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LEARNING FUN
CLICK HERE FOR RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS ON GARDENING & HERE for more gardening content. ACTIVITIES/LESSONS (including GROW: How We Get Food from Our Garden)
TEN ACTIVITIES FOR HEALTHFUL LEARNING 1. Make treats together (lasagna counts as a treat!), smoothies—meals kids plan/prepare are more likely to be eaten. Let them play with it! 2. Read aloud together; those of you who’ve done this know it gets especially fun as kids get older and texts more thrilling. Find and share stories from your family’s history (look online, ask relatives) or make some up. 3. Don’t just watch a movie; pick a well-reviewed one that no one has seen, stop it half way in and have everyone write/say what they think will happen. See if your family can out-story the writer/director. 4. PLAY! Card games/board games are often more fun than video games—and make for better interaction. Better yet, get out and shoot hoops, football, or catch, tag, hide ‘n seek, collect bugs; older kids can create an obstacle course or plan a foot race/treasure hunt. 5. Drama night. Act out stories from your spiritual tradition, a one-act play, a family story, or a story written by the performers. 6. Skills Night: Learn art, swimming, survival/emergency skills, auto shop, music. 7. Wealth Night: Give each kid a quantity of cash, go to a store and comparison shop to learn budgeting, costs, and value. 8. Talent Night: Share or teach art, vocal harmony, instruments, dance steps, drama 9. Service Day: Bring treats or do yard work or other service for a single parent, an ill or widowed neighbor. 10. Even chores can be a fun activity if adults participate (and there’s a known reward). Have a competition to see if child can pick up all clothes before adult/other child can pick up all toys (or trash). Do it to music. Prize need not be big (consider an outing with parent for a special job).
GROW: How We Get Food from Our Garden - Gardening TIPS:
Plants want soil, nutrients, sun, and water (the amounts vary depending on the plant). They also need the right temperatures (seasons) and climate for the kind of plant they are.
Just like a human baby needs extra special care, a plant you grow from a seed is very vulnerable. If you live where the outdoor temperature might go below freezing, you’ll want to plant seeds in temporary soil containers (like egg carton divits) and keep them indoors for the first several days/weeks until it is no longer freezes outside.
Plant your seedlings in an area outside where they will get enough sunlight. Perhaps the hardest part of gardening is knowing how much water a plant needs; too much or too little can kill a plant. Find out how much sun and water your plants need.
You’ll want to keep an eye on your plants and take steps to ensure that pests (some bugs and animals) and weeds don’t kill them. Some bugs, like bees and butterflies, are good for your plants. Happy gardening!
More lessons on gardening & vocabulary:
👉 Another free gardening lesson plan
👉 Free prepositions lesson plan
RECIPES (More inside Bad Bananas: A Story Cookbook for Kids)
CHEWY BANANA COOKIES
3 ripe bananas (medium size)
2 cups rolled oats (180 g)
¾ cup butter/coconut oil (180 mL)
1 cup dates/raisins, pitted & chopped (120 g)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
¼ tsp salt (1.25 g)
½ tsp cinnamon (2.5 g)
¼ tsp cloves and/or nutmeg (1.25 g. optional)
¼ cup nuts (30 g. optional)
Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C). Mash the
Bananas in a bowl with a mixer or a fork, then mix
in other ingredients. Drop by tablespoon amounts onto a
greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until
lightly brown (makes 24 cookies).
BANANA TOPPING
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon (can also use nutmeg with allspice)
4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
½ cup pecan halves (optional)
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar and spice(s) and stir until sugar dissolves. As the mixtures comes to a simmer, add bananas and cook for at least 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning the sauce over bananas as they cook. When the sauce is syrupy, stir in orange zest. Spoon or pour immediately over ice cream, waffles, crepes, or banana bread.
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups mashed bananas
1 cup chopped black walnuts
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 pound butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 - 9 inch cake pans.
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oil, eggs, pineapple, bananas and nuts. Add flour mixture, and mix together by hand.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on racks.
- Prepare the frosting by blending together the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Evenly spread frosting on middle, sides and top of cake.
KidsWorldBooks offers multicultural and bilingual picture books and chapter books for learning and fun.
Other learning sites:
https://www.littlemisshistory.com/
Loss, grieving, and healing for any age
Music lessons and piano practice content for all ages
FREE Curricula: https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/pre-k-8-curriculum/
4 Food Books for Families picture book series by Karl Beckstrand (See also: 4 Food Books for Kids)