Don't Pee on the Bee

But Why?

This is the title of an article by Lora Shinn that is in the September 2011 issue of Kiwi magazine.  The subtitle is Raising kids who think.  Of course, I honed right onto that one and started reading right away!  She talks about trying to answer the Big Questions that our children ask us while fostering their ability to think things through, and yes, even get a little philosophical. 

Now some days, the last thing I want to do is get philosophical with JJ!  He wants to get to the bottom of everything and be sure that he really understands it.  Some days I just want to tell him to stop thinking!  But on a good day, if there is time, I think that some of the ideas that Shinn presents are good ones.  She says that when your child is asking these Big Questions, "Your child is demonstrating his natural inclination to speculate, reason, and persuade.  ANd if he were in college instead of second grade, he's be considered a philosopher.  So go with it:  Encouraging philosophical conversations can boost a child's creativity, language, and critical-thinking skills."  But she's also not some parenting advice wacko (perhaps I could have put that a bit more nicely!) who is telling us to have conversations like this all the time.  She believes it's OK to just say "Lights out because I said so!" and talk about the big issues later.

She's got some suggestions on how to get these conversations started, one that involves Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree.  She suggests that after reading this, you might discuss:  Is it possible to give too much?  Can we love books and paper but also dislike chopping down trees?  I've got to say that both of these intrigue me!  I already worry about Sarah sometimes as she is often so readily willing to give whatever she has got to someone else.  And I know that's a fine trait on the one hand, but I also don't want her to be the kind of young woman who gives other people what they want in order to keep them happy if it doesn't make her happy.  (Maybe I'm the parenting advice wacko now for worrying too much about this!)

Back to the topic at hand . . . But I also love the question about paper and books and trees!  And I would love to hear what my kids have to say about this.  I could see a really fruitful conversation coming from this.  And speaking of books, the article also references a blog Wondering Aloud that has more ideas like these.  But what I really love about Wondering Aloud is the books and ideas that are listed!  I just ordered Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox because of this site!  And here's the irony . . . As I was writing this, Sarah just came in and told me that she and JJ are playing a game called "Old Lady," and then when I saw the author's name, I just laughed too.  This is the first author that Sarah's class will be studying this month.  I love how the Universe works!

 

Kiwi, Ovaltine Yogurt and Wheat Thins

What do those three things have in common?  Me, my couch and last night!  Instead of watching TV, I sat on the couch, enjoyed the open windows and a blankie in my lap (of course!), and read KIWI magazine.  I didn't really eat that much dinner, so the more I saw the food ads in the mag, and started reading recipes, I decided I needed something to eat.  So I got up and made myself some vanilla yogurt with some Ovaltine mixed in--which was delish!  But then I needed something salty, hence, the wheat thins.  Sounds kind of gross now, but it made me happy last night!

This latest issue of KIWI (September 2011) is a good one!  But I will focus on food items for now (since I just finished eating my lunch!)  Sarah is having a heck of a time with food these days, so I am always looking for something that might interest her.  How about PB & Blue?  Mash about 1/4 cup of blueberries with a little bit of sugar and then spread on toast or bread with some pb or almond butter.  I think she might actually go for that, so I'm going to give it a whirl.  Of course, we're out of blueberries, so I'll have to get some before we can try it!

There was also a yummy sounding recipe for "duffins."  No, that is not a typo.  They call it "healthier than a donut and more fun than a muffin."  Works for me--especially when I am eating Ovaltine yogurt!  It looks like a jam-filled muffin but supposedly tastes like a donut and is a little bit healthier!  I'm game!  I think we'll try making these over the weekend.  Unfortunately, I checked out their website, and no link to duffins there yet!  Guess you'll have to buy the magazine to check it out--or wait for my review!

They also had this neat little "Pick-a-Lunch" chart which I know was designed for kids, but let me tell you, (as I've told you before!), I hate making myself lunch!  So I may use this little chart for me when I need some good ideas!

Any else out their food-trippin' today???  Maybe you made yourself an amazing lunch that you want to share! 

Birds and Bees

And I love Kiwi magazine.  Their byline?  Growing families the natural and organic way.  They've always got fabulous ideas in here.  My one problem is that their website does not always have links to their articles.  And while I completely understand that--they need people to buy their magazine!--it is frustrating, too, when I want to link you to something.

So without basically rewriting their article We Love Science, I'll just share with you some of the websites that they think are great, that are free, and that will help you and your family become citizen scientists!

Project BudBurst      www.budburst.org

Your kids will monitor a flower, shrub or tree and then report online as the plant changes during the seasons.  This data helps researchers track the timing of spring.

The Great Sunflower Project     www.greatsunflower.org

You plant a sunflower and then twice a month for 15 minutes count the number of bees that visit.  Super important to track as the bee population is declining.

NestWatch     www.nestwatch.org

Find a nest or set out a nest box and report your observations.  This project seems better suited for older children s ince you will need to be very careful around a nest.

Nature's Notebook       www.usanpn.org

Check out the site to find what animal or plant species in your area can be observed.  Then follow the program's guide for observing the area.  This helps scientists know how plants and animals are responding to environmental changes.

If you decide to do one of these this summer, please let me know!  I would love to see what you and your family are doing!

Not-So-Pretty Brownies

Looks like it might be "Food Week" on Don't Pee on the Bee!  Remember the Global Brownies post from a month or so ago?  The recipe came from Kiwi magazine and listed several "swaps" where you could change the flavor of the brownies.  Well, I tried the Middle Eastern ones yesterday.  Funny how it came about . . .

My 8x8 square baking dish had come out of the dishwasher and hadn't been put away, so it was sitting on my stovetop.  My mom was visiting and was going to drive home later that afternoon and had been talking about having some chocolate to keep her awake on the drive home.  I was in a totally emotional food-eating place, and one by one, the pieces fell into place.  The kids jumped up and down when they asked what I was doing and I replied, "Making brownies."  They ran to tell Oma what was happening in the kitchen.

So brown sugar instead of turbinado sugar.  Vegetable oil instead of canola or peanut oil.  The apricot jam swap for the applesauce.  Bittersweet chocolate instead of unsweetened baking chocolate.  Cinnamon swapped for the cayenne.  Ooops.  I know now why the brownies didn't turn out--which was the original topic of this post!  I just realized that I did not add the whole wheat flour--which easily leads me to believe that THAT is why the brownies were essentially chocolate goo--although very delicious chocolate goo!

Guess I'll have to try again and let you know! 

Global Brownies, Anyone?

Wow!  You have got to check out this recipe for Secret Spice Fudgy Brownies I read about in the July 2010 issue of KIWI  magazine!  You need to scroll down through the other picnic recipes--which all sound pretty good too!--to get to this one.  What I love about this recipe and the others listed in this article is that they have a "Swaps" section where you can swap ingredients to make the flavors more Mexican, Middle Eastern, Italian, Asian or Indian, or French or Mediterranean.   And don't skip this just because you think "brownies" and "fattening" in the same thought!  Although they are not necessarily low cal, they are made with more healthier ingredients than most!  To me, the Middle Eastern brownie sounds amazing.  Swap the applesauce for apricot jam and swap cayenne pepper for ground cinnamon or fresh mint.  Love how it sounds!  Can't wait to see how it tastes!

(Photo from KIWI magazine.)

Still Greening Along!

As I finished flipping through the April/May 2010 issue of Kiwimagazine, one "turned down page" was an ad for several "greenfestivals" that will be happening throughout the nation.  (The one in San Francisco was last weekend.)  I had flipped down the page a few weeks ago because Bill McKibben, author of Hundred Dollar Holiday, (find previous posts in the Hundred Dollar Holiday category), was listed as one of the speakers.  I've been wondering what he's been up to.  I find it hard to believe that a man like him wouldn't have something meaningful going on!

Then a few days ago, my new issue of Utne Reader magazine arrived, and the Editor's Note mentioned McKibben and  a new organization that he has co-founded and a website called 350.  Now I try to not get too controversial here, so if you don't believe in climate change and global warming, you might not like this.  Anyway, he's working on a new mission, and 350 is it!  The following information is from the website.

What does the number 350 mean?

350 is the most important number in the world—it's what scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Two years ago, after leading climatologists observed rapid ice melt in the Arctic and other frightening signs of climate change, they issued a series of studies showing that the planet faced both human and natural disaster if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 remained above 350 parts per million.

Everyone from Al Gore to the U.N.’s top climate scientist has now embraced this goal as necessary for stabilizing the planet and preventing complete disaster. Now the trick is getting our leaders to pay attention and craft policies that will put the world on track to get to 350.

Is 350 scientifically possible?

Right now, mostly because we’ve burned so much fossil fuel, the atmospheric concentration of co2 is 390 ppm—that’s way too high, and it’s why ice is melting, drought is spreading, forests are dying. To bring that number down, the first task is to stop putting more carbon into the atmosphere. That means a very fast transition to sun and wind and other renewable forms of power. If we can stop pouring more carbon into the atmosphere, then forests and oceans will slowly suck some of it out of the air and return us to safe levels.

Is 350 politically possible?

It’s very hard. It means switching off fossil fuel much more quickly than governments and corporations have been planning. Our best chance to speed up that process will come in December in Copenhagen, when the world’s nations meet to agree on a new climate treaty. Right now, they’re not planning to do enough. But we can change that--if we mobilize the world to swift and bold climate action.

Is it really called Slow Parenting?

I'm sure by now we've all heard of "helicopter parenting" and an array of other descriptors for parents--well, usually moms!  The April/May 2010 issue of Kiwi magazine had an article about this that got my attention.  The article, Less is More, by Jen Singer discusses "why taking a hands-off approach to parenting has become the newest (and sanest) trend in raising kids.

I'm sure that the reason why I liked this article was its reference to "slow parenting."  I'm feeling all about slow these days!  (Think back on the Hundred Dollar Holiday posts and the other Slow Living posts!)  Singer says:

"This growing movement is swinging the pendulum away from the hyper helicopter parenting of the past decade towards something simpler, a little retro, and a whole lot less scheduled.  Slow parenting isn't about slacking off.  It's letting kids be kids.  And it's about time."

She gives an example of one mom who told another during a play date, "You should be close enough to your kids that you can touch them."  What?  That woman and I would never be friends!  She is the complete opposite of my friend, Alex.  When she and her sons and her baby girl arrived for a play date not too long ago, they never even walked into our house!  It was around to the backyard where the 5-year old boys immediately began throwing rocks in the creek, playing in puddles, picking up leaves and tormenting their younger siblings!  (I didn't say it was all perfect, did I?)  But I loved this day for that very reason!  It was totally relaxing for us as the boys did their things, and the 3-year olds were swinging on the swings and playing in the sandbox.  There was no helicoptering going on that day, and everyone had a great time!  (No injuries, either!)

Singer goes on to talk about how moms are "putting the brakes on hovering and giving the thumbs-up to child's play . . . The Great Recession is certainly playing a part in this shift: Many parents are questioning their return on investments in expensive music lessons, traveling sports teams, and other kids' activities.  The backyard looks plenty enriching when money's tight."  This statement kind of bugged me, probably because I know no one who is paying for expensive music lessons, and the only mom I know paying for traveling sports is doing it for her 17 year old son.  I can't imagine him throwing rocks in the creek!  Could it just be that the times are a'changing?

But I think the one thing that really struck me was the third idea in the "3 ways to back off" box at the end of the article.

1. DON'T MICROMANAGE YOUR KID'S NEXT PLAYDATE. Scary? Maybe. Survivable? Yes.
2. UNSCHEDULE YOUR FAMILY. Set aside a time when no one has to be anywhere but be home together.
3. WAIT 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOU FIX SOMETHING, whether it's a broken toy or a snack. Who knows? They may figure it out for themselves by then.

I kind of like the idea of waiting a bit and seeing what happens.  I don't always do that.  And unfortunately in my house, we have a Daddy who can fix darn near anything, so that is the usual response from the kids (or me!) when something is broken.  Maybe I'll try this out and see what happens.  In the meantime, I'm working on keeping it slow(er)!