The Family Groove | Adventures In Eco-Parenting | Leah Klein makes going green child's play

ADVENTURES IN ECO-PARENTING
LEAH KLEIN MAKES GOING GREEN CHILD’S PLAY

Spring Is

The changing of seasons is magical. When seasons change, there is an unveiling of something new yet familiar that creates an exciting but comforting experience and leaves an indelible imprint in the mind’s eye of a child. Now as a parent, I especially cherish the signs of spring after a cold winter of hibernation and cabin fever. The warm rain hitting the sidewalk and the dirt in the garden send out the sweet scent of an earthy musk, inviting you out to jump in the puddles and play in the dirt. Yes, I said play in the dirt. Turn off the computer, put down the BlackBerry, step away from the Wii and get dirty! Whether you’re a child or a child at heart, a little mud is good for the soul.

You can enjoy the feeling of dirt under your nails whether you live out in the country with several acres of land or smack-dab in the middle of a city with an egg carton of seedlings sitting on your windowsill. Here’s how:

Mud Puddles 101

The best way to appreciate the joys of puddle stomping, mud pies and playing in the dirt is to be prepared. In our family, we are early risers—some by nature, others by force—so we often head to the playground early. Dew tends to coat the slides and the swings. To prepare for this, we keep our less glamorous towels in the garage and I always have at least one towel in the back of the stroller. The second necessary item is a bag of clean clothes: a couple of extra pairs of socks and one change of clothes per child. This allows children to play around, in, on top of, through and—if you look away for long enough—under the mud without too much resistance from she-or-he-who-chooses-to-remain-mud-free-unless-at-a-spa. Before it is time to head home or hop in the car, strip off the muddy clothes and throw them in a bag, slip clean clothes onto your rosy-cheeked children and all’s well that ends well.

Digging in the Dirt

I recently found my son sitting by a houseplant with a baby spoon, gently digging away. Minutes later, there was a small sprinkling of dirt around the room. I looked in his hands and saw that he had made a ball of dirt. He ran away from my prying hands, saying it was his “snowball.” You don’t need the country or a farm to be able to get your hands in the dirt—but you do need some patience and a good vacuum. Planting with children is a great spring activity. You can have a garden in the backyard or on your windowsill by planting seeds in small yogurt pots or egg cartons.

Another wonderful option is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Some CSAs deliver to cities for members to pick up their farm-fresh food at a local establishment (a store, a bakery, a share-member’s house). Other CSAs, such as Lindentree Farm CSA in Lincoln, Mass., near where I live, have members come to the farm once a week to pick up most of their food in the CSA pick-up area under the barn/meetinghouse and harvest some of their own food in the fields. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, young children will enjoy making newspaper seedling pots, scooping up dirt and pushing seeds into each pot, topping them with a soft blanket of dirt. We had our first successful crop of basil from seed last year after two years of planting as an activity with no viable end product. The kids didn’t care about my lack of a green thumb, only I did. Check out these great CSA resources:

www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/02/newspaper-seedling-pots.html

www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/projects/feb03/pg1.html

www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/projects/may04/pg1.html

www.thefamilygroove.com/jun_NaturesWay.htm

Mud Pies

If you can head to a local farm or Audubon Society, this is a good time of year to see the baby animals or go for a nature walk. Give the children a plastic or paper bag that they can decorate and have them collect “treasures” on your nature walk. Pinecones, little twigs and rocks become precious gems all of a sudden. Have a little picnic on a tree stump or even on the front porch. Best of all, this time of year brings the first fresh vegetables of spring. The taste of spring is definitely that of fresh asparagus and fresh English/garden/shelling peas.

Let the children make a mud pie with their leaves, buds, rocks, sand and dirt. Then when you go inside, they can help you make a spring pie. Eggs are a big theme this month. They play a symbolic role of renewal and birth with the holidays of Easter and Passover. Eggs are easy on a child’s palate, both in taste and texture. For a savory version of the spring pie, try a frittata with asparagus or fresh peas. For a sweet version, go for simple clafouti with fresh spring berries.

Check out these resources:

http://www.audubon.org/

http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/

http://www.ngb.org/gardening/fact_sheets/fact_details.cfm?factID=13

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spring-Pea-Frittata-239224

http://inkyquills.wordpress.com/2008/10/19/smoked-salmon-asparagus-frittata/

http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/2004/06/julia-childs-clafoutirecipe.html

http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/blackberry-lemon-clafouti/

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy

Leah Klein is mom to Henry and Isabelle. She packs lunches, manages to cook up an assortment of weekly family meals and provides tips on cooking for the family without going insane or broke. She is the Boston Family Foodie on www.examiner.com.