Our environment

Celebrate World Environment Day on June 5th

Posted on by Erica
31
May

Celebrate World Environment DayWednesday, June 5th is World Environment Day (WED) and this year the theme is Think.Eat.Save. There is no doubt that global food production is placing an enormous strain on our natural resources however WED is the perfect opportunity to talk to your kids about food miles, food wastage and reducing their ecological footprint whilst celebrating our wonderful world. Here are ten activities you can do with your kids to celebrate World Environment Day and help reduce their footprint: Continue reading →

Our environment, Pests and Weeds

Eco-Friendly, Kid-Friendly Weed Killer

Posted on by Erica
21
Apr
Vinegar makes a good eco-friendly, kid-friendly weed killer
This weed killer is eco and kid friendly.
Are you after a cheap, eco-friendly, kid-friendly weed killer that uses common ingredients from your kitchen AND works fast? If so, read on…
I hate weeding, I really do. I wish I could wave a magic wand and all the weeds in our garden would disappear. In the past I’ve resorted to buying commercial weed killer but it never sat comfortably with me and now I have kids I don’t want them to be around it. A few years ago I bought an eco-friendly weed killer from a garden show. I got home and realised it was basically a mixture of salt and vinegar. I paid around $6 for 500ml and as I had quite a few weeds to fight, I decided I could definitely make it myself cheaper. I mentioned this to an old gardening friend and they informed me I could indeed and all I would need to add to the concoction was a dash of dishwashing liquid to help break down the waxy coating found on many weeds. Simple! Continue reading →

Guest Posts, Our environment

Guest Post: Six Tips for Kid-friendly, Chemical-free Vegetable Gardening

Posted on by Erica
13
Nov
Alessandra Winfield
Alessandra Winfield enjoys spending time out in the garden with her kids and shares her tips
Today’s guest post is written by Alessandra Winfield – a Dietitian, homeschool mum of 2 boys and writer of the blog Practical Skills for Kids. She has been gardening since she was a little girl, learning from her grandmother. She just loves teaching kids all sorts of skills like gardening and cooking. 
As a Dietitian I am seeing a lot of children and adults with food sensitivities. Unlike an allergy, food sensitivities can be subtle and symptoms only appear when the person has eaten over their threshold on certain types of food. While there is much more research needed in this area, there have been suggestions that chemicals in farming may have contributed to these sensitivities.
One of the best skills we can teach our children is how to grow food without the use of chemicals, also known as organic gardening. Here are my top six tips to deter the damaging pests and diseases in your garden: Continue reading →

Guest Posts, Our environment

Guest Post: Sharing Our Values with Children

Posted on by Erica
Teaching kids about sustainability
Leah Wheatley writes about sharing our values with our children
Today’s post is written by Leah Wheatley – environmental scientist, mum and writer of the blog Along The Way. She enjoys writing about sustainability, parenting and wellbeing, and is passionate about practising what she preaches:
Being an environmental scientist, it has been very important to me to ensure that my daughter has an appreciation for the amazing natural world around her and the fragility of it. It has actually been quite simple and she has needed little encouragement so far to embrace my sustainability values. Here are my top tips to ensure sustainability values are passed on to the next generation: Continue reading →

Our environment, School garden

Gardening and Sustainability Resources for Teachers

Posted on by Erica
The Clean Up Australia Day Website
The Clean Up Australia Day website is a great resource for teachers
I am often asked about sustainability and gardening resources for teachers who are after ideas to use with their students. Over the years I have used a number of different websites for ideas and inspiration when planning my lessons. Here are my favourites: Continue reading →

Competitions and Grants, Garden activities for kids, Our environment

10 Ways to Engage Kids with Trees

Posted on by Erica
National Tree Day 2012
National Tree Day is a great way to engage kids with trees
A recent study commissioned by Planet Ark confirmed there has been a dramatic shift in the amount of time kids spend outdoors compared to what their parents did as children. They are spending increasing amounts of time indoors in front of screens and this can have a negative impact on their health. Planting Trees: Just What the Doctor Ordered  states that spending time outside in nature is good not only for the body but the mind as well. It can help improve concentration, increase feelings of self-worth, reduce stress and increase critical thinking skills in children.
Exploring and investigating trees is a great way to encourage children to spend time outdoors and appreciate the world around them. Here are 10 ways to engage kids with trees:  Continue reading →