Growing...

By Lisa Zupan

 Summer is a great time to garden! And, nothing is more fun than teaching a little one about gardening.  A few weeks ago, I took the little person in my house to the nursery to choose his favorite seeds. He looked long at hard at his choices knowing he could only pick three. "Strawberries! They're my favorite! (Pause) Peas! Can we please grows peas?? (Long pause) Ice cream! Can we grow a big huge vanilla ice cream tree with sprinkles?"

Growing peas

Well, two out of three isn't a bad start right?

Here are a few of my tips to really get your little one ‘Growing…”

(1)  Try taking your child to the nursery and letting him/her choose a favorite fruit and veggie seed.  

(2)  Use seedling cups from the nursery or dixie cups and let the child fill them with dirt and plant the seed.  

(3)   Make sure to put the cups where they will get plenty of
light but also easily accessible for the little one.  

(4)   Make it part of their daily routine to gently water the seeds.  

Within a few days, you will watch them sprout.  Transplant the baby plant whenever they outgrow their cups.  You can re-plant them many ways and put them in many different places. You can transplant them into a larger pot or container (milk carton, larger paper cup, et cetera). You can put the newly potted plant in the windowsill or in the ground in a garden area.  Hopefully, if all goes well, your child will have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

*Lisa Zupan is a holistic health practitioner out of Los Angeles, California. You can visit her website at http://www.zupanshealinggarden.com and email her at lisa@zupanshealinggarden.com.

The Fish and The Turtle: how chanting made me calm

By Imani Frierson (Age 5)

It was my birthday. I was very excited! I had just gotten a new fish tank. I only had to wait three days to get my fish. Three days passed, I asked my mom if we could get the fish but my mom said I wasn’t on my best behavior. It seemed like weeks and weeks passed.

One day, I was cleaning the yard with my granddad. When he cleared one section, we saw a small turtle. We went upstairs and I told my older sister and her friend that we found a turtle.

My granddad said, “I am going to put it in the fish tank.”

“You are not supposed to put that in there,” I replied.

Soon my mom came home. She announced, “We can go to [the pet store] to get the fish now girls.” I told my mom what happened with the turtles.

She said, “Dad, I don’t think you should have put the turtle in the tank”.

We arrived at the pet store. The man at the pet store told us that we couldn’t get the fish until the water was tested because we let him know what granddad did. I was very mad. I wanted to get my fish!

We got in the car. We stayed in the car and chanted for 4 minutes.

Mom asked, “How does granddad feel about you?”

I replied, “I think granddad loves me”.

Mom said, “Granddad knows you like animals right?”

And then I said, “Yes!”

And then mom said, “Did granddad know he was going to mess up the water by putting the turtle in the tank.”

And then I said, “No, he loves me and he wanted me to have an animal. It’s better to have a turtle than no pet.”

We went home. I asked everyone to clear the kitchen so I can have a conversation with granddad.  He apologized and I didn’t hurt his feelings. The next day, he took me to the pet store. The water got tested and I got to have my fish!!

I got three glow-in-the-dark fish and a Black Balloon Belly. I named the Black Balloon Belly Black Rose, one glow-in-the-dark fish I named Charlie, one I named Lola, and the last one, Paige.

I picked up the turtles the next day after school. I went behind the gate and let them go. I told my granddad, "I really miss my turtles especially the one that fooled us but I am glad I got my fish." I was able to talk to my granddad calmly because I chanted.  Best of all, I didn’t hurt my granddad’s feelings.

Making Auras

BY: Asiatu Lawoyin

Cheerio Aura Art (toddlers-6 yrs)
Coffee Filter Aura Art (7 yrs +)
 

Cheerio Aura Art
Materials
-paper
-glue
-cut out pictures of any living thing (trees, plants, animals...)
-fruity cheerios (multicolored)

1.    Have the child glue the cut out pictures onto a piece of construction paper. The larger size works best with larger pictures.

2.    Glue one color of cheerios around the boarder of each picture. There is no limit to the layers. I used one layer but other layers can be added.

Themes that can be discussed while doing the art are auras, living versus non-living things, colors, and counting.

Animal Auras by Asiatu

Coffee Filter Aura Art

Materials

-paper
-glue
-coffee filters
-food coloring/liquid watercolor
-pipette

1.    Have the child glue the picture in the center of the FLATTENED coffee filter. Smaller pictures work best to fit the center.

2.    Use food coloring bottles and squeeze drops around the pictures one color at a time. The colors will run together giving a tie-dye look to it.

3.    The more colors you use the more radiant the aura. AFTER the filter is dried, glue the filter onto paper. Liquid watercolors can be substituted for the food coloring.

4.    Use a pipette to put the drops around the pictures.

Themes to be discussed are auras, more complex color identity if using liquid water colors, and color combinations if the colors run together what new colors they make.



Bird Aura by Asiatu













Munchkin & Me: Banana Bread (Gluten Free & Naturally Sweetened)

Ingredients

2 large eggs

2 ½ tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 teaspoon honey

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon banana extract

½ cup Orange juice

1 teaspoon xanthum gum

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 ¼ cup white rice flour

2/3 cup coconut flour

1 1/3 ripe banana mash (approximately 4 large bananas)

  1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2.    Munchkin Helper: Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray.

  3.    In a large bowl, crack eggs. Lightly beat them

  4.    Older Munchkin Helper: Add butter, agave nectar, honey, cinnamon, oil, banana extract and orange juice.

5.    Munchkin Helper: With a whisk, mix all the ingredients together. Make sure they are nicely blended.

6.    Older Munchkin Helper: In a large mixing bowl, combine the xanthum gum, baking powder, white rice flour, coconut flour.

7.    Slowly add the liquid into the dry mixture.

8.    Munchkin Helper: Stir as the mixtures are being combined.

9.    Fold in the banana mash.

10. Munchkin Helper: Continue to mix as the banana mash is being added. Mix thoroughly so that the natural banana spread through the whole loaf.

11.  Pour into loaf pan.

12. Bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out of loaf clean.

Little Yogis

By Sophia Paul

Introducing kids to exercise along with healthy eating habits and a calm environment is probably the best life insurance you can give them. Yoga is a fun way to get your offspring moving! The easiest way to introduce kids to yoga is by doing it with them. There are so many wonderful yoga poses to do with your child, even when they are very young. A lot of times we do this naturally when we play with our little ones, hopping like a frog, jumping like a rabbit, flying like a bird.

Many yoga poses are actually named after animals they resemble; downward facing dog for example, cat/cow, cobra, eagle, locust, tree pose and chair are some easy asanas (postures) for kids to do.



Warrior, Bucking Horse, Cobra







 When introducing cobra pose for example, making a hissing sound like a snake; we can turn down dog into a bucking horse by kicking up one leg into the air. These kinds of plays work best for children ages 4 to 8, they may seem a bit too silly for older kids. 







Down Dog, Tree, Triangle

 

Making it fun and maybe even into a story will guarantee your kids enjoying the experience. Intergrating some partner yoga poses is a fun way of doing yoga with your children. Ice cream scoop pose is a pose where the parent rests in embryo pose and the child is in embryo pose on the parents back making two rounded scoops.

Lion’s breath is a fun, invigorating, detoxifying breathing exercise all children (and most adults) love; it always creates a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere with lots of laughter. Older children may enjoy the invigorating sun salutation, warrior poses and triangle pose. Yoga poses can be practiced slow and have a calming effect or more vigorously actively burning calories, increasing motor function and building awareness of their bodies.

The most important component that distinguishes yoga from a simple stretching exercise it the combination of breath and movement. Even young children can be taught to take deep slow breaths. Sit in quiet meditation with them, breathing deeply and mindfully, they will soon follow your example. Instead of being totally silent you may point out things to observe quietly such as a bird, a sunset or listening to sounds of nature such as a gurgling brook nearby, the wind rustling in the trees or the cry of a hawk. Immersing yourself and your child completely into nature will dramatically enhance your creativity, sense of wonder and appreciation.

Combining your next hike or walk with your child with some yoga poses, mindfulness, breathing will give you a wonderful bonding experience; and don’t forget the power of laughter. Believe it or not there is such a thing that is called laughter yoga!

I hope you will have a lot of fun together exploring the wonders of yoga.

   *Sophia S. Paul, Adj. Professor, RRCC, CYI, RMT, ND is a certified Vinyasa Yoga instructor with 30 years of experience. You can check out her website at http://www.royalyogabailey.com/.