Start cooking.
A lot. Sorry, if that's not what you wanted to hear. But, seriously. That’s the answer, folks. We said it. The key to it all. Boom. We’re done here. No, okay, we know that’s a lot easier said than done. And we know it’s not the answer to it all. We get the mind-boggling craziness that is toddlerhood, childhood, teenagers, heck for that matter, even adulthood pickiness when it comes to eating. One day they like it, the next they don’t. It’s nuts. But stick with us here. We believe we're onto something. What does your kid really want? Goldfish crackers? Fruit cups? Chips? Juice boxes? They won’t eat veggies cooked, but they’ll eat them raw? They won’t eat veggies at all, but they love fruit? Any of this sounding familiar? That one time you tried to make those easy 2-ingredient cookies, you had your kids excited, but the result tasted disgusting so that was the end of that. Tried. Failed. Never again. Sound about right? Well, our thoughts on this go back to teaching. Wah, Wah, Wah – no seriously – don't go all Charlie Brown teacher talking on us. Stay with us on this one. We’ll try not to bore you. What we know to be true about teaching, at least, is that the more a child discovers and creates a concept on their own, the more they'll take it to be true and useful. Also, the more they see the role models in their life using, learning about, investing in, and doing said concept, the more likely they'll adopt it as their own, as well. The more they use their own knowledge and understanding, the more they figure it out or use their own ideas, the more they see what goes into something to create something else – that’s the moment they appreciate it. That’s the moment they get it. It’s then, and really only then, that they accept it, apply it, make use of it, or learn from it. It has to be of their doing. They may never register as to how much coaching, support, prompting, guiding, modeling, or outright repeating they’ve endured, but when they’ve been apart of it, it’s their experience to keep. So what does this all have to do with eating vegetables? Well, it comes down to this: Get those kids in the kitchen, and you get in there with them, and start cooking - A LOT! Learn to cook - WITH THEM. Be in the kitchen, use the kitchen, talk about ingredients, make it apart of your life and it will soon become part of theirs. Have them pick the meals. Prepare the ingredients. Create the meal and serve it. Learn the fun stuff like using a knife properly, adding the spices, blending the sauce, and most importantly, adding the veggies to the pot. Boost the experience by growing your own garden and have them pick and use their own harvest. Participate in the grocery list making. Learn how the kitchen tools work. Learn about why we need to eat food, what kinds of food, and how food affects us. Model trying new foods, exploring new recipes, and making healthy messes in the kitchen. Essentially - cook more, include them, eat better, appreciate food. Bada boom, bada bing. Food for thought: If they never see how the meal was created, learn why they should be eating it, create something of their own ideas, share in the experience of cooking and eating, or see you taking an active role in creating food – why should they eat their veggies? Would you? HERE'S OUR QUICK TIPS FOR COOKING WITH KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: PLAN AHEAD Have recipe books available for them to look through. Leave something good up on the screen on the laptop. Have ideas for meals readily viewable to catch the interest and get the ball rolling. GIVE THEM SOME CONTROL Have them pick out a meal. Seriously. You can do this. KEEP INGREDIENTS STOCKED Make sure you have the basics always in the cupboard and fridge, so that you can make a variety of recipes, or easily adapt them. BUY GROCERIES WITH THEM Make the grocery list together. Follow a budget. Show them how you stick to the list, how you follow the budget, how you plan meals for a whole family. You will be teaching them lessons far beyond simple mathematics and organization - these skills and experiences with you are invaluable to life itself. An added bonus is it may just help you stay on track a little better, too. DON'T BE AFRAID TO LEARN WITH THEM Not a lover of cooking yourself? Afraid to mess it up? Never made this recipe before? Great! That’s the best kind of teaching because they’ll be learning with you, which means you’ll be engaged and actively trying. They will feel more useful and respected as that are able to help you and work along side you. They will quickly take more ownership and feel more empowered. TEACH AND TRUST THAT THEY CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK They’ve been watching someone prepare food since birth. They’ve got this. They just need some support when needed, helpful advice, relaxed and welcoming space to learn, and respect. CLEAN UP TOGETHER Cleaning up is part of the process. Again, just like the cooking and meal picking, let them do it their way. Offer your help, guidance, and support when needed, but try hard not to take over and do it for them. Responsibility roots from respect. And respect starts when you can trust their capabilities to learn and do. GET EXCITED, BUT NOT TOO EXCITED Don’t be over the top dorky excited, that’s not cool Mom or Dad. Come on now, get with it. But enjoy it. This is quality time. This is memories in the making. Create an experience worth doing again, and again, and again. Not over the top planned, just wing it and go for it. These are life skills and you can be their ultimate teacher in it. Don’t overthink it but don’t let it go by the wayside, either. Take an active role in preparing your child for a healthy and happy future – teach them that anyone can cook and the more you do it yourself, the happier your body will feel. Let alone the money you’ll save! MAKE TIME FOR IT Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, don’t rush. We know you’ve got baseball practice and dance lessons, but sometimes if life is too scheduled, there’s no time to just relax and take in the simple life experiences, like cooking a meal and eating it together with family. Trust us, the memories made while the family cooks together is worth it. Now go on, get in your kitchen and start cooking and learning together as a family.
