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Luring Your Kids into Eating Healthy School Lunches
August 17, 2007

Posted by MichelleS in : For Kids , 6 comments

Our fishing expedition on Flathead Lake this summer was comical. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to catch anything, even though the boat next to us was reeling in fish every time we looked! Clearly, there was something we weren’t doing right. As a man from the next boat yelled over to us, “What kind of bait are you using?” a crazy thought entered into my mind: Feeding children is a lot like fishing – you have to have the right lure, or they won’t bite! Packing desirable school lunches is a lot like the fine art of selecting an appealing lure while fishing. Try some of these stress-free strategies for packing lunches that are healthy for your kids and the environment. They’ll be sure to bite!

Here are a variety of ideas for some fun and interesting lunches. Don’t forget to include fruits or vegetables, protein and whole grains every day.

Sandwich Alternatives:

Make Ahead…

Thermos Treasures…

Container Combinations…for kids to assemble and snack on themselves

Packing an appealing school lunch will lure your children into eating well, help them to be more successful in school, and help the planet, too. Don’t be caught with the wrong bait, or your kids might throw it back!

Michelle Stern @ What’s Cooking, a Certified Green SF Bay Area business

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Local Fun: Coyote Point Museum
August 16, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : For Kids , add a comment

As end of summer quickly approaches, I look at my summer fun wish list and realized we have yet visited the Coyote Point Museum. Since it is a short drive from us, my family decided to spend the afternoon there.

Sitting atop Coyote Point Park, the Museum is shaded by tall trees and enjoys panoramic bay views. Next to the museum entry is a small but interesting aquaponics display. My daughter was very fascinated by the koi pond and giggled when the caretaker told her that fish poop helps fertilize the plants growing on the attached living wall and looked in amazement when she learned that the system runs on sunlight and not batteries. Not as grand or splashy as the Monterey Bay Aquarium or Bay Area Discovery Museum, it is really geared towards toddlers and kindergarteners. There’s a nice activities/exploratory area for the kids and a stage for the twice daily educational “animal show” to teach kids about the habits and habitats of rescued animals.

CoyotePt_Bees

Currently, the Museum has a small Green Farm exhibit where kids can learn about how animals and plantings co-exists, complete with resident goats that love to be brushed and petted. The second floor houses permenant displays and a very fun Bee Hive Exhibit.

The Museum’s surrounding grounds hosts different displays and habitats like the aviary, reptile house and the very popular river otters. We had a nice snack break in the picnic area while wondering through the habitats and gardens. We even found a makeshift TeePee among the trees – probably a project from the summer camp run by the Museum. We eventually made our way down the large beach/picnic area (near the Park entrance) and had a great time exploring all the different playgrounds and watching the windsurfers practice their skills.

Like I mentioned, the museum grounds are much smaller than some of the other destinations but the entrance fees are reasonable ($6 for adult and $2 for kids). Even on a lovely Sunday afternoon, there was no crowd in or around the museum, except around the BBQ and picnic areas. We ended up buying an annual family pass for $55 which not only provides free access to Coyote Point Park and Museum but also discounts or even reciprocal free access to other parks and museums in and outside of California.

Also, we wanted to show support for the Museum as rumors of an impending closure have been reported. Although it attracts over 100,000 visitors and provide environmental education for 20,000 school kids every year, the Museum has been operating at a loss for several years now. Reports of a proposed new global warming and climate center (in lieu of the Museum) from the well-funded (but somewhat mysterious) 11th Hour Project. Sure, I am in favor of a high tech, educational center on global warming but I would hate to see the Coyote Point Museum be the sacrifice. It’s really one of the few remaining places in the Bay Area where families can enjoy and learn about the environment, animals and their native habitats, even if they don’t have $80 to $100 to spend on admissions, food, etc. Perhaps there’s a way for the two programs to co-exist. In the meantime, if any of you are looking for a great family place to visit, I highly recommend a trip to Coyote Point Museum.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Simple Seasonal Smoothies
August 9, 2007

Posted by MichelleS in : For Kids , 1 comment so far

I am always amazed at how the school year sneaks up on me towards the end of summer vacation. I feel like I am finally getting into the groove of lazy mornings and afternoon play dates. But, the time has come for me to start gearing up for the chaos of the morning routine that is right around the corner. When my son refuses to put his shoes on the right feet and the cat is leaving me a hairball in the middle of the hallway, I always wish for something to go smoothly.

