 weeks old:

2weeks.jpg

Here it is at 6 weeks old:

6weeks.jpg

The corner flower transplants have settled in well:

flower.jpg

The lemon yellow on the marigolds is great:

lemon.jpg

So’s the pinks on the petunias:

pink.jpg

In the middle we had teddybear sunflowers from seed. Something’s been nibbling on the leaves a bit, but they are out and on their way:

sunflower.jpg

The bush beans on the sides have had their white blooms already and are busy turning into little bean pods. We’ll be harvesting them in a few more weeks when they are about 4-5 inches long.

pods.jpg

Over at the church cinderblock plot planted in the same style, we also fertilized even though it’s a bit younger than the home garden. (It’s a lot easier on me if all my kiddie gardens are on the same schedule!) This one is out in full sun all day, and I think it would be a wee bit happier with slightly less Florida sun since concrete can get pretty hot. But it is still doing fine.

Here it is when we planted it:

schoolsfg.jpg

Here is how it looks now:

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The bush beans here are just starting with the white bean blooms. No pods yet:

beanflower.jpg

We did orange and yellow marigolds for the corners in this plot. They are doing fine but need a little deadheading to remove old blooms.

marigold.jpg

Of course, if you go with a 4 ft x 4 ft plot in cinder block style instead of wood, you get a little more planting space in the cinder block holes. We stuffed all the holes with radish seeds and we probably can think about harvesting soon. It’s a good quick crop for kids since it is so fast.

radish.jpg

CONCLUSION

That’s it. We met all three goals we laid out for our little gardeners at the beginning of the series.

  1. Set up an organic 4 x 4 ft SFG correctly
  2. Plant it up
  3. Grow something for a while (Whether or not the plants last the season or we get to actually harvest anything edible is bonus.)

It’s actually looking pretty good that we will get a little harvest from both the wooden style and the concrete cinder block style!

All the kids I’ve been gardening with are having a good time, and one of the babies who barely talks in full sentences yet recently greeted me with “Hey… you… we dig?” when he saw me coming. He can’t even say my name right yet but he’s ready to hit the garden plot!

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Cady Way Bike Ride on March 1 with Orlando Meditation Group!

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Spirituality, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »

Just got wind of this… it sounds like some wholesome family fun and the chance to check out the Cady Way Trail!

 

bikes.gif

On Saturday, March 1, 2008, “Orlando Meditation” is sponsoring a bike ride. It will be led by Shannon Kelly and Ross Payne.

Everyone is welcome, whether or not you have ever been to the meditation group.

We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at Cady Way Park.

This is primarily a social event, but in the spirit of meditation a short portion of the bike ride will be in silence. The ride will last about an hour and a half, with a couple of stops along the way.

If you have any questions please email Ross at ross@orlandomeditation.org

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Drink Honest Kids drinks and get a free tree!

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, tagged , , , , , , on February 17, 2008 | 6 Comments »

Honest Kids Logog

Since my children have started school, about two or three times a week I put an Honest Kids juice drink in their lunchboxes as a treat. I feel good when I give them this juice drink because it is organic and has less than half the sugar of regular juice pouches. My kids think they taste great! It comes in three flavors: Tropical Tango Punch, Berry Berry Good Lemonade, and Goodness Grapeness. I purchase an 8-pack at SuperTarget for only $3.99. That’s about $0.50 a pouch.

I always recycle the empty carton that the 8 pouches come in, but as I was reading over the back of it, I came across a pleasant surprise! Honest Kids and National Arbor Day Foundation are partnering to provide free trees.

Tree with juice pouches

To qualify for a free tree, you send in 5 UPCs from the box carton and $2 (to cover shipping and handling) and you will receive a seedling tree! How cool is that?

My kids are excited about collecting the UPCs so that they can start planting their free trees. Thank goodness we have a large yard!

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SFG Series: Planting Your 4 x 4 ft Raised Bed

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Organic Gardening, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 17, 2008 | 5 Comments »

DECIDE WHAT TO PLANT

What you decide to grow is up to you. But if you are gardening with very young children, you may want to consider fast growers and/or chunky seeds like radish, bush beans, or teddy bear sunflowers. For even faster results transplant marigold, bush or patio tomato, basil, parsley, etc.

Just take care to consider the spacings of the plant when full grown. Gardenweb has a good spacings guide, but I’ve found with some of them, our Florida climate will cause surprises with things growing bigger. My parsley ended up overtaking 4 squares!

The University of Florida IFAS Extension does a nice handout for planting also. The chart near the end tells you which month to plant in, the row spacing and plant spacing. From that you can determine your square foot spacings.

A SIMPLE SUNNY PLAN

The first plan is very simple.

You need a small bag of flower/vegetable organic fertilizer, a packet of Burpee bush beans, a packet of teddy bear sunflowers, 4 marigold transplants, and 8 tomato cages. (Cost is about $25.)

Make sure you get bush beans and not pole beans. Bush beans will grow to about 2 ft tall and will do fine in a tomato cage. Longer vines will require taller support!

playschoolgarden.jpg

First, plant 1 sunflower seed inside the center of each of the middle four squares.

Next put the tomato cages all around the bed but skip the corners. If you put cardboard down at the bottom of your bed, you may need to stab the cages firmly and quickly through the cardboard. You can also use a long screwdriver to poke holes for the legs to slip though. Set the cages so the first circle is near or at the level of the soil mix.

