Little kids? For kids 4 and older, start prepping your garden now by planting an indoor seed garden. They will think that they are just having fun playing in the dirt, but really they will be building an appreciation for where food comes from (no, it isn't the grocery store) and how much work is actually involved in producing it. Having months of delicious, fresh food is only the icing on the cake. If you are new to gardening, next week's blog will give you solid pointers on how to get started...
Mid-size kids: For kids about 8 and older, check out The Story of Stuff Project (www.storyofstuff.org). This excellent site features mini movies which are perfect for educating kids on where all our junk comes from and where it goes when we decide that we're done with it. Start with "Story of Stuff", found under the Movies tab.
If you are on Netflix, check out the Ted Talks Series "Chew On This". My favorite episodes are 1 & 3, featuring Jamie Oliver and Mark Bittman respectively. If you have older kids (10+) these are excellent conversation starters around where our food comes from, how our habits have evolved over the last century, and what we can do to reverse the cycle of poor diet and unsustainable "farming" (aka the Industrialization of food production). What I especially love about the series is that it's informative and reflective, without drawing a hard line. Here at the Gourmet we are not vegetarians - clearly - and we beleive that balance rather than abstinence is the route to happiness (after all, it's Tuesday, and I'm thoroughly enjoying my second glass of wine as I jot down these brilliant thoughts...).
And actually, the above suggestions are all great activities for adults too. Enjoy.