Stage left: enter a blender, some delicious seasonal fruit, a little yogurt and voila, a Smoothie saves the morning! Kids will love to place their orders with you, so that you can create their special faux-ice cream breakfast. Instead of trying to please the troops by taking out 4 boxes of cereal and 2 kinds of frozen waffles, try these simple, healthy ideas instead.

Smoothie Basics:

  1. Pour the liquid ingredients (juice, milk or yogurt) into the blender first.
  2. Dump in your fruit. Frozen fruit makes the smoothie thicker, so it feels more like a milkshake.
    1. With summer fruit at its peak, now is the time to buy extra from your local farmer’s market and put it in the freezer. This trick allows you to eat locally even when your favorite strawberries aren’t in season anymore!
    2. If you have some bananas that are turning brown, peel them, bag them, and then throw them into the freezer—they will be the perfect addition to your smoothies!
    3. Feel free to add extra stuff to your smoothie, like flax seed meal, which is high in Omega-3’s. The smoothie will taste so good, they won’t even notice!
  3. Blend until smooth. (You can use a hand-held “stick” or “immersion blender”, which is a little easier to clean than your larger margarita/daiquiri blender.)

Wish We Were in Hawaii
½ cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
Splash: orange juice or milk, if desired
¼ cup frozen pineapple chunks
½ mango
1/3 frozen banana

Berry Delicious
¼ cup lowfat milk
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ nectarine
4 strawberries

(These make 1 kid-sized smoothie. To be more efficient, double this recipe and drink some, yourself…It is better for you than your usual coffee-only breakfast!)

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______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Michelle Stern owns What’s Cooking, a business that offers cooking classes and gifts to children of all ages. (www.whatscooking.info) . Don’t miss What’s Cooking Weekly, an online menu subscription service for families that offers recipes, grocery lists, nutrition information and tips on getting your kids into the kitchen for 5 healthy, seasonal and simple meals every week!

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Accidentally raising eco-minded kids
August 4, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , add a comment

We all try to teach our children values, knowledge, and skills everyday, but few of us can be sure what really make sense to them or what they actually have understood and absorbed. Most of the time it feels like I am preaching to deaf ears. But occasionally I am rewarded with these astonishing moments that make even the most difficult child-rearing challenges worthwhile.

Yesterday I picked up my 5 year old daughter from her pre-school. Sitting in the back seat, she said, “mom, you know my friend Liz at school? I hmmed without paying much attention. She kept going, “Liz always uses a lot of paper towel. So today, I said, ‘do you know paper towels are made from trees? Do you want to cut down all of the trees?’”

I was a little surprised at the direct approach my normally shy daughter employed, “what did Liz say?”
“She said she didn’t know. So I said, ‘don’t use so many paper towels then.’ And Liz said, ‘okay.’”
End of story. Yeah, that simple.

I pulled the car to the side of the road and turned to her to tell her that she made me so proud. She looked at me like I was making a huge deal out of nothing.
“Where did you learn that paper towels were made from trees?” I did not remember when I “preached” that to her.
“Remember you read the sign to me in the bathroom?” she tried to remind me.
“Hum? Bathroom?
“Mom! Monterey Bay Aquarium!” she could not believe that I did not remember that event.
“Oh,” I could barely recall. But looking at my toddler, I was filled with pride.

So here are a few lessons I have learned from this:
1. No need to preach to the children. They pick up cues from what you do.
2. Gently guide the children, even when it seems that nothing is being retained. They absorb everything in their own way
3. Perhaps the next time when I see my friend John pull into my driveway in his Hummer, I will tell him that his vehicle is on the global warming black list, instead of grumbling behind him. Maybe, just maybe, he does not know.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Fun Stonyfield Baby Contest
August 3, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : For Kids , 1 comment so far

My family loves Stonyfield yogurts - my daughter practically lived on Yo Baby during her picky food stage. Just for fun, Stonyfield is actually looking for 2 new Yo Baby faces - 1 baby (6-12 months) and 1 toddler (13 -24 months). You can enter online or go to Picture People for a free sitting, photo and entry. The grand prizes include a $5000 savings bond.

I’m not affliated with Stonyfield and my daughter is too “mature” to enter. But if it sounds interesting to you, visit Stonyfield Farms for further details.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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Protect Your Children & Privacy
July 27, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : For Kids , add a comment

To start off, this entry is not a green topic but as parent, I wanted to make other parents aware of this potential danger. This week, I read about a new feature on Google Search - reverse telephone search. Basically, all a stranger needs to know is your phone number, type it into the Google search bar and voila, appears the owner’s first and last name, home address and of course, map the address for convenience.

Of course this feature is meant to increase connectivity and convenience for innocent uses but thinking like a protective parent, this is an easy tool for anyone to figure out my child’s last name, our neighborhood and scope out our house. Perhaps I worry more now because my daughter is old enough to remember her phone number. We’ve had lots of talks about strangers and she’s well-watched when we are out. Still, I am not with her 24/7 and the bad guys are getting trickier. So if you have similar concerns, here’s how to check for your information and more important, how to unlist your information.

–Go to Google.
–Type in your area code and phone number (either 111 555 1234 or 111-555-1234) into the search bar. If no results show up, that’s great. If you are in their database, you should see your name, number and full address show up.
–To unlist, click on your information and you should see “Request to have your name removed from the list”. Click on the link and fill out the form and click submit.
–Check back after 48 hours to make sure you have been unlisted.

Although new to Google, free reverse phone search is not a new feature for online phone directories. You should reverse phone search (or phone number search) on directories like White Pages, 411.com and Switchboard. These directories have an unlist information option at the bottom of your search result page (if your information is listed). Don’t assume that because you elected the Do Not List option when you signed up for service long ago that you are unlisted. We had chosen that option and somehow our number was still listed in the White Pages, until I unlisted us again.

Unfortunately, it seems impossible to ensure complete privacy from these phone search sites but taking these steps at least makes it harder for those with nasty intentions. And be sure to discuss safety with your children. The Polly Klass Foundation has some good tips and a free handbook.

CindyC at Organicpicks

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

A new definition for being a good parent
June 27, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , add a comment

On my way to pick up my daughter from her preschool one day, I heard an interview NPR did with Laurie David. She is called the “high priestess” of Hollywood activism. Aside from pushing An Inconvenient Truth into the limelight, she has raised millions of dollars for environmental causes. One of the things she said during the interview really struck me. When asked what motivated her to be an activist, she answered, “I am doing this for one reason only. All the things I care about are at stake here. Other than falling asleep at 9pm on my wedding night, this is the most selfish things I’ve ever done.”

A couple of weeks later, I heard another interview, this time with Barbara Kingsolver. She and her family moved from Tucson AZ to southern Appalachians to spend a year away from industrial-food. When the interviewer mentioned about eating tomatoes from Chile in the dead winter, she imagined the future when her kids would be her ages. And they would ask, “so you knew about global warming, and you knew burning petroleum oil exacerbated it. And what did you do? Used the oil to fly tomatoes in from another continent? And they don’t even taste like tomatoes!” Clearly that was a future she did not want to enter.

Neither do we. So I have been wondering a lot about what makes a good parent. Obviously the number one factor of being a good parent is the love we pour into nurturing our children. Thousands and thousands of articles and books have been published to discuss parenting techniques – the dos and the don’ts, the carrots and the sticks, the right ways and the wrong ways. The criteria and opinions of what makes a good parent continue to change and evolve overtime. Still a few themes have stood the test of time. We do our best to nourish our children with good food; we do our best to enrich their minds with sound education; and we do our best to instill in our children an important set of moral values to guide their lives. The list goes on. But even in its collective form, I still feel that a significant factor is missing.

Aside from the current conventional wisdom of what makes a good parent, I’d like to add one, one I think is of utmost importance: to hand the earth to our children in the same or better condition as we were born into. Thirty years from now when my children are my age, I would be ashamed if I had to explain to them: kids, you’ve got excellent health, education and moral compass. I did my best to ensure that. But I am sorry that 30% of the species on this earth have disappeared on my watch, I am sorry that scuba diving was a sport in the past because we ignored the signs of marine life depletion, I am sorry that the land shrank by 10% due to global warming contributed by the gas guzzlers I drove. The list goes on.

I don’t mind the label of generation X or the label of generation slacker, but I shudder to think the real possibility of being labeled the generation that bankrupted the earth. I only wish I was being too dramatic.

Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard zoology professor, non starry-eyed radical, said time and again, “If we continue at the current rate of deforestation and destruction of major ecosystems like rainforests and coral reefs, where most of the biodiversity is concentrated, we will surely lose more than half of all the species of plants and animals on earth by the end of the 21st century. “ How does that impact human life? He asserted, “On a global basis, I have no doubt at all that there would be severe effects on the quality of life-support systems such as watersheds and air quality and rainfall.”

Baiji dolphin from China, one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world, was pronounced extinct on 12/13/2006 after a 6-year exhaustive search expedition. Baiji lived in Yangzi River for 20 million years. COD: industrial pollution.

Seen The Inconvenient Truth? Need I say more?

I believe that being an armchair environmentalist (as I was even a couple of years ago) is no longer an option. I, like many armchair environmentalists, supported environmental and green causes by voting for a particular party or a candidate and giving money to environmental organizations. While this model is still necessary, it is no longer sufficient. As a parent, I feel personally responsible for the future of my children and their peers. Being green to me is not a philosophical argument or a nice-to-have attitude any more; being green is a part of living, everyday living.

It means that every time I go shopping, I bring my own bags. I will save 1,000 plastic bags a year from going into the landfill or floating in the ocean. Think bigger, if we can get 1,000 friends, neighbors and family members to do it together, that is 1 million bags a year and that is 30 million bags our children do not have to deal with when they are our age. Think even bigger, if 10% of the US household can bring their bags to shop, this is 8 billion plastic bags that will not be littering the world our children will inherit. 8 billion!

It means that for my children’s birthday party, I will think of more creative ideas than simply giving goodie bags full of small plastic toys which will be lost between the car seats or tossed into the trash within hours. My two kids have gone to no fewer than 20 birthday parties this year. We received 40 goodie bags, all of the trinkets made their way into the trash within days if not hours. So let’s think big again. Imagine 40 million pieces of the plastic “junk” into our land, into our rivers, and into our oceans. We can easily prevent that.

It means that every purchase decision I make, I will need to think about the bigger picture. Am I creating 5 minutes of excitement in my children’s lives but contributing to a polluted and depleted world they will inherit? Can I in good conscience eat a delicious dish of Chilean seabass knowing that my children will never know its taste?

So for the sake of my children and their children, I will need to do more than just financially supporting Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy. I will need to change me, and I will challenge all parents who treasure their children to give them the most precious gift – a clean, abundant, and nourishing earth.

Let’s start now.

CindyW at Organicpicks
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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Beautiful day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
May 23, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , add a comment

On a whim, both my husband and I decided to take last Friday off and visit the Monterey Bay aquarium with our toddlers. Usually on weekends, you end up watching people and strollers rather than watching the marine lives. We visit the aquarium about three times a year, so the exhibits are not entirely new to us. Nonetheless, we enjoy every visit and the kids seem to understand a little more every time. We visited the must-see Outer Bay exhibit and continued to be mesmerized by these giant but graceful fish – blue fin tuna, yellow fin tuna, funny looking sun fish, barracudas, hammer-head sharks…As always we visited the adorable otters and cute penguins. But this time around, we also got to spend some time at the “Real-Cost” café where we learned which fish were on the brink of extinction and which fish were good choices. The exhibit was so interactive and interesting even my 2 & ½ year old could sit at the bar stool for 10 minutes. My 4 year old went through the “fish menu” and listened to the café “chef” and “hostess” explain why her picks were good or inappropriate. While I am not sure how much she understood, she was still learning in her own way. There were quite a few kids taking turns on the bar stools to learn how to make smart seafood choices. One boy told his mom, “We have to tell pop not to order Chilean Seabass any more.” Mom smiled.

It’s taxing to your memory if you want to remember what the “chef” and the “hostess” said. Fortunately you can get a wallet-sized “Seafood Guide”. The aquarium has guides for different regions of the US and updates them annually. Example of the best choices are farmed Tilapia, Alaskan wild-caught Salmon, and white Seabass. Examples of fish to avoid are Chilean Seabass, all farmed Salmon, and blue fin Tuna. The guide now sits on our refrigerator next to friends’ pictures and to do lists. I feel kind of dorky pulling out the seafood guide at a restaurant before ordering fish, but I am also glad to know that by doing so, my children will be able to order the fish I am ordering today in 20 years.

You can download the handy seafood guide from the Monterey Aquarium Seafood WATCH website

CindyW

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks