Bonnie Plants is offering plants at retail nationwide to help encourage kids to garden. Bonnie Plants has an exclusive license to utilize 8 “Grow-ums characters".(see www.growums.com)Upon purchasing any of the8 variety choices, all specially packaged with animated characters on thelable
Bonnie Plants is offering plants at retail nationwide to help encourage kids to garden. Bonnie Plants has an exclusive license to utilize 8 “Grow-ums characters". (see www.growums.com) Upon purchasing any of the8 variety choices, all specially packaged with animated characters on thelable, children will be encouraged to enter the name of the plant (found onstick tag) at www.growums.com where theanimated characters come to life offering “how to” videos andtimely weekly email reminders on how to care for the plants all the way toharvest. It’s interactive and really fun for kids! Plants retail for$2.98, and the website interaction is free (see more info at end of email… have cute character pics too)! Ifyou have any questions or need planting info please let me know.
Thanks for taking alook!
Joan
STRAWBERRIES
Would your childrather have a cookie or a strawberry? Unfortunately, most children will choosethe cookie, perhaps a more familiar, year-round treat. We know the strawberryis the healthier choice, but how do we cultivate their taste for the sweetdelights of fruit, as well as vegetables?
Strawberries arenaturally sweet, undeniably good…If kids experience natural sweetnessearly, they just may prefer healthier, natural sugars over processed sweetswhen they're a little older.
First, we need toshow them that the natural sources of sweetness are as good or even better thanprocessed sweets. Amanda Storey, Assistant VP of Community Health &Wellness at the United Way of Central Alabama recalls a visit to Jones ValleyUrban Farm in downtown Birmingham. “A kid walked up to me and said,‘This carrot tastes like candy!’ He had never had a carrot from theground—only from the grocery store,” she says. “He loved thecarrot, and he went on and on. When you can eat a fruit or veggie that isripe and fresh, the natural sugars stand out, and it just tastes better!”
The child who pulleda carrot from the soil, washed it, and bit off a mouthful enjoyed the freshest,sweetest carrot available. The same goes for strawberries tomatoes and otherfruits and veggies—the fresher, the sweeter. Generally, fruits andvegetables that are transported or stored are not as sweet as those picked intheir prime and eaten immediately. Either they were picked prior to ripening sothey never acquired the sugars from their mother plant, or they were shipped,stored, or both, declining in sweetness and nutrients over time. That’swhy the phrase “garden fresh” is so true! It is the key to greattaste.
Registered dieticianSonthe Burge agrees. She explains that the sugar in fruit (fructose) isactually twice as sweet as table sugar (sucrose). “Yes, fructose is asugar, but there is also vitamin C and fiber that you don’t get in acookie,” she explains. “You just can’t compare the sugar infruit to the sugar in a processed food item.”
The Sweet Rewards of Gardening
Kids are likely toenjoy the sweetness of fresh fruit even more if they're involved in theplanting, growing, and harvesting.
Gardening offers ahealthy way for children to learn about natural sweetness. Choose a sweetcherry tomato like Sun Sugar and help a child plant it. Everyone loves
