Take Your Kids to the Farm
February 21, 2012, By Karl Withakay 0 comments
Do you realize that all of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy on a daily basis are the result of other people's hard work? From seed to harvest, our food is planted, fertilized, irrigated, weeded and maintained. That's to say nothing of the harvesting, preparation, packaging and transportation to the store where we buy it.
Of course you know all of this about the food your family eats, but do your children? Have they had a chance to see it in action?
When I was a child, my friends and I would spend summers working on a local farm. It was hard labor in the hot sun on most days, and the pay wasn't good. But the experience gave all of us all a strong work ethic—along with strong bodies—and it also made us appreciate the food we ate.
At dinner, I found myself looking at my mashed potatoes and thinking about what went into getting those potatoes on my plate. I had seen how potatoes are grown, maintained and harvested. It made me appreciate the work that the farmers do in this country. I knew that most farmers didn't farm because of the money; they farmed because they wanted to continue a way of life they'd always known and that had helped shape America. They had a love and a passion for the work that they did. Their land fed a nation.
To help your kids understand and appreciate the food they eat every day, it's worth your time to introduce them to farming. The goal is not to make them into farmers but to give them a respect for how a lot of our food gets to our table. The results will amaze you.
One way to do it is to take them to a nearby farm for a day. You'll need to contact a local farmer and ask them if they would mind visitors, and more than likely they'll be happy to show you and the kids around, especially if you volunteer to pitch in with some work. On a farm there's always something that needs to be done.
Another way to educate your children about farming is to pick out a space on your property, till the land and plant a garden with them. Teach your children how to weed the garden and how to properly irrigate it. Teach them how to fertilize the garden and to harvest its bounty. They will understand the hard work that goes into growing your food. They will sit down to dinner and gaze upon a meal that they may not have cooked, but that they helped to create. That is quite a feeling.
Yet another way to connect your family to the food they eat is by joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) group, in which you pay the farmer at the beginning of the growing season and then enjoy weekly boxes of fresh local produce. Through the group you also can arrange to visit the farm you're supporting.
Your children can benefit in so many ways from working on a farm or witnessing the farming process. They will have a new respect for the food they eat. Look around and ask friends about local farms. Your child's school might also have a connection to one. The result? They'll likely eat everything on their plate, and they'll never look at the food they eat the same way again.
