Inspirational Little Foodie, Birke Baehr

Check out this AMAZING little foodie, Birke Baehr! Birke is doing his part to make a difference in our food systems, "one kid at a time".



So, next time you see a little foodie on the bus, at your own dinner table, in your classroom or at a family gathering, see them with different eyes and ears. These kids are the future of our food systems and they will be the recipients of the food culture we create in our lifetimes. Plus, they are obviously way smarter than we may think!

Think about Birke Baehr next time you're tempted to pick up the "sparkly cereal" for your little one at home, and challenge your little foodies to try new, healthier options!

Talk about Local Food!

My sister (yes, there's another one of us!) is lucky enough to literally enjoy the fruits of local food, right in her backyard. They have a cherry tree that is currently thriving and producing beautiful fruit! Look at those gorgeous morsels of cherry goodness! It's actually quite perfect, really, as her favourite pie has always been cherry...

Having a fruit tree in your backyard can be a great way to not only benefit from a healthy, local food source, but also a fun learning experience for the little foodies in your family! Involving your little foodies in the harvesting process can both empower and engage them. Why not sit down and brainstorm all of the yummy recipes you could make with the fruit you have just picked? You could also take it one step further and ask them to create some artwork inspired by your local food source, in this case, a cherry tree!

One of my favourite little foodies, cherry picking!

Don't fret if you don't have a fruit tree of your own in the backyard -- you can still enjoy the fun of picking local fruit. Why not visit a "pick your own" berry farm? I found this useful link that tells you where you can find berry farms in your area of Ontario!  

Happy picking (and pie making)!

follow up...Get Stuffed!

Here are some pics of the children's opera Get Stuffed! (with the good stuff!) that I went to see a couple weekends ago at the Distillery District. We caught the last show of the day and it was very enthusiastic. The performers were so great and the crowd (adults & children alike) seemed to enjoy it. It was educational, colourful and funny - the perfect combo to teach kids about making the right choices when hunger strikes as they reach for their snacks!

Check Out These Little Foodies in Hawaii!

Allow me to introduce you to the beautiful folks of Akamai Backyard in Kauai, Hawaii! Akamai Backyard is a home schooling project that teaches kids how to grow their own food, appreciate what the land provides, and learn about their community and the world through their natural surroundings.

This is all an exercise in permaculture, which is defined as "A unique approach to the practice of sustainable farming, ranching, gardening and living, by designing constructed ecosystems that serve the needs of human populations without degrading the natural environment. Permaculture sites integrate plants, animals, landscapes, structures, and humans into symbiotic systems while requiring a minimum of materials, energy, and labour to maintain". This definition came from Green Destinations.

In short, permaculture is "an agriculture style that mimics nature". Not only does it cut down on food miles considerably, permaculture also restores the connection to the land that has been lost through modernization, and decreases the reliance on outside sources for food.

In addition to growing food and raising animals, the kids also learn about science, the environment, politics, current events, music, Hawaiian culture, public speaking, mathematics, yoga, cooking and other life skills.

What they are doing is so inspiring! I hope you enjoy learning about it as much as I did.

CLICK HERE to check out their amazing video!

Weekend Outing - Toronto

A fruit & veggie opera! This weekend the comic opera Get Suffed! is starting their Ontario wide tour. Get Stuffed is a children's opera about making healthy food choices....starring your favourite fruits & veggies!

It's the perfect combination of the arts, children & healthy food! The opera performs Saturday May 15th at the Distillery District (Toronto) before it heads off to other towns across Ontario. The target audience is children aged 6 -12 and the characters in the opera include Miss Apple, Miss French Fry & the Big Cheese!

You can find out more about Get Stuffed & the program here.

Sounds like a great event! I am planning on checking it out this weekend and will report back. Here's hoping the veggies will be nice & fresh and not soaking wet! :)

What Would You Buy With $50? 

This post is not about kids & food - but its about kids & art and I wanted to share it with you all. I came across this campaign which benefits the Circle of Peace School in Uganda that provides education to children (many who are AIDS orphans) from rural villages & the city.

Basically, an artist/designer named Jiashan Wu in collaboration with the founding CEO of Givology traveled to Uganda in December 2009 to visit the Circle of Peace School. During their 3 week visit, they collected 163 drawings & portraits from the children.  

In Uganda, $50 can provide education and everyday needs for a child for a whole year. They asked the children to draw what they would buy with $50. They explain how the children do not understand the value of money so the objects depicted in their drawings represent something greater - a better life.

a house by a 6 yr old boy

So through the education provided by the Circle of Peace School, those children will be able to provide a better life for themselves in the future. They are raising funds to expand the School through the What Would You Buy with $50 campaign.

I always love drawings made by children, they are so expressive and immediate. Have a look through the drawings; they range from simple things (house, cow, book), to sentimental (mother) to special things (dolls, ipod, plane ticket to NY). The drawings are fun to explore and the portraits of the children holding their drawings are cheerful. The drawings, portraits or series of both can be purchased here.  

One of my favourites is the lake by a 5 yr old girl.

images courtesy of 50dollars.org

Cute Book Alert!

I came across this colourful little book today which I wanted to share with you! Although I am partial to my book, I think this is also a cute kids book about healthy food!

Are you eating something RED? is a colour based produce book teaching kids about different fruits & veggies organized by colour. It is also a good reminder to eat colourfully to ensure that your diet includes a wide variety of fruits & vegetables.

They have also created a co-ordinating colouring book of placemats (great idea!).             

Images of both books from Amazon.com

-Wendy