As the school year ends, parents and teachers are always asking me how to help their children with handwriting. Especially as the “Summer Activities” get doled out. I can’t think of a bigger kill joy than asking a six year old to sit inside and copiously copy letters and complete hand writing drills. Moving the […]
The School Garden is thriving and the students want to broadcast their success! What better way than to make signs that add color and easy to read labels so all can see and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We decided to have the older grades embark on this project, giving them the opportunity to […]
While May and June are packed with fun, the “To Do List” runs on and on. Graduations, birthdays, Father’s Day and the “End of the Year Gift” for EVERYONE. When you have one child this list might be manageable but multiply the offsprings by 2 or 4 active children and the list looks more like […]
The “Sustainability,” “Whole Foods,” “Locavore,” “Buy local…organic,” etc. is a relatively new exciting buzz in our food world. When I read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I became a convert. The Kingsolver family took a 12 month challenge to eat ONLY foods grown within a 50 mile radius of their small family farm in Virginia. […]
May is a crazy month for most of us. End of school parties…projects…grading…barbecues…sports…the list goes on and on. And that’s just the START for a farmer. There are many tasks to accomplish and the calendar does not wait for a free day or nice weather. This past week, the school garden had a long list […]
We’ve all had our share of rainy days this spring. So, what to do when the temperature plummets (yet again), the wind whips and rain drums against the windows? I squeezed into three layers of clothes, dreading my three hours in the raw, biting cold. Happily upon arrival, I discovered that Stephanie, our expert farmer, […]
I remember staying at my Nana’s all weekend while my parents had their “adult time…” I loved going because she let me climb into her bed to watch Lawrence Welk with a Seven-up ice-cream float. The show was pretty boring but to sip ice-cream from a straw in bed was divine. The thing is, she […]
We’ve been talking about soil and planting the seeds. Happily, with nutritious soil, care in watering and “some” sun, our little pea seedlings are poking out of the ground and beginning to stretch for the sky. Miraculous, considering temperatures still hover around freezing and clouds fill most of our days this spring! The 6th graders […]
Opening day has come and gone. Kids and parents are in full swing with baseball practice and games. While the frenzy of carpools and schedules preoccupy many families, it is important to pause, take a breath and remember what is so important about playing baseball. In fact, all youth sports provide amazing opportunities for personal […]
How often have your kids turned their noses up to new foods-especially when they hear “Vegetable?” One of the major benefits of having children grow food: when they grow it they tend to try it. AND they usually like what they eat! We did a straw poll in each class over the past several weeks […]
With a cheshire cat smile, a third grade girl held up both hands and said, “I have dirty hands!” Her friend chimed in, “That’s part of gardening-getting dirty!” Temperatures may still hover in the uncomfortable 40 degree (F) range with a biting cold wind, but the garden cries out for food and care, so the […]