It has always been really important to me that my kids develop the same love of nature and the outdoors that I did. It makes me really sad when I see kids so disconnected with nature that they couldn’t entertain themselves outdoors if they wanted to. I saw this just recently as a friend of my son’s came over to visit and he was LOST without video games. My son would be outside playing all day and most of that time his friend wanted to be inside, on the couch playing with his Nintendo DS. Oh and the friend was completely grossed out when he found out that lettuce grew in the dirt. ;)

When I think back to my own childhood….horseback riding, camping, building forts in the woods, fishing, swinging on a bridge rope, tree climbing and all that other FUN stuff, I know I want my children to have the same type of childhood. I want them to love nature the way I do and for heaven’s sake not be afraid of getting good and dirty.

I really enjoyed reading a book that aims to help parents do this. It is called I Love Dirt and it has 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature. It is written by Jennifer Ward and the Foreward is written by Richard Louv, who wrote another awesome book called Last Child in the Woods. Everything about the book is fabulous from the rounded corners, the cream colored pages, the classic illustrations, to all the great information in it. It has 52 activities for 52 weeks of the year and they are organized by season.

Each activity is explained along with ideas of what you hope to teach your children by doing them. Digging in the dirt, looking for ladybugs, skipping rocks…all of these activities can encourage a love of nature and learning. My favorite activity hands down is called Time Out. It involves relaxing outside for a meal and story time. Selecting a nice wildlife story from the library and then reading it outside would make it all the more meaningful. Another activity my kids and I used to do all the time when we lived near a creek bed was water hole watching. We would go down to the creek and watch from a distance to see the animal community come out and drink. We were always hoping to see the mountain lion who lived in the area but usually we just got to see his/her tracks.

Todd Christopher of The National Wildlife Foundation endorsed this book by saying, “There may be no better way to ensure the well being of the natural world than to introduce children to its many small wonders today.” I wholeheartedly agree. If we expect future generations to protect our one home than we have to introduce them to it and help them come to love it.

Got any empty glass jars? Get creative and find ways to reuse them!

1. Beach in a jar – This is a fun project for kids who have visited the beach recently and gathered seashells. We just went to Florida and YES we brought home seashells and authentic Florida sand. Simply put some sand in the bottom of the jar (colored play sand works great for this) and add the seashells. A larger shell can be glued to the lid for a finishing touch. Letting the kids paint the shells first is another fun way to add some color.

2. Lantern or candleholder – This is a good project for a glass jar of any size. The kids can use glass paint to create a stained glass look. Use the candle for dining outdoors in the evening…add a citronella candle and you have a bug deterrent too.

3. Use glass jars as paint containers. Just fill with a little paint and away you go. They last longer than plastic, they don’t stain, and since you are reusing something you already have, they are practical too.

4. Flower vase – Glass jars make charming vases. You can give them a layer of paint or a ribbon if desired. Then have your kids pick some wildflowers and you have a lovely arrangement.

5. Snack jars! I like to keep nuts, raisins, shredded coconut etc. glass jars when I can. They stay fresh and they aren’t in close to proximity to plastic.

6. Bank – Jars make great banks. Simply cut a slot in the lid to put change in, and let your child decorate the outside as he or she chooses.

7. An ispy jar – Fill the jar with rice and a few secret objects like a coin, a paperclip, a button, a bead, a small toy, dice, etc and have kids see if they can find all the treasures. Of course make sure to keep and eye on young ones when doing this. ;)

8. Jack-o-lantern jar – This is a great Halloween project. Cut shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth out of masking tape, and place them on the jar. Paint with orange paint, and remove tape when dry. Add a candle or small light to make it glow.

9. Candy jar – This can be decorated any way your child likes. Fill it with candy or other favorite snacks and give it as a gift, or keep it on the coffee table for guests to enjoy.

10. Planter – Put pebbles in the bottom of a small jar, then fill with potting soil. Plant herb or flower seeds, and put in the windowsill.

Got any more ideas? Comment and let me know!

Since I get asked so much…what we eat in our house… click to enlarge.

Looking for a new showerhead? Why not pick one that is green/smart and helps you save on water AND energy.

I recently got a 1.6 GPM Energy and Water Saving Showerhead and it is a great product for a green home. It addresses a common habit…leaving the water running while it heats up. Of course no one wants to step into frigid water but it is all to easy to turn it on and then leave to do other things. I know I am guilty of that and my kids can be to. We end up wasting hot water and energy many times when we do this. But with this showerhead it is no biggie if you need to go run to the laundry room to get a clean towel because this showerhead is SMART.

It has a built-in ShowerStart technology sensor that senses when the water is warm enough. It senses when the water reaches normal bathing and showering temperature (95 degrees) then “pauses” the flow of water, retaining instead of wasting your hot water. When hear the water stop running and know your shower is ready to go. When you are ready to get in, jump in and turn the valve to resume water flow. Easy!

You save water by not wasting it and you save energy by not heating up water that just goes down the drain..your shower waits for you. It is also a low flow showerhead, and will save about 8 gallons or water for every 5 minutes you shower and according to their web site that should save you around $230 on utility bills and more than 7,600 gallons of water per year. It pays for itself after 3 months.

Here is a video to show you how it works. The only difference between the one in the video and ours is that ours has a cord attached to it so even the kids can pull it and re-start the water….very cool.

Other Eco Shower Heads I Like:

The Evolve Rain Showerhead - At 2.5 gallons per minute, you can enjoy a luxurious shower knowing you are saving money with ShowerStart technology. Adding to its ShowerStart technology, the Panda features and offset ball for maximum extension from the shower arm which creates ideal balance and great flow through its powerful rain spray pattern.

Waterpik Eco Flow Hand Held Shower - Water saving head saves up to one gallon of water a minute, fingertip pause control. Pays for itself in 6 months!

Photo Credit: mikemacadaan

I have been reading about WWII Victory/Freedom Gardens lately. I am not sure when the concept began but our history is rich with stories of people who used times of war and economic depression (like The Great Depression) to get proactive and start growing their own food. During WWII you could find posters encouraging you to start your own garden and avoid the restrictions of food rations and to become more self sufficient during those stressful times. Families grew their own food on what land they had. Other people gardened in vacant lots, on rooftops, and in city parks. Public schools even designated areas for gardens and the students maintained them.

The purpose behind the freedom/victory garden was to lessen the demand on commercially grown produce and thus more would be available to the Armed Forces and lend-lease programs. It reduced demand on materials used in food processing and canning. Railroads could focus on transporting munitions and not food. And of course giving the people an important job to do helped maintain the morale of Americans on the home front. By preserving fruit and vegetables for future use they were also preparing for the worst.

So what does this have to do with the present? Well, we are facing hard economic times right now. If ever there was time to bring the freedom gardens back I think now is one of those times. We have needed them for a long time actually.

Although the reasons for starting one might be slightly different. By growing your own food you will become less dependent on greedy corporations to feed your family and become more self sufficient. You will save money by not having to buy food at the higher prices you see now and you will save gas money too. You can grow enough to can and preserve food for later use. You can grow and extra row for the needy in your local community. You can grow heirloom fruits and veggies and help preserve our heritage and the great flavors and colors of these lesser known varieties. You can help send the message that during times of recession the answer is hard work and voluntary simplicity not “shopping” as our current President would have us believe…where the only entity who gets ahead is the corporation.

Also, we may want to garden for food security reasons just like they did in WWII…not because we think we will run out of food but because conventional food growers often use noxious chemicals on our food. Their dirty practices may also expose us to things like salmonella as we have seen just recently with spinach and tomatoes.

To that end I am now calling my modest garden a freedom garden. You can see some pictures of what we have here…I will be adding more as the season progresses. I am growing several varieties of lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, beans, 4 varieties of tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, squash, and watermelon. We will also be growing our own pumpkins this year. The items we like that we are not growing I will be buying at my local Farmer’s Market. Corn for instance takes up too much space so we can buy it from our farm neighbors. There is also a farm nearby that sells raw nuts and some fruits we won’t be growing. We will be getting apples from a nearby orchard.

It is a wonderful feeling to grow your own food and feed your family with nothing but your sweat and hard work. It is also a great feeling to become less dependent on “the man”. I also like teaching my kids important lessons…aka where food comes from and how to grow it yourself! Preserving food is also another great skill. One book I highly recommend on that topic is Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning, it is full of great information on preservation techniques using salt, oil, sugar, alcohol, vinegar, drying, and lactic fermentation.

If you don’t have a yard to garden in you might try some of the following:

1. Plant in containers on your porch, patio, or window.

2. Look for a community garden that will give you a designated spot or plot to garden. You can also join up with friends or family and plant at one of their homes if they have the space.

3. Find a small secret place to garden at a local park. I know one gentleman who gardens in various places in Central Park!

4. Do you have an elderly neighbor who used to garden but can’t anymore? Volunteer to work their garden in exchange for half the produce.

5. Buy from local farms and skip the middleman.

So now it is your turn. Are you gardening to produce your own food this year? What is your motivation?

Photo Credit