Growing Sustainable Together: Practical Resources for Raising Kind, Engaged, Resilient Children

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Tips, tools, advice, and activities for raising eco-friendly kids while nurturing compassion, resilience, and community engagement.
Drawing from cutting-edge social-science research, parent interviews, and experiential wisdom, science writer and parenting blogger Shannon Brescher Shea shows how green living and great parenting go hand in hand to teach kids kindness, compassion, resilience, and grit–all while giving them the lifelong tools they need to be successful, engaged, and independent.
Growing Sustainable Together is packed with easy tips, expert parenting advice, and practical hands-on activities for the toddler years up through the early teens. The enriching activities, resource guides, and recommended book lists in each chapter distill core sustainablility knowledge, like:
Understanding energy efficiency and renewablesInstilling anti-waste and anti-consumerist valuesLearning where our food comes fromDeveloping a lifelong love for environmental activism, volunteering, and community engagement
The book concludes with a practical appendix that gives talking points for engaging teachers, school systems, and fellow parents in eco-friendly activities.

From the Publisher

Fun and sustainable family activities from Shannon Brescher Shea

Activity: Starting Seeds

Teach kids about the food cycle and get them involved by growing food for the family together.

Choose Your Seeds

Our family has had the most success starting tomatoes, basil, and peppers. When picking seeds, consider what vegetables you want to grow and what varieties. Some varieties may be bred for your region or to be resistant to certain problems like fungus.

Figure Out Your Timing

If you plan to transplant your seedlings outside, you need to consider timing. (If you plan to grow them on a windowsill, timing is less of a concern.) The timing of seed starting depends on both your area’s last average frost date and what types of seeds you’re planting. Cold-tolerant plants like broccoli can go in early while more sensitive plants like tomatoes will die if there’s a frost.

Prepare Your Containers

Terra cotta or plastic containers from the garden store will work just fine. If you want to use recycled containers, quart-sized yogurt containers with holes punched in the bottom are perfect. Before planting, clean dirt or other contaminants out of the containers. Spraying them with vinegar, letting them dry, and rinsing them in water is a natural and effective way to sanitize them.

Prepare Your Soil

If possible, don’t use garden dirt for your seeds. Instead, buy seed starting mix, which has the right mix of nutrients and water-absorbing materials. Before planting the seeds, combine the water and seed starting mix in a large bowl. Allow your kids to mix it together to the texture of thick mud.

Plant Your Seeds

Have your kids scoop up handfuls of mud and move it into the flowerpots. Then, have each child stick their finger in and brush a little bit of mud to the side. Give each child a few seeds and direct them to put them in the tiny hole. Then have them brush a very small amount of dirt back on top of the seeds.

Sprout Your Seeds

If you have a very sunny windowsill, place your seeds there to get light. If it is warm enough during the day, put the plants outside on a deck, balcony, or patio. Once you get serious, you may want to consider purchasing a cold frame (which acts like a mini-greenhouse) or using a grow light. Have your children water the plants whenever they are dry, usually once a day. You may want to use a tiny watering can or spray bottle to prevent overwatering. Children can also gently “pet” the seedlings, which makes them stronger.

Transplant Your Seeds

At some point the seedlings will get too big for their original pot. If you’re growing your plants inside or on a porch, just transplant them to a larger pot. If you’re transplanting them to an outdoor garden, you’ll need to get them ready for being outside. Over the course of a week, bring them outside for a few hours a day. Transplant them when you expect to have warm, mild weather. Water them immediately after transplanting.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Y7GXSBN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ North Atlantic Books
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 16, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1623174729
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #3,369,256 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #846 in Green Lifestyle Self-Help eBooks #4,468 in Sustainable Living #5,206 in Crafts, Hobbies & Home (Kindle Store)
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