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We learn best when we're awake, ready, welcomed, and encouraged. When we can breathe, relax, organize our thoughts, and connect to something real. We learn best when we can ask questions, use real life examples. We learn best when we can actually experience life and living - when we move freely and express our uniqueness!
These reasons are why we believe in outdoor education. It gives school learning, which is so often connected with sitting at a desk inside a classroom, a much-needed and long overdue breath of fresh air. If we want our children to be successful in an ever-changing, fast-paced, environmentally sensitive and diverse world, we really should be rethinking what schooling looks like. Sitting at a desk all day crunching meaningless algorithms and writing about the weather while you're sitting inside is hardly connecting our students to the world they will grow up in, and someday be the leaders in! Here's just a sampling of benefits of taking the classroom outside: 8 Benefits of Learning Outside 1. Creativity Bright colours, crisp lines, and everything moving, changing, adapting, and living to liven up the senses we use to learn! The natural world we live in can refresh our view, open up our natural senses that enable us to create, listen, and explore. Being outside can inspire new perspectives on familiar topics, giving something we thought we knew or completely understood a fresh new look. It can bring a critical eye (or ear, or nose!) to whatever topic is being explored and inspire innovative, imaginative, and creative juices to flow. It sparks the imagination and keeps it flowing. How can a room with 4 walls, no matter how brightly lit up and decorated, compare? 2. Physical Activity Wide open spaces. Free to move, to wiggle, to fidget, to twiddle or tap. To feel the Earth beneath your feet while feeling the wind on your face is enough to keep you awake, engaged, and energized. No need to use stationary bikes to get your energy out, or handheld devices to capture our attention or entertain our fidgeting hands that are just bursting to dig into something. Just get outside! 3. Calm Mind The quiet call of a bird in a forest. The wind rustling through the leaves. The water stream rushing over the rocks. You can buy these sounds on iTunes to get in touch with your inner self, calm the mind, or focus for study time. However, you could also simply go outside and save a few bucks. The effects of the sounds of nature are obviously soothing and relaxing, and they can allow our minds to calm and refocus. Reading a book, writing a story, drawing a sketch, solving a math problem, mapping out ideas – whatever it is that could be done quietly at a desk can easily be taken outside, and not only calm the mind, but also strengthen the ability to focus. 4. Natural Curiosity Why is the sky blue? What is this plant called? Why does this bug look like that? What’s that sound? What’s over there? The questions are endless. And honestly, they should remain that way. The natural curiosity of a child is proof of their instinct to learn, and they natural motivation to want to learn. Exposing them to the outside world around them, filled with many interesting, provoking things is the perfect platform to spark imagination, questioning, researching, exploring, and answering. Letting a child’s questions guide the force of learning will only inspire them to keep learning, without fear and with a welcoming environment to take it into their own hands. 5. Real Life Relevancy A flower first starts as a seed, then develops roots, a stem, and a bud. A caterpillar builds a cocoon and transforms into a butterfly. The Earth rotates around the sun, while also spinning round and round on it’s own axis giving us day and night, and also the four seasons in a year. What better way to experience and build understanding of these concepts, and many more, than to get outside and explore them, first hand? Certainly not by looking at pictures of them in a book or on the Internet! The more connected a concept is with a tangible and meaningful experience, the more likely we are to care, engage, and take pride in understanding them. 7. Earth Connection We want our children to grow up caring about the environment, because we’ve experienced the effects of the mistakes and massive power the environment has. Pollution, endangered habitats, endangered species, global warming, natural disasters, depleting natural resources – the list goes on. We know generations growing up today need to invest in the environment, however to do, they need to experience it. They need to know it’s power, it’s relevancy to our daily lives, and our dependence on it. They need to be outside to know what’s outside, and how to protect it, build it, and sustain it. 8. And lastly, our apologies, but we’re just going to be blunt and put it out there... Get the heck out of the classroom and EXPERIENCE learning. Experience life! School should be full of experiences that are engaging, exciting, and thought provoking. Experience your senses, the world around you, and the gift of being able to expand your mind while embracing the very world we live in and depend on for life itself! Active means literally, just that, active. Moving your body. It doesn’t have to mean professional sports, intense training sessions, or daily workouts. It can mean running around, jumping, climbing, rolling, dancing, playing, stretching, balancing, walking, and the list goes on. It can be enjoyed with others, or blissfully enjoyed alone. We all know staying active is a key component to keeping our bodies healthy. But how about our minds – the way we learn, the way we remember things, the way we handle emotions?
As adults, we tend to put activity into sports or workouts. However, kids seem to turn anything into active play. In the mind of an eight year old, for example, there’s a possibility for anything, literally anything – a toy, a stick, a plastic bottle cap – to become the centre of fun, free active play. Somewhere along the way, us adults forgot that there can be pure joy in activity - the adrenaline rush and thrilling exhaustion that comes from actively playing something that you’re fully engaged in. Not thinking about what to make for supper, or to check your emails, but actually focused on having fun while moving your body. Perhaps it’s the rush of juggling work and life, the responsibility of managing a family and a home, whatever it is, we’ve forgotten what it means to just enjoy being active, let it be a natural part of our lives. To do something good for our bodies, good for our minds, and good for our souls. For children, growing up is tough when you’re expected to learn everything – how to read, write, compute, express, listen, create – while sitting! It’s goes against the very natural urge to turn something into free active play. To get your hands dirty, to test the limits, to satisfy your curiosity, or to practice life skills you see your parents doing every day. Imagine the potential if children were encouraged to get up out of their seats to learn? Imagine our own potential if you could spend time everyday just walking, running, climbing, stretching, etc.? Perhaps, even, in the fresh outdoors? 4 Surprising Perks of Active Free Play Reduced Stress The more engaging the activity, the less you can think about the stresses in your life. Active free play, like running, climbing, etc. takes a mental capacity that helps you to clear your mind and engage in something tangible and achievable. Also, for many of us, having control over how competitive you make your activity can reduce the stress level. Competing against yourself and your own goals can be a greater motivation to keep up with it everyday, and it can reduce the chances of comparing yourself to others, which for many children, is hugely beneficial. Time Together Find yourself spending time together in front a television screen? How engaging is that? Finding time to spend some active free play together builds character traits, positive learning experiences, and connections between family and friends. A simple game of hide and seek, capture the flag, or tag in the park. A walk to the playground, a swim at the pool, or an afternoon at the beach. It provides interactive, face-to-face time where children learn more about the people in their life, who they are, and the world we live in. The more time we spend staring at screens, the less we know how to communicate with each other, empathize with others, know about ourselves and our families, and take delight in a sunny day or a shared laugh. Get together, get moving. It’s about time, wouldn’t you think? Increased Productivity & Creativity A clear mind gives you space to start fresh, look at things from a different perspective, or sharpen your critical eye. It gives you more room to remember things, play out ideas, and build a concrete understanding. Taking time to engage in something fun, exhilarating, and active can be just the mental break you need to sort through ideas in your head, make sense of things, and let solutions take fold for problems at work, school, family, etc.. Honestly, free active play, as any kid will show you after recess, lunch, or gym class, can be just as supportive and conducive for a learning child as could be for a working adult. Imagine your potential! A Happy Healthy Boost Get that adrenaline flowing, endorphins releasing and you’re on your way to a happier, healthier you. Not only will regular activity that is free of stress and full of fun get your heart rate going, but you’ll feel better, too. Your body will be stronger, less stressed, and more able to relax, let go, and simply enjoy experiences life has to offer you. Your food will digest more regularly, your body will fight off infections faster, you’ll sleep more soundly, and you’ll gain a strong appreciation for life, learning, and the world we live in. Sounds wonderful, eh? So, this spring, don’t be too hard on yourself about hitting the gym or signing your child up for every sports team – being active can be so much more than that, and can be friendlier on the wallet, too! Make an effort to find time to make physical activity something you enjoy, but also something that benefits your life. Make it meaningful! I’m off to walk to dogs and the little one! |
Welcome to Our BlogEach post is written by a supportive member of Via Vita Academy, be it a teacher, parent, student, community member, who is invested in the topic of education. Take a read and comment below! Archives
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