My six-year-old daughter loves oven roasted Jerusalem artichokes, and that’s a good thing, since they have taken over our garden. I call Jerusalem artichokes our survival food, as they grow so easily, spread like wildfire, and are ready for eating throughout the winter and early spring.  Sure, they are a pain to clean, but that is a small price to pay for a homegrown meal in the winter.  My family will never starve, as we always have Jerusalem artichokes.

Jerusalem artichokes are not artichokes, and they do not come from Jerusalem.   They are often called sunchokes, as the plant grows very tall in the summer and blooms a golden flower.  Sunchokes are native to the eastern US and were first cultivated by Native Americans, although they don’t take much cultivation, in my experience.  According to Wikipedia, “Jerusalem artichokes have 650 mg. potassium per 1 cup (150g) serving. They are also high in iron, and contain 10-12% of the RDA of fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus and copper.”  Jerusalem artichokes offer an important source of potassium for those trying to follow the 100 Mile Diet and thus avoiding bananas.

Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes 

Wash and cut the tubers into about 1/2-1 inch pieces, the more uniform, the better.  Place the cut sunchokes in a glass baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add crushed garlic (2-3 cloves for a 9″  x  13″ pan). Read more »

Sometimes I think I’m like most parents: I want my kids to have a childhood, a real childhood. I don’t expect it to be pain-free — who among us got that? — but I believe it can also be filled with wonder and joy and laughter.

There are plenty of other times, however, that I feel like I’m not like any other parent I know. We restrict television to some carefully-chosen videos. My kids have never walked through the door of a McDonald’s, and they still have no idea what a Happy Meal is. They don’t use the computer. I regularly weed out the many Disney princess products that are given as gifts, crossing my fingers that my daughter won’t notice a toy’s sudden absence (she usually doesn’t).

What’s my problem? other parents sometimes ask. What’s the big deal?

To me, the big deal is this: there’s just something that feels wrong marketing products — most of them bad for kids — to children who are too young to understand what an advertisement is. There’s something offensive about turning a child into a consumer.

That’s why I was excited when I got an email from a fellow parent inviting me to participate in Healthy Children, Healthy Planet, a 7-part class series from the Northwest Earth Institute.

Read more »

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Other than the human voice, music is the original interactive medium. It remains the most beneficial learning resource for newborns, infants and babies today. For maximum brain development, babies require appropriate stimulation, and special care must be paid to avoid over-stimulating them. Over-stimulation may lead to other problems down the road, most notably, ADD. Therefore, high-quality music that is age-appropriate and effective is the best way to give a baby the proper start in life.

A month ago I wrote about a great organization, Roots & Shoots, started by the eminent Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall understands the need to give children an outlet - to turn their concerns for animals, the environment and other people (social issues) into action that can positively affect our world. So where can our ‘older-youngsters’ turn their inspiration into action?

For 50 years, the Student Conservation Association has given high school and college students the opportunity to participate in conservation efforts from A-Z, “archeology to zoology!” Through 3-12 month Internships and Community Programs surrounding major metropolitan areas, SCA gives individuals 18-years of age and older the opportunity to help preserve America’s natural and cultural heritage.

When I was in high school, my guidance counselor (and I use that term loosely) suggested that I move to Sarasota, FL and join the circus. He couldn’t fathom that a gal might be interested in animals, but not want to be a Veterinarian!  Read more »

Congratulations to Carrie for winning our Green to the Letter Giveaway, sponsored by Stubby Pencil Studio.

Over the course of a walk in the woods and through our yard, my three year old daughter said this:
“The trees
the birds
the clouds
the sky
Oh mama isn’t it beautiful?
I like berries to pick and eat.
Blueberries
strawberries
raspberries
oh and our apple tree is nice to me.
I like that too.”

Carrie blogs at Rhubarb Sky.  Congrats Carrie, and thank you to everyone that entered!

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I made the decision over the holidays to spend part of my child’s gift money on activities instead of toys or tangible goods. As I watch her each weekend taking gymnastics or learning to swim, I know I made the right choice for several reasons.

For one, these activities will help build coordination and strength as well as help foster a lifetime love of fitness. Second, the gift is an experience and not a material good. Arguably, experience is often the greatest gift we can give to our children, often holding more lasting value than just another toy or consumer good. In fact, it is just this kind of parental encouragement or “belief” that can be a much more powerful influence on our children’s level of activity than even role modeling.

In a study done by SpencerHall in 2003, mothers of children whose activity levels ranged from low to high were interviewed in order to better understand the relationship between the mothers’ attitudes toward physical activity and the activity level of their children. (After the jump, study results and four ways to encourage your child’s healthy activity level). Read more »

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We used to have one of these merry-go-rounds on our playground when I taught elementary school. The insurance agent made the school remove it, because it went too fast. Just think, we could have been pumping water from the school well with all that kid energy!

Playpumps International provides “innovative, sustainable, patented water pumps powered by children at play. Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children.” Read more »

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