Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with Sarah Palin. Whether you like her or not, we can all get on board with getting outside. And in Palin’s home state of Alaska, both dogs and people are taking to the outdoors this week for the opening of the Iditarod, the iconic dogsled race. The race [...]
We parents knew that spending time outside did something positive for our kids (besides making them take a better nap). And now a new study shows that people who spend more time in the natural environment, as opposed to manmade environments, place greater value on personal relationships and community, and are more generous with money, [...]
Our Big Boy was sent home early from preschool one day last week. He wasn’t sick. He wasn’t biting other kids. He just couldn’t stop scratching. He’d clawed his arms and legs to the point of drawing blood in some places. What I’d thought were a few bug bites that morning turned out to be [...]
This morning my four-year-old and I were discussing what birthday gift to buy for his almost-five friend.
My Boy #1: “He’s really into dinosaurs.”
Me: “I thought he liked rockets.”
Boy #1: “Yes, he loves rockets and space too. And he’s into superheroes.”
Me: “What are you into?”
Boy #1: “I’m into fishing and hiking and farming. [...]
Gardening is a lot like parenting; they both involve guilt. More than once this summer, I’ve left a couple of tomatoes or cucumbers on the windowsill above my kitchen sink to ripen, and before I know it, I’ve neglected them until they’re overripe, brown and spotted, and have to be thrown away. I’ve been too [...]
When we’re not spending time outside (in the garden or otherwise), my kids and I love to read books together. Not only is reading together fun, but of course it’s educational for kids, even very young ones: According to this research report from Child Trends DataBank, children who are read to regularly display by age [...]
Ok, even those of us who grow a lot of our own food still go to the grocery store. The modern American family who grows or produces EVERYTHING it eats is rare, if it even exists at all. But if you’re like me, when you’re shopping for food, you want to make sure you’re buying [...]
While kids who help grow vegetables are generally more interested in eating them (according to several studies described here), it doesn’t always happen that way. Tonight at supper, for instance, my two-year-old ate only meat and didn’t touch his squash, okra or green beans. My four-year-old only ate his green beans because I made him [...]
