The kids will be heading back to school this month ready and eager to get back into the academic groove. In honor of National Kid Month – September- we present some herbal ideas that will get the young ones involved with herbs, maybe the outdoors and putting those academic skills to use in practical fun ways.
The young one in our family is well aware of herbs and even has several of his own favorites. He has been stung several times this summer by the abundance of yellow jackets. Although his first response is a lot of loud hollering, through all the noise he yells “Get Mom!” He knows that mom will get a poultice of plantain (once chewed and slapped on the sting while in the garden) which will pull out the poison and relieve the pain. So this summer he may say that plantain is a favorite herb. He knows about the herbs we grow and use in our food everyday something we talk about all the time. He has learned about herbs from his very beginning. Something we encourage everyone to do.
Begin with food. If you grow herbs, take your children into the garden and let them feel, taste and harvest herbs. Name the herbs and tell them what you do with them. Take some pictures or press some leaves and let them start a scrapbook. Then let them help use those herbs in some cooking. This is a simple and good place to start kids out with herbs easily. Our kiddo enjoys making dill pickles every year, and the umbrel flowers of the dill make for fun and easy harvesting. We have also made pesto from a wide variety of herbs - what fun to chop the herbs roughly so they fit into the food processor (scissors work great for this) and then whirring them up into a lovely green paste with some oil and then mixed with pasta!
The young one in our family is well aware of herbs and even has several of his own favorites. He has been stung several times this summer by the abundance of yellow jackets. Although his first response is a lot of loud hollering, through all the noise he yells “Get Mom!” He knows that mom will get a poultice of plantain (once chewed and slapped on the sting while in the garden) which will pull out the poison and relieve the pain. So this summer he may say that plantain is a favorite herb. He knows about the herbs we grow and use in our food everyday something we talk about all the time. He has learned about herbs from his very beginning. Something we encourage everyone to do.
Begin with food. If you grow herbs, take your children into the garden and let them feel, taste and harvest herbs. Name the herbs and tell them what you do with them. Take some pictures or press some leaves and let them start a scrapbook. Then let them help use those herbs in some cooking. This is a simple and good place to start kids out with herbs easily. Our kiddo enjoys making dill pickles every year, and the umbrel flowers of the dill make for fun and easy harvesting. We have also made pesto from a wide variety of herbs - what fun to chop the herbs roughly so they fit into the food processor (scissors work great for this) and then whirring them up into a lovely green paste with some oil and then mixed with pasta!