martes, 24 de agosto de 2010

tomatos and Mozzarella Salad

Ingredients

2 large ripe red tomatoes, sliced
10 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
10 kalamata olives
extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

1.Alternate and overlap the tomato slices and mozzarella cheese slices on a platter. Sprinkle the basil over the tomato and mozzarella layers. Scatter the olives over the salad. Drizzle the olive oil over everything; season with salt and pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

ensalada de tomate y pepinos (griega)


Ingredientes:

tomates picados en trozos grandes
pepinos pelados y cortados en rodajas
una cebolla cabezona cortada en rodajas
aceitunas negras cortadas en rodajas (Opcional)
queso mozzarella en trocitos pequenos
queso Feta
aceite de olivas
sal y pimienta

Preparacion:

en una taza para ensalas coloque todos los ingredientes y revuelvalos cuidadosamente

sábado, 7 de agosto de 2010

recipes from the garden that kids will love

After all that hard work in the garden, you’re probably hungry! Here are some great snacks that you can make using ingredients from your garden.


With the heat of the summer fully upon us, those of us lucky enough to have a garden or live near a farmer’s market are reaping the rewards of the summer harvest. Making snacks from fruit and veggies fresh from the garden is a great way to teach kids about where their food comes from…and may also be just the trick to get picky eaters to try new foods! Bring your kids along to the farmer’s market or the garden and discuss how vegetables and fruit are grown as you make your selection.

Try out these fresh from the garden recipes that your kids will not be able to resist!


Salsa Fresca



1/2 medium onion
1 jalapeno stemmed and seeded (less if you don’t want it too hot)
2 cloves of finely minced garlic
4 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro or parsley
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
Coarsely chop onion, jalapeno and cilantro and put in medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well and serve.
Optional ingredients: basil, corn, black beans, chopped green, red or yellow peppers, green onions, diced zucchini and shredded carrots. Salsa is a recipe that you can experiment with depending on your tastes and what you have in your garden






Mini Pizzas

1 Tomato chopped
Several leaves of basil chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mozzarella or parmesan cheese
Several slices of toasted bread

Combine chopped tomatoes, basil and olive oil in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Place one spoonful of mixture on each slice of toast. Top with cheese and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly.

Tip: Add any additional veggies as toppings to make your pizza even more nutritous!

Smoothies

Making smoothies is a great way of using up those items in your fridge that are in what I call the “use it or loose it” category. Creative combinations of fruit (frozen or fresh), juices, veggies, yogurt, milk, grains such as oat bran or wheat germ, sugar or honey, nuts and even peanut butter can make delicious blends of smoothies. If getting your child to eat vegetables is like negotiating peace in the middle east, try sneaking in some carrot or celery and chances are they will drink it up without batting an eye.

Try some of these recipes from KidsCookingActivities.com or simply invent your own!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups orange juice
1 banana, cut in pieces
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
Add ingredients together in blender and blend until smooth.
Kiwi and Raspberry Smoothie
2 kiwis peeled and cut in half
1 cup raspberries
1 cup yogurt
½ cup milk
1/2 cup ice cubes
Add all together and blend until smooth.

Mango smoothie

2 soft mangoes
1 cup of milk
2 bananas
1/2 cup of strawberries
1/4 cup coconut (optional)
Add to blender and mix till smooth

from:little green books

viernes, 6 de agosto de 2010

el valor del respeto a la naturaleza en los ninos

Para algunos, la naturaleza puede parecer un concepto muy lejano y que no tiene mayor relevancia en nuestras vidas. Pero hoy en día se están viendo ya las consecuencias del descuido y la falta de respeto a nuestro medio ambiente. El Respeto a la Naturaleza ha probado ser entonces un principio muy importante; y lo será más cuando nuestros niños hayan crecido. Su enseñanza debe empezar desde el Jardín de Infancia, con actividades y lecciones que introduzcan esta noción y la tremenda influencia que tiene el entorno en nosotros y viceversa.


En la Naturaleza vivimos junto a los animales, las plantas, el agua, la tierra, los minerales. Ella nos brinda los recursos que necesitamos para vivir, los cuales están divididos en Recursos Animales, Vegetales, Minerales y el Agua. Cuidar y respetar a la naturaleza y estos recursos nos hará más solidarios y cooperativos con los demás.


Entre algunas de las actividades que se pueden desarrollar en casa, está el Cuadro del Día .este
Consiste en escribir una serie de actividades relacionadas con el valor que se está trabajando y asignarle una "carita" cada día, dependiendo si el niño cumple con las actividades: Muy Bien=sticker carita feliz y estrella; en proceso=sticker carita feliz; en inicio= sticker carita normal); si no las realiza, se deja el casillero en blanco. En cuanto al valor del Respeto a la Naturaleza, las actividades a evaluar pueden dividirse en dos quincenas: la primera para evaluar si "mantengo limpio y saludable mi hogar" y la segunda para evaluar cómo "cuido las plantas y animales de mi hogar".

En la primera quincena, las actividades podrían ser:


Ayudo a la limpieza de mi casa: Recojo los papeles...

Respeto y ayudo a las personas que me rodean.

Utilizo con moderación el agua: No dejo correr el agua del caño.

No maltrato animales ni plantas.

En la segunda quincena, las actividades podrían ser:

Cuido las plantas: No las arranco, ayudo a regarlas...