Then help the child plant up to 4 bush bean seeds inside each tomato cage circle. (Hint: If child is very young, plant only 3 seeds and have them match it to the “legs” of the tomato cage for placement.) The cages will help keep your bean plants upright.

Next, transplant one marigold into each of the corner squares. While holding the marigold in your hand to catch it, turn the pot upside down and have child smack the bottom of the pot firmly. The plant should just slip out of it’s plastic pot. Julia thinks it is fun to “spank the pots.”

Don’t fertilize your seeds yet. They are too young and tender and you run the risk of hurting them with too strong a fertilizer. Wait until the plants are better established. With the marigolds, since they are transplants rather than seeds, you can fertilize now. Use a plastic picnic spoon to sprinkle a little bit of the fertilizer around it when it is in the ground. Follow the directions on your bag.

Your garden will look something like this:

schoolsfg.jpg

Last, water all your plants and let them grow. Then sunflowers and beans should start peeping out in a about a week.

HERB PLAN

Once you get the hang of a simple plan, it is easy to change it around. Remember to keep your taller plants on the north side of the bed so they do not shade the other plants.

If you wanted to grow herbs from transplants, you could try something like this arrangement:

herbs.jpg

It’s nice to give the Basil a tomato cage for support.

If you don’t like a certain herb, swap out it out for something else. For example — don’t plant thyme. In that square foot you could put in green onions ends from the grocery store. If you’ve use the tops in cooking, save the ends that have small roots and just push them into the ground. They will regrow. For little hands, that’s an easy thing to replant.

MORE PLANS

Better Homes and Gardens has a few plans that easily translate to a 4 x 4 ft SFG. I’ve put them below but take a look at their garden slideshow for more ideas!

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SFG Series: Building a 4 x 4 ft Raised Bed

Posted in Fun Stuff for Kids, Organic Gardening, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Different Types of Raised Beds

There are many kinds of raised beds to fit any budget and style. For our 4 x 4 ft square foot gardening project, I’ve tried to keep it simple and affordable by going with a plain wooden box frame that can be made and installed in less than an hour:

img_0755.jpg

While you can Google all sorts of styles, I will mention three other types for those who lack tools or feel nervy about carpentry with small children under foot:

  • (14) 8″ x 16″ cinderblocks. I know they get heavy, but they are cheap, and offer you extra planting space in the holes. Lay it out so you put down 3 blocks, then start the second side with 4 blocks, then the third side 3 blocks, then complete the square with 4 blocks on the last side. The inside dimensions should be about 4 x 4 ft square.
  • Raised Bed Connectors — If you get the connectors, all you need is a screwdriver. Plop your boards in and screw it up. (Both Home Depot and Lowe’s will saw your wood to size for you.)
  • 3 x 3 ft Grow Beds – Recycled plastic sections that snap together and are a smaller size to deal with.

(Those wanting a deeper 4 x 8 ft wooden bed — check Sunset’s “The Perfect Raised Bed.” If you were wondering what I use, I’m a link-a-bord fan. It’s slowly making it’s way over here from England.)

Shopping List

If you are like me, you probably have a sidekick that isn’t crazy about long errand days.

I’ve written the supply lists with the idea that it will take three trips to Home Depot or Lowe’s. One day to get lumber, one day to get soil ingredients, and plants/seeds day.

On lumber shopping day you will need:

  • (2) 8 ft long pieces of 1×8 untreated lumber for the box sides
  • (1) 4 ft long piece of 2×2 untreated lumber for the box support posts
  • Box of 1 ½ or 2 inch deck screws with at least 16 screws in it. More is ok.

SUBTOTAL:~ $25

If you can get cedar or similar rot resistant wood that is great. Otherwise get untreated pine and just know that it will require replacing after a few years.

Get them to cut the 1×8 wood into 4 foot lengths for you in the store so it is easier to transport home.

Check the scrap bin first for a 4 ft length of 2×2 that you can have cut into 1 ft sections for posts. If you have to buy a new 8 ft long piece, cut it up into 1 ft chunks and take the extras home for a second box at a later date.

On the posts, it’s nice to cut one end at a 45 angle so it is easier to drive into the ground. If you can’t, don’t worry — you can dig it in instead.

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Assembly

First, clamp a post to a board. Then drill two pilot holes with a drill bit smaller than your screw size. This will help the screw go in straight.

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After that, put the screws into the pilot holes and screw them all the way in either by hand or with a screw bit on the drill.

Then clamp the next 1 x 8 board on to the 2×2 support post and repeat the process. Keep going all around the box frame.

img_0727.jpg

Watch where you put your screws. While they don’t have to be perfect, you also don’t want to crash into another screw that is already there. Stagger it a bit. Also mind how you line up your boards as you work your way around the box frame so you will wind up square.

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When you have screwed the frame together, carry it to a sunny spot in the yard. Ideally it will get at least 6 to 8 hours of sun each day but if your yard is less than ideal, just go with the best sunny spot you have.

You can dig little holes for the posts to go down into and fill them back up once the bed sides are flat the lawn. Or if you have a soft lawn and you angled the posts, pound them into the ground with a hammer. Your raised bed is done!

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