I love that I’ll be raising my little one in a culture where many of the children are familiar with not only the terms of, but the concepts behind things like “compost” and “harvest”. Real-life ways of living without giant supermarkets and fast food joints.
To know where food comes from and how to bring it full cycle from seed to nutritious meal is something I consider a very valuable skill. One should know at least a bit about what they’re putting in their body and how it came to be.
With farm stands decorating Salt Spring on every corner of the island, proudly displaying their organic produce, free-range eggs and hormone-free meats, I think it shouldn’t be too hard to strengthen the connection between land and seed and table.
When I hear young children agree with their parents that they should wait to get home and wash their berries before eating them because this time they’re not organic, or see another child utterly confused and upset because they couldn’t know who grew the vegetables they were eating, I have hope. Hope for a future where young people know more about growing food than they do about playing angry birds.
What are the most important skills/concepts you see for children to learn?