Next Step Adventure :: mindful, creative, fun approaches to help people and organizations reach the next level
Category: Outdoors
Getting kids and families outdoors seems like the next best step for our planet and our species. It makes us feel better and DO better! Next Step has ideas and activities for nurturing the natural world. Hug a tree. Dig in the dirt. Watch a caterpillar. Grow a garden.
“Honestly, I think I would be in a much worse state if we weren’t spending 2-3 hours a day outside, moving our bodies. My kids would be a total mess, too.”
—Shelly Johnson
Make your next step outdoors, and toward a healthier planet. To learn more about Next Step’s relationship with the earth, scroll down and read more. Then give us a shout and we’ll visit.
“Getting ready for my first garden coaching gig since the pandemic.” That’s how I started this post back in March!
Then this happened…
… and this.
My daughter and her partner got married the end of June in a “fast track” wedding.
My older granddaughter started first grade today, and I’m all ready to start taking care of my 5-month-old granddaughter this Wednesday.
I’ve been really busy in my own garden, turning the front lawn into a Wild and Crazy Garden.
And now that we’re heading into another school year, I’m bringing on some new talent and some new energy. I’m recommitting to Next Step Adventure. Where will it lead? Well, that’s the adventure. Hope you’ll join us.
The 2024 Community Food Systems + Farm to School & Early Care Conference was held in June and included educational Farm tours the day before the conference.
The Johnson County Historical Poor Farm visit combined the history of the Historical Poor Farm with how the land is used today:
Community plots through Global Food Project
GROW: Johnson County to supply local food banks with fresh produce
Maintaining the land by removing invasive species and restoring native landscapes that help clean the water as it works its way to streams
Education on farming and the historical usage of the Historical Poor Farm
Camp Creek Farm in Kalona, IA showed us:
The hard work of starting up a farm in fields that had been unused recently
Existing infrastructure for long term micro green production
Creating compost to use in the fields from yard waste and farm waste
The variety of produce that consumers expect from Consumer Supported Agriculture and farmer’s markets
Camp Creek Farm is creating connections not only through farming and local food hub distribution but sharing greenhouse and storage space with other local farmers.
While the farm visits reminded me of the hard work it takes to grow the food we eat everyday, the conference opened my eyes to the barriers that prevent fresh, local food from being available to schools and early care sites everyday. Timing of when crops are ready in the fields and when children are in the classroom. Funding and sourcing enough food for an entire school or district. Budgets and time for the people needed to prepare the food. And kids’ tastes, what will they actually eat from year to year? I learned about established and well run programs in place or starting up that help fund fresh local food. The conference brought together educators, food service workers, chefs and local farmers to further understand the systems already in place, uncover challenges and create connections to keep pushing forward to get fresh, local food into school and early care sites that kids will eat. The kindness, connections, collaboration and education that I experienced at the conference has me energized to continue the adventure!
Johnson County Historical Poor FarmCamp Creek FarmCamp Creek FarmJohnson County Historical Poor Farm
We are often asked, “How do we bring Farm to School teaching into our classrooms?” There are barriers. Time is short. Teachers are stretched. There is no “free time” in the day to add something extra.
Fortunately, Farm to School is not an extra. There are countless ways to integrate it into the existing framework. We know student learning increases when activities are hands-on, engaging, and meaningful. Farm to School activities do this.
Working with Waukee Community School District, we developed science lessons that meet the curriculum goals of the Iowa Academic Standards through Farm to School activities. Each grade level folder contains lessons and supplemental materials including:
Hands-on science lessons
Instructions for growing food in the classroom
Lessons for academic learning in the garden
Book lists
Cross-curricular connections
Taste-testing guidelines
All lessons are aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, as well as the Waukee School District’s progress report statements. Material lists, learning goals, actions steps, reflection questions, hand-outs, and seasonal recommendations are included.
We invite you to access the materials, try them out in your classroom, and let us know what you think. What worked well for you? What suggestions do you have?
I heard grumbling on the short walk to the restored prairie.
“Why do we have to do this?”
“I don’t like to draw.”
“Plants are boring.”
I did not respond but wondered if the prairie and I could win them over.
The setting was the lovely Twin Ponds Nature Center near Ionia, Iowa. Twenty Girl Scouts 9-12 years old were camping for the weekend. I had been asked to lead an aftrenoon nature study of prairie plants and their changes through the seasons.
It was the after-lunch slump, 90 degrees, and humid. My hopes were not high. Yet I find tallgrass prairie fascinating, so I kept walking.
I encouraged the girls to sit in the shade on grass next to the towering plants. For the next 10 minutes, we talked prairie plants. They formed cups with their hands to mimic cup plant leaves. They used their hands to estimate the depth of big bluestem roots. (All guesses were all too short; big blue roots can be 10 feet deep!) They gathered around cup flowers and examined the pollen. They noticed a few cone flowers that had already lost their petals. Even though it was hot and after lunch, the prairie captivated the girls’ attention.
The conversation shifted to seasonal changes over time. The girls spread out to sketch various flowers and predictions of their winter changes. It was not breaktime for me, though.
“Miss Sara, look at this flower!”
“I found a cool bug!”
“Until I started drawing, I didn’t notice that the petals have two shades of yellow.”
“What do you think these berries are?”
“Noooo, I don’t want to be done!”
These girls were filled with wonder as they observed restored prairies. Despite the heat, they asked engaging questions as they made observations. To my surprise, the biggest grumblers at the start became the biggest defenders of the prairie.
Today a friend showed me her peach tree and told me to help myself. She plans to harvest all of the peaches this weekend and will have more than enough. Immediately, I started planning juicy peach slices for lunch followed by an afternoon of making pie. The peaches are currently ripening in a paper bag.
My own garden is bursting with delicious food. I so enjoy watching and waiting for the tiny seeds to turn into sprawling plants, full of tasty, nutrient-dense food for my family.
As a kid, I wasn’t a fan of tomatoes. I converted to a tomato connoisseur a few years ago after tasting garden-ripe tomatoes. It’s hard to believe I lived most of my life without realizing such tasty tomatoes existed. I continue to avoid bland grocery store tomatoes all winter and wait for my garden in the summer.
Home gardens are not the only way to access delicious fresh produce. A few weeks ago I attended the Iowa Food System Conference. Iowa has incredible soil, farmers, and communities, yet the vast majority of our food is imported. A better way is possible.
We’re less than six months out from the 11th annual Central Iowa Yoga Retreat. Check out the early bird pricing now through November 26th, 2022! We can’t wait to see you all there!
That’s what my four-year-old granddaughter says as we plant fall crops. I always tell folks who work with kids in gardens, it’s not about the plants. It’s about the kids.
We came together in search of a common goal–feeding our children fresh, healthy food. And we believe that goal can best be accomplished by promoting farm-school partnerships.
And now you know that “cool as a cucumber” really IS cool–20 degrees cooler than the temperature outside the cucumber. This made cucumbers the perfect STEAM snack on a hot Iowa day!
We can return home to the basics whenever we’re ready to revel in their joy–we can stand outside with our toes in the grass, we can watch the clouds pass by, we can balance in tree pose and remember.