Cuido a mi mascota: La alimento, la mantengo limpia...

Ingiero alimentos naturales a diario: Yogurt, huevos, verduras...

Demuestro sensibilidad hacia los animales y plantas.

Los cuadros deben hacerse de materiales y colores llamativos, que estén a la vista del niño y del cual se permitirá una participación activa en su elaboración y llenado. Su aplicación a manera de juego será una forma eficiente de reforzar la formación de valores en los pequeños y aportará mucho en la guía que los padres necesitan a la hora de encarar este importante aspecto en la crianza de sus hijos

garden-fresh lunch for kids

http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/what4lunch/garden_lunches.html#

jueves, 5 de agosto de 2010

porque los ninos necesitan la naturaleza??

Whether you grew up in a suburb, on a farm, or in a big city, you probably spent a lot of time playing outside, getting dirty, and coming home happy. Maybe you watched ants making anthills in your backyard, climbed trees in the park, or simply lay in the grass contemplating the drifting clouds. Unfortunately, young children today do not have as many direct experiences with nature, and it's taking a toll. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, maintains that this disconnect from the natural world is producing ill effects in both mind and body. But he's optimistic that well-meaning, forward-thinking parents and educators can close the kid-nature gap. "We should not think of a child's experience in nature as an extracurricular activity," says Louv. "It should be thought of as vital to children's health and development." The editors of Scholastic's Parent & Child talked with Louv about his book.


Parent & Child: Why do children need a meaningful relationship with nature?

Richard Louv: Research suggests that a connection to nature is biologically innate; as humans, we have an affinity for the natural world. When children spend most of their time indoors, they miss out. Problems associated with alienation from nature include familiar maladies: depression, obesity, and attention deficit disorder. Kids who have direct access to nature are better learners. Exposure to nature has been shown to reduce stress and increase attention spans.

When a child is out in nature, all the senses get activated. He is immersed in something bigger than himself, rather than focusing narrowly on one thing, such as a computer screen. He's seeing, hearing, touching, even tasting. Out in nature, a child's brain has the chance to rejuvenate, so the next time he has to focus and pay attention, perhaps in school, he'll do better.

But even if kids don't have any of the specific problems mentioned above, kids who don't get out much lack the sense of wonder that only nature can provide. I've taken kids into the woods who've never been there. At first, they're scared because it's unfamiliar, but then you can see them open up and start exploring.

P&C: What's changed over the past generation or so that's caused this disconnect with the natural world?
Louv: There are some obvious reasons, such as the fact that many families are overscheduled, which chips away at leisure time. Parental fears — of traffic, of crime, even of nature itself, such as with Lyme disease or the West Nile virus — also play a big role in keeping kids indoors. What's unfortunate is that these fears have been overamplified by the media, and the overall effect is that kids spend more time in their homes, or very close to home.

In many places, children's access to nature has been cut off. The woods at the end of the cul-de-sac were made into a new subdivision. New neighborhoods are carefully planned, and as a result, they often dramatically restrict what kids can do with nature. Even parks are manicured — there may be a nice smooth soccer field or a baseball diamond but no rough edges. Rough edges are the places children gravitate toward to explore, where they find rocks and weeds and bugs. Efforts to provide nice-looking and safe outdoor spaces are well intentioned, but they give kids the message that nature is not something you go out in to get your hands dirty.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10208


P&C: Don't children in rural areas still have access to nature — and haven't city kids always been restricted from participating in it?

Louv: Interestingly, the answer is no to both questions. These days, kids in rural areas are just as indoor focused as their suburban peers, and for the same reasons — parental fears, less unscheduled time, an emphasis on computers and other indoor activities. And while we might think that, historically, kids in cities have had limited contact with the natural world, it's not always true. In older cities, especially, there are lots of green spaces, lots of unplanned areas like vacant lots. Sure, it's not the woods, but when we talk about nature it's not about the kind of nature, it's about children having the opportunity and freedom to explore what's out there in their surroundings. That may mean a city park, a farm, a patch of woods in a suburb — even a tiny roof garden counts.

P&C: What can parents do to help their children get the safe outdoor experiences they need?

Louv: You would think it would be ideal to let kids run loose and come back dirty and happy at end of the day, but in reality this is not likely to happen anymore. We have to come up with new ways for kids to have direct contact with nature. This probably means parents have to get out there with their kids, and explore with them. Schools, too, including preschools, can incorporate natural surroundings. In many schools in Western Europe, nature is incorporated into the design of child care centers and schools, and there have been positive results in terms of kids' attention spans and stress levels.

A lot of parents are already doing the right thing, almost instinctively. Perhaps they remember how they used to play, and strive to provide the same thing for their kids. While they may not let their kids roam free in the neighborhood, they do take their children hiking or let them run around in the local park.

P&C: What are some easy ways to experience nature with preschool-age children?

Louv: The best thing you can do is to be enthusiastic about nature yourself. Go out in your backyard. Instead of a manicured lawn or garden, leave some spots untamed so kids can dig in the dirt and find rocks or interesting weeds. If you have a vegetable garden, have your child help you plant seeds or pick tomatoes. Even walking to your local park can be a nature walk to a preschooler — he can collect leaves, you can point out trees and bushes and show him the bugs crawling along the curb. Let your kids get down in the dirt so they can see at eye level the whole universe there. Nature is good for everyone's mental health. Nature isn't the problem; it's the solution.