Posts Tagged ‘
getting your kids to do stuff ’
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
I recently was lucky enough to eat lunch with Jamie Deen of The Food Network. The event was sponsored by Hidden Valley Original Ranch, and was promoting healthy eating for children. Deen’s mom is Paula Deen, whose recipes are certainly known for being delicious—but not necessarily for being healthy. Jamie, however, is the father of two boys, ages 6 and 17 months, so he has made it his mission to make sure they eat nutritious foods every day.
Here are some of his tips for parents on getting kids to eat those veggies and other healthy foods:
1. Get them eating healthy foods right away. “I think it’s important that you start them off when they’re young,” Deen says. “That’s really the key.” He and his wife bought a baby food maker and use it with fresh fruit and vegetables like butternut squash. Then, they’ll put some of the mix into an ice cube tray and freeze them, so they can pop them out later and feed to Matthew, his youngest son. “He’s eating different tastes and different textures at 17 months and that opens up his palate,” Deen explains.
2. Lead by example. “Kids emulate what they see,” he says. “If you’re eating healthy, it’s part of their life and that’s just what they eat. That’s what I cook, that’s what’s at the table, and that’s what we eat.”
3. Let kids get involved with meal preparation. “If my older son touches the food in the production stage, the more he’s likely to eat it and take ownership of it,” Deen explains. “He’s like, ‘Oh, I made this and this is mine.’” Deen and his wife encourage him to decorate his fish with zest or help his mom make fruit smoothies.
4. Pack a lunch. Deen makes sure to include a simple sandwich like peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and jelly, along with a fruit cup and pretzels.
5. Find new options, if necessary. If your child really cannot stand one particular food, look around and see if you can find a substitute. “Or, use a little low fat ranch dip and that helps mask some of the bitterness for the kids,” Deen suggests. “If that’s the trick you use to get your kids to eat more fresh vegetables, then that’s a good option too.”
Photo courtesy of Hidden Valley
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
It’s fall in the ‘burbs—the comforting smell of fireplace fires wafting down the street, Saturday afternoons swallowed by soccer…and the sound of leaf-blowers whirring in my neighbors’ yards 24/7. Can you guess which of these three seasonal mainstays most captivates my 5-year-old, gizmo-loving son? Yep, the leaf blowers. Hearing the familiar roar of motors again reminded Julian of the Let’s Play Black & Decker leaf blower we’d given his friend Teddy for his birthday last year—and he began hounding me for one of his own.
I typically belong to the new-toys-are-for-Christmas-and-your-birthday camp, but when he volunteered, for the first time, to pay for the tool with his own moola, I caved. Julian painstakingly counted out $20 of the $23 of Grandma-money in his bedroom. I braced myself for eventual tears, figuring he’d get tired of the toy in an hour and want his, er, money back. Wrongo! He gets a major kick out of faux blowing our backyard. If it this thing had a real motor, our lawn would be immaculate.
I asked my resident landscaper what’s so amazing about his new toy:
So, Jules, what do you like about the leaf blower? It looks so cool I want to marry it. It makes noise and has a blade inside with all these beads, and when you turn it on, all the beads inside spin.
Was it worth the money? I don’t know, but I’ve still got a whole bunch of money, so nothing to worry about.
You missed a spot. Even if it doesn’t have air to blow, I still like it because it looks like a leaf blower and it makes a cool noise. Real gardeners blow leaves with a backpack on their back, though, so I should wear one of those, too.
Friday, July 29th, 2011
I’m one to collect abandoned aluminum cans, paper tower tubes, plastic bottles, milk jugs, and egg cartons (I could go on) for craft projects, but honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this collection of drink bottle tops!
These kids made a cool mosaic in the style of Kandinsky, like the painting above.
High art, with a green twist. Found via Crafty Crow, originally posted on Kunstraum.
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
There are so many things I love about these photos…
- That gorgeous property in Boulder, CO. Don’t you want to live there?
- The cement grid in the front yard—imagine playing checkers with large, plastic jar lids!
- The vibrant chalk quilt (totally kid-created) that Anne of Flax & Twine came home to.
Even if you don’t have this unique pavement feature, you can make your own chalk quilt by taping off squares with masking tape. Just check the forecast—all that hard work to be washed away the next day would be a craft-tastrophe!
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
The Crafty Crow is doing a great series of posts asking the question “What can you make with ______?”. These are the perfect eco-crafts for, you guessed it, Earth Day! (That’s tomorrow if you forgot!) Now go root through your recycling bin and get crafty!
Beautiful bottle cap crafts.
Egg-celent egg carton crafts.
Precious plastic crafts.
Whimsical wine cork crafts.
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Valentine’s Day is one of my very favorite excuses to craft, and if you’re looking for a non-sugary, inexpensive gift, look no further. The Long Thread posted this adorable heart crayon, made by melting crayon scraps, but she took it one step further by mounting it on this sweet card! And she’s that nice that you can dowload two different heart cards from her blog for free.
Now that’s true love!
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
Do you ever wake up in the morning and feel the need to ease into the day slowly and quietly? But then you remember, oh yes, nevermind, I have children. Well, Laura from the blog Chicken Counting devised a new idea that stalls the morning chaos, even just for 1o minutes.
Set out butcher paper and markers the night before with a little note (hers read: Before you run off and start your busy day, sit down and do a doodle; let your mind play!). When the kids tumble downstairs, they can keep themselves busy while you awaken with your coffee. Maybe this won’t give you hours of morning peace, but just a few minutes is better than nothing!
Do you have any unique morning or evening rituals that help ease the kids in and out of the day?
Link found via Ohdeedoh!
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Got a great tip or trick that makes your life easier? Tell us about it and you could be featured in Parents magazine!
Whether it's a surefire way to get your picky eater to eat her veggies, a simple organizing solution, a clever way to keep kids busy on long car-rides, or the perfect go-to present that's a hit with every child, we want to know our readers' best nuggets of homegrown advice! It can be about anything—so go on and share! To add yours, go to our new community site. We can't wait to read your amazing tips!
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Categories: Solutions, Your Life | Tags: ask anything, baby, child development, cleaning, crafts, family activities, Food and Drink, Games, getting your kids to do stuff, health, home decor, nature, organizing, safety, secrets, teaching
