Change the World? Reach our Kids!

Our kids are the future.  Seriously, how long before you and I are gone and our kids are the Presidents, Governors, FDA leaders, teachers, police and firemen?  The fastest and most sure way to make 'change' happen is by teaching our kids from a young age so that it becomes a lifestyle.

For instance, our family is into exercise, eating healthy, gardening (again soon), juicing, essential oils, home birth, God, reading the Bible, church, family, relationships, nature, fishing and the list just goes on and on.  If we start teaching and talking to our kiddos about these things at a very young age so that it is second nature to them then hopefully they will teach their friends, future spouse, kids and the chain goes on.

My kiddos already know which essential oils to use under several circumstances.  When they get a bump or bruise they immediately ask for lavender.  If they sneeze or cough they ask for RC.  If they know they are going somewhere that germs spread like wildfire they ask for Thieves.  Sure, we keep teaching and telling them for further learning and reinforcement, but they already get it and know it and use it!

The same goes for our food.  Mackenzie (my 4-year old) almost always asks if an item is all natural or organic.  She also asks about ingredients and food color (she can not tolerate artificial food color).  So she is learning now, and has a basic understanding of what we should and should not put into our bodies.  She even goes so far as to teach her little brother.

A big thing I hear from Mom's and Dad's is that their kids don't like good food; all they will eat is junk.  I feel that one of the easiest and biggest ways to get kids to know about healthy eating as a lifestyle (not diets, not fads) is to get them involved.  (And get the junk out of the house.  Out of sight, out of mind....eventually out of mind.  Hey, a few missed snacks or meals won't hurt them, they will eat what you give them if they have no other choice.)

One way to do this is to let them help you make breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks.  Give them age appropriate tasks under supervision.  My daughter loves to hand shred the lettuce and greens for a salad.  She also enjoys mixing dishes that require a good stir.  My son (age 2) loves to peel soft skin off oranges or bananas for lunch or snack.  Both of the kids like to help me make fresh juice with the juicer by taking turns putting the produce into the juicer and watching the liquid gold come out!  See, it can be just that easy and fun to begin building the foundations of a healthy life at a young age. 

Recently I had an easy learning experience with the kiddos when we bought old fashioned (organic) popping corn kernels.  We needed a snack so I decided to pop the corn the old fashioned way...on the stove top.  They loved it.  While I was popping the corn I explained to them the health benefits of NOT using prepackaged popping corn because of some of the hidden ingredients, and showed them how we can flavor our own corn to fit whatever craving we were having.  Oh, and when I pop corn this way ALL the kernels pop!  So as parents we have to look for opportunities in our every day lives to teach our kids.  Even if they act like they are not listening, guess what?  They are.

If you want to dig even further to help your kids like healthy food then try your hand at gardening.  It doesn't have to be a big, full sized garden, but just a few herbs and tomatoes.  I have found that cucumbers and peas are easy to grow, start with that.  Kids love to watch the seed grow into big plants, flowers start to set, bees pollinate, ladybugs do their thing, fruit begin to set, grow and harvest.  It intrigues them and they learn a lot.  Then when it is time to eat they get really excited that they grew the food them self and they actually want to eat it, and want you to eat it too.  If you want information on how to do a garden in a small space I recommend the book All New Square Foot Gardening.

My Old Garden

Zucchini Flowering

 

My little tomatoes

Anyway, whatever you are hoping your kids will do in the future, or maybe the dreams you have for generations to come, begin small with the little people in your life.  The time will be well invested, and you just may have some fun along the way!