Author, Affiliation, Date:
Frances Oommen, Cape Breton Farmer's Market. October 16 2006
Body:
In August, and again in September, parents of the Green Thumb Kids were contacted by phone and the kids received a personal letter. They were invited to sell their green beans and tomatos at the Cape Breton Farmers Market, in Sydney Nova Scotia.
No one sold any beans, ( from all reports, their families ate them all! ), but on the past two Saturdays two groups of two families came with signs and change, and sold their tomatos.
When contacted by phone, most parents stated that the plants had grown well,( if they had planted them! ), and that the children had been excited by growing their own vegetables. Some discussed the problems they had with poor soil, or that they had forgotten to water their plants, tomato plants blowing over etc. One child gave some tomatos to her grandmother. A mother expressed delight in the fact that her son had actually eaten the green beans, something he had never done before. One mother, who is a teacher, said that her young son had learned so much during the process.
Several families said that they would like to do Green Thumb Kids again next year.
It is hoped that the Board of Education will also promote this programme next spring. The Board has banned the sale of junk food in schools recently, and is focussing on healthy eating - there is one teacher who has a garden at one of the schools. wouldn't it be great if the kids learned about "growing under glass" (or plastic), so that they could taste some of their own vegetables before the end of the school year........
( In Cape Breton we have a short growing season ).
Author, Affiliation, Date:
Frances Oommen, Cape Breton Farmer's Market. October 16 2006
Teaser:
Green Thumb Kids return to the Farmers Market to sell their tomatos.
Body:
In August, and again in September, parents of the Green Thumb Kids were contacted by phone and the kids received a personal letter. They were invited to sell their green beans and tomatos at the Cape Breton Farmers Market, in Sydney Nova Scotia.
No one sold any beans, ( from all reports, their families ate them all! ), but on the past two Saturdays two groups of two families came with signs and change, and sold their tomatos.
When contacted by phone, most parents stated that the plants had grown well,( if they had planted them! ), and that the children had been excited by growing their own vegetables. Some discussed the problems they had with poor soil, or that they had forgotten to water their plants, tomato plants blowing over etc. One child gave some tomatos to her grandmother. A mother expressed delight in the fact that her son had actually eaten the green beans, something he had never done before. One mother, who is a teacher, said that her young son had learned so much during the process.
Several families said that they would like to do Green Thumb Kids again next year.
It is hoped that the Board of Education will also promote this programme next spring. The Board has banned the sale of junk food in schools recently, and is focussing on healthy eating - there is one teacher who has a garden at one of the schools. wouldn't it be great if the kids learned about "growing under glass" (or plastic), so that they could taste some of their own vegetables before the end of the school year........
( In Cape Breton we have a short growing season ).
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