There is nothing like getting dirty and finding things in nature. Children learn when they see, do, touch, and experience. To be a green mom, I have to let my kids just get dirty. They have to dig for worms, feel the soil, sometimes taste it and figure out what those worms are doing. It means scrubbing finger nails and taking long baths to soak but it helps the children understand for themselves what a worm is, how nature works and exactly what it feels like to figure something out. From all of my children’s exploring they have figured out, without me teaching them, that worms like dark, moist places to live. They know where the slugs are and which rocks to turn over. I did not teach them any of this but through exploration they have learned.

This has also taught my children empathy. They realize that worms are used for fishing or that birds eat them and they handle them gently. They want to know what worms eat and this led us to the discussion of composting and how soil breaks down. I found a neat power point presentation that helped teach my son about composting and then we took a trip to the library. He has now started asking us if we can make a compost bin and what are some ways that we can compost at home. One thing has led to another and now I am learning more about composting so maybe as a family we can begin using a compost bin or building one of our own.

I’ve discovered a few helpful books: Compost By Gosh by Michelle Portman and Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof. These books are for me to figure out what I’m doing but my son has been looking at Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer and the book A Handful of Dirt. We have a lot to learn but together we are discovering how to be more earth friendly. We can start big and make our own as the power point show us or we can just start with a small kitchen composting bin and work up from there. Either way, it is fun to learn about. Something as simple as digging for worms one day has ended in book buying and library trips to learn more! To be a green mom and raise your kids green you don’t have to just care about BPA Free Sippy cups or organic food. There are lots of ways to be an eco-mom and help your children learn about the environment! My advise, get dirty and go from there!

When my first was born I thought my long distance days were over. Far from it. With a 3 year old and an 18 month old, my program just keeps getting better. First, get a double stroller. Then, have a wardrobe of warm kid clothes to choose from. The faster you can pull it out and throw it on them, the better. We've got a nearby scenic hill that is 1.5 miles up and climbs 700 feet. It's got a single lane paved road to the top, which is only open to pedestrians. So I push the 100 pound load up the hill (while wearing the wrist safety strap) at a slug's pace but technically running. At the top, there is a commanding view of the city and I always pack snacks for the kids. We have a picnic up there and on the way down, the 3 year old likes to run part of the steep downhill. She has even run the whole thing before but I don't push her. This started with just one kid in a single stroller. I thought I was going to die. Then I added the second and now they're both pretty good size, around 26 pounds each. The stroller is well over 40. I recently did a 50 mile trail race with over 8k feet of elevation (not pushing the stroller) and I could clearly feel the benefit that weekly hill run had done for my training. Whether or not these kids grow up to be runners isn't of concern to me, but hearing them say things at the dinner table like, "If I eat my vegetables all gone I'll be a strong runner like daddy," seems to indicate they're pointed in the right direction.

A Baby Running Barefoot

  by: D.H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)

When the bare feet of the baby beat across the grass
The little white feet nod like white flowers in the wind,
They poise and run like ripples lapping across the water;
And the sight of their white play among the grass
Is like a little robin’s song, winsome,
Or as two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flower
For a moment, then away with a flutter of wings.

I long for the baby to wander hither to me
Like a wind-shadow wandering over the water,
So that she can stand on my knee
With her little bare feet in my hands,
Cool like syringa buds,
Firm and silken like pink young peony flowers.