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 [...]
So the garden’s not a novelty anymore. The kids have helped plant the seeds and maybe even water them a few times, but the new is wearing off. It’s like the new puppy that your kids promise to feed and water every day, and forget about after the first week.
But if you really want [...]
