Coco&Addy

Coco&Addy

Spring 2011 Issue 01

Inspiration for Raising

5

ways to

get kids excited about Healthy

Food

Creative Thinkers

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Our Mission: To inspire a more conscious and sustainable world by being an authentic force for positive change.

Photograph by HEATHER HILL

-----------------------------Coco & Addy

Once upon a time...

Cover Photograph by HEATHER HILL

...there were two little girls with two unconventional moms. Coco’s mom was and artist and Addy’s mom was a thinker, or so she liked to think. Neither of them liked to wash the dishes or clean the house, like they thought other moms did. But, they talked to Coco and Addy all the time, played pretend with them and read every book.

They used cloth diapers because they thought they were better for their babies and the environment, even though it meant more laundry. And even though they didn’t have a lot of money, they bought organic food and tried to cook.

Although they struggled with many of the new responsibilities of motherhood, Coco and Addy turned out to be two amazing little kids.

They were creative and thoughtful... just like their moms.

The ‘thought’ behind Coco&Addy is based on the belief that all children are naturally creative and inquisitive. What makes a parent ‘good’ is not measurable by superficial ideals.

It’s the small things we do every day that really matter.

As parents, we have the power to make the world better simply by how we teach and grow our children. And, we can make the future brighter for them by the every day choices we make.

My hope is that some of the information in this magazine will help parents grow creative thinkers who can change the world. I don’t think that’s too much to hope for.

-Heather Hill On the cover: Ava, Shiloh and Selah Graham know where their food comes from: Their front yard.

The family is part of a growing trend in urban farming.

Read more about the Graham family and 5 things you can do to get your kids excited about healthy food, starting on page 8.

by Heather Hill

cocoandaddy.com 3

-----------------------------E is for Editor

photograph by Heather Hill

“I love swiss chard”

W

hen I think about my childhood, I can’t remember liking very many vegetables. Both of my parents worked full time and I was picky, so I grew up on mostly fast food, white bread and soda. Like many kids, I struggled to pay attention and felt tired.

I wasn’t overweight, but I had other problems which I now attribute to diet. What is most shocking to me now is that I really didn’t know that those foods were bad for me then.

As a child, I trusted that the adults in my life would not give me food that would harm me.

I did not know the real impact of my diet until my 20’s, when I began to suffer from migraines. I saw several doctors who were unable to find a cause or a cure.

None of them mentioned food, until I went to an alternative practitioner. After several years, I discovered that the source of my migraines was mostly food related. By eliminating several foods from my diet, my migraines were almost completely eliminated.

I remember thinking for a moment that the pain was good because it forced me to change.

So, when I became a mother, I was determined to feed my daughter healthy food whether she liked it or not. Of course, I knew this would be easier if I could actually get her to like the food I prepared, so I read a lot. I learned that delaying sweet food as long as possible would help, and found that the best way to get young ones excited about healthy food was to involve them in the process.

One of the best things I did was join an organic produce co-op. This made it possible for me to afford

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photograph by Zack Hill

organic produce and forced me to prepare foods that I didn’t even know existed. Addison, my daughter, loves going with me to pick up the large basket of colorful fruits and veggies. When we get home we sort, clean, eat and put them away together. The whole process has made her very interested in food, which was actually quite surprising to me.

At two-years-old Addison eats salad with raw onions, pasta with garlic, all sorts of veggies and every fruit. A few weeks ago I was making pasta with swiss chard when she climbed up on a stool to see what I was doing. I told her what I was making, and she said enthusiastically, “I love swiss chard.” Not only was that one of the funniest things she’s said, but I realized that my plan had worked. Not only has she learned to love her veggies, but our whole family is eating healthier.

I hope that you can find some inspiration in these pages to eat healthier too. I understand more than anyone that kids are picky, but also that feeding them healthy foods is one of the best things you can do for their little bodies and minds.

- Heather Hill

-----------------------------C is Contents

5

Ways to get kids excited about

Healthy Food page 8

Coco&Addy EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Heather Hill DESIGNER Heather Hill PHOTO EDITOR Heather Hill CONTRIBUTORS Heather Hill Shanlie Wolter Zack Hill

The Crafty Bandita 6

SPECIAL THANKS Addison Hill & Coral Wolter

18 coloring sheet by Shanlie Wolter

-------------------------------------------------------------------------The Crafty Bandita www.thecraftybandita.com

“Imagination is more

important than knowledge.

For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.�

-Albert Einstein

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Artwork by Shanlie Wolter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Q&A with Shanlie Wolter Q: How have you encouraged your daughter to be creative?

A: I am fortunate to stay at home with Coral full time (thanks to my wonderful husband), and I love being able to encourage my daughter in creative and imaginative playtime each day.

My daughter, Coral, is two years old and she is beginning to really enjoy pretend-play. We like to ‘tell stories’ with each other; it’s a little game we’ve made up in which I’ll start random story and she fills in the details. For instance, I could say something like, ‘Coral and Mommy walk outside, and what did we see..?’ and she might answer, ‘Red animals!’, and the story progresses.

‘Telling stories’ is one of our favorite things at the moment. Otherwise, Coral has plenty of dolls and some dress up clothes, puzzles, drawing materials, books, etc. She doesn’t have many electronic toys; I don’t necessarily have anything against them, but I generally think the ‘lowerfi’ the toy, the more creative and imaginative the child has to be during play time.

I’ve gotten some good advice from other Mom’s (and have observed for myself ) that it’s

coloring, molding clay, dancing, etc. is one of the few ways that kids are really able to make their own rules and express themselves through using their imagination. For me, encouraging and nurturing my daughters young imagination is one of the most important jobs that I have as

ingly underestimates the value of and encourages young people in fine arts.

Q: How do you describe your artwork?

A: I’m very interested in the dying art of paper cut silhouettes (images cut free hand, from paper), and I’m in the process of teaching myself this traditional art form. While I work in a variety of media (mainly drawing, painting, textiles, and clay), I spend most of my time on ink silhouettes, and silhouettes cut from vintage wallpaper.

My silhouettes are normally done in traditional black and white, but I like to give them a modern twist by implementing text or colorful imagery.

Q: What are the benefits of being able to sell your art as a mom?

A: I feel really good about being able to contribute to our household income, by doing something I love, in my spare time. Making art in some form is something that I’ve always done, and I’ve only recently (within the last 5 years or so) been selling my work. When I sell a piece, the money either pays for more art supplies and monthly fee’s I accrue from having a

Shanlie is an artist from St. Petersburg, Fla. and mom of Coco (Coral). also important not to micro-manage her daily activities. I love to overhear her in her bedroom talking and singing to herself and her dolls.

Q: Why is art important for kids?

A: There aren’t many things that children are able to be in complete control over. Art, whether it’s finger painting,

a parent. Albert Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” I think this is important to remember in a world that increas-

website and online store, or household bills. But every once in a while, I end up treating myself to something from another seller on Etsy.com.

Top Left: Sanlie and daughter Coral. Photo by Heather Hill. Top Right: Custom silhouette by Shanlie. Bottom Left: Paper Cut silhouette by Shanle. Bottom Right: Shanlie at Tres Holizaar in St. Petersburg, Fla. Photo by Lee Wolter.

-----------------------------F is for Food

5 Ways to get kids excited about photographs and story

by Heather Hill

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Healthy Food

A

s food production becomes more industrialized, the majority of people in the U.S. are disconnected from their food. Very few adults actually know where their food comes from.

Busy families often choose convenience and price over health and value. Because of this, many children are raised on fast, cheap and packaged foods. According to Let’s Move, a White House initiative to encourage healthy lifestyle changes for kids, one in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Research shows that these children will have a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma.

But kids are picky. What should parents do if their kids just refuse to eat healthy food? The best thing they can do is to eat healthy themselves. Kids learn easiest by watching what others do around them. Some other great ways to encourage healthy eating is to limit junk food, make eating fun, and to add natural flavors to kid’s food like garlic, herbs and lemon juice. The reason kids usually love fast food hamburgers is because they are pumped full of chemical flavorings.

The good news is that there are so many natural ways to add flavor to healthy foods when cooking at home.

Finally, kids are naturally curious about food, much more than adults probably are. Parents can cultivate their children’s natural curiosities by involving them in processes of buying, growing and preparing food. From the land to the table, there are many fun ways kids can learn about where their food comes from. And, most kids are more likely to eat something they have picked or cooked themselves.

More Than Food

Rowan Davis shows off the leaf print Easter Egg he dyed at school.

Rowan’s mom, Mary, runs an organic produce co-op from their home in St. Petersburg, Fla.

cocoandaddy.com 9

Eat Your Greens

Amy Losoya shows her daughters the interesting new food they will get to eat this week.

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1

1

Join a Co-op

J

photographs and story

by Heather Hill

oining an organic produce co-op is an easy way to incorporate healthy food into your diet without spending a lot of money, while also supporting local farmers.

“You can save a lot of money, because we buy at wholesale price,” Mary Robins, co-op coordinator, said.

Co-ops are generally laid back and just picking up the produce can be a fun activity for kids.

“One [of my girls] is extremely picky. The whole process of coming over here and preparing the food makes her more excited about meal time,” Amy Losoya, mom of three girls, said.

There are different types of co-ops, but a share in Amy’s co-op costs around $40 every two weeks for a large basket full of organic produce. The produce selection is based on price and season and is generally chosen by the coordinator.

Mary, the co-op coordinator, is working with her distributor to carry more local foods from Florida. Her last order of 15 items included 10 from Florida farms. She says that some of the benefits of buying the produce from local farms is that the food is fresher and creates a smaller carbon footprint, by traveling a much shorter distance.

Because the co-op runs year round and the food is not stored longterm, like it often is in conventional stores, members have learned to cook a variety of foods in season. Kelly Lessem, member and mom, says the co-op has also made her a more well rounded cook because she hates to see anything go to waste. Mary says that her 3-year-old son is growing up identifying and eating a larger variety of food, because they have been part of a co-op for so long. Many of the families involved have learned to incorporate foods like kale, beets and different types of squash into their diet. On page 16 Mary shows us how easy it is to incorporate greens into a dish kids will love.

It’s Okay, It’s Organic

Left: Amy’s daughter Paloma holds a bouquet of fresh greens. Middle: Kelly’s 1-year-old daughter Maglolia can’t wait to eat her perfectly yellow banana.

Right: Amy’s daughter Isabelle plays inside the cardboard boxes while her mom sorts the produce.

2

Visit a Local Farm

D

airy farms are a good choice when visiting with kids. Most kids, especially young ones, do not realize that butter, cheese, ice cream and yogurt are all made from milk.

At Dakin Dairy Farm in Myakka, Fla. visitors are able to see the entire process closeup. Dakin Dairy is a family-owned, sustainable farm. Everything on the farm is recycled in some way when possible, including the manure and the water. The cows live in open areas and are fed a healthy diet of cut grass, hay and other vitamins and nutrients.

Rebekah Harris took her three kids to Dakin Dairy to see the process and to teach her kids where milk comes from.

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photographs and story

by Heather Hill

“I think when they see