December 2

The weather is getting colder and snow is piling.
Today's indoor activity is a coloring page to help celebrate and engage with winter.

 Follow the link and print children book illustrator Jan Brett's design your own mitten coloring page.

http://www.janbrett.com/design_your_own_mitten.htm

A December for play, craft, cooking and growth- Kids Grow Advent Calander

December 1

Instead of opening the little cardboard door on the chocolate advent calendar, open your front door and see what treasure can be found outside.

Our fist advent calendar activity for a warm Sunday, is to go out on a family pine-cone hunt to build a pine-cone bird-feeder.

photo credit:http://spoonful.com/crafts/pinecone-bird-feeder

Mission 
Start the holiday decorations for the world to see and enjoy.

Materials

• Pine cone
• Paper plate
• Butter knife or plastic knife (depending on child's age)
• Smooth peanut butter
• Breackfast cerial for the kid friendly 'eat as you go option' or birdseed (for a great activity without nibbles along the way)
• Large mixing bowl
• Ribbon or yarn
• Scissors

 Stage One: Prepeation and reconnaissance

1. The first part of today's activity is a treasure hunt to find some nice pine-cones. You will need at least one for each child or bird feeder.

2. Once you have your pine-cones, bring them indoors to start the craft
Stage two: Action Plan

1. Adult task/ Child supervision: Cut a lengh yarn or ribbon. This is the hanger for the birdfeeder. Attatch it to the feeder by means of knots near the top.
    
2. Kid task: pour out the cerial in to a mixing bowl, and using your hands crush it up into smaller pieces. Alternativly pour out some birdseed into the bowl.
   
3.  Kid task: with the knife place a glob of peanut butter on the paper plate.
   
4. Kid task: using fingers or the knife smear peanut butter all over the cone. Try to get both the inside and outside.
   
   
5. Kid task:  Sprinkle and roll the pine-cone around in the bowl of crushed cereal or birdseed that is on the plate.
   
6. Family task:  Head back outdoors and hang the bird feeder on a tree. Decoration for the you, your neighbors and the birds to enjoy!

 Need more guidance? Check out the http://myblessedlife.net/2011/11/make-bird-feeder.html
for wonderful step by step photos.

Kids grow, thrives of community engagement and rejoices in exploration of food, gardening, play, outdoors, and participation.

A Vancouver case study in building community with fresh produce, gardening and neighborhood discourse:

http://ediblecommunities.com/vancouver/Grow-Food/nurturing-neighbourhoods-its-as-simple-as-sharing.htm

 

Nurturing Neighbourhoods: It’s as Simple as Sharing | Grow Food

ediblecommunities.com

 

This article is about how gardening and sharing foods help in maintaining a strong community.

 

Dirt + kids + outside= fun, no surprise!

In case you need more convincing that fun = health for people and planet:

Take a look at the article by By David Suzuki with contributions from Science and Policy Director Mara Kerry:


http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2013/11/getting-dirty-may-be-healthy/

Dirt this snowy November may be scarce, frozen solid and uninspiring, but rather then going into hibernation  ...

Snow: an excuse to revel in nature with the added fun of mittens, hats, and winter boots!

 

 Take a look at the article by By David Suzuki and the David Suzuki Foundation  Communications Specialist Leanne Clare.

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2013/03/healthy-kids-need-time-in-nature/
 

Spooky and Healthy?

Some easy transformations to set the stage for some healthy halloween... check out some more great alternatives by clicking here!

Trick or Treat? 15 fun candy alternatives!

Halloween is fast approaching, but in case you have not stockpiled bags of sugary treats awaiting distribution on Thursday night, consider these alternatives form Catherine Cameron in her recent article here 

While it is wonderful to have traditional Halloween treats in moderation, the scariest part of Halloween, as Cameron notes, is in the nutritional labels of all the 'loot' kids will gleefully amass. The excitement and the trill of the chase, however does not need to be sacrificed! 

If you're interested in trying something new this year, here is a list of affordable candy alternatives. These fun 'treats' are wonderful options for all families to try out, especially for kids with specific nutritional restrictions or allergies. Hopefully these options may help to redefine the nature of 'trick or treating' and translate it into a more balanced and sustainable enjoyment.

1 – Jump ropes

2 – Inflatable beach balls

3 – Frisbees

4 – Step counters

5 – Pencils and erasers for school

6 – Yoyos

7 – Chalk

8 – Bookmarks

9 – Tattoos/stickers

10 – Bicycle bells

11 – Bouncy balls

12 – Passes to the local community centre, skating rink, or pool

13 – Fun shoes laces for sneakers

14 – Sweatbands (wrist/headband type)

15 – Bubble mix for blowing bubbles

Catherine Cameron

Ambassador, Active Living

15 alternatives to Candy 

A Halloween Story of Kale

The Halloween Tradition Best Left Dead: Kale as Matchmaker

 

Article via The Smithsonian 'Food and Think'

Halloween is often associated with tricks and treats, and the only 'vegetables' that come to mind on Halloween eve are often pumpkins and candy corn. So you may be surprised to learn more about Halloween's leafy green roots in Kale.

Check out this article (click here) via the Smithsonian 'Food and Think'. Learning more about Halloween's history is a great activity the whole family can enjoy. Kids may even want to try some fresh new halloween treats, like delicious kale chips! What do your kids think of the goofy 'Cromartie fool'?

The Cromartie Fool holding a kale stock. Check out the article linked above to learn more about this traditional Halloween figure! Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Read more of the Smithsonian here
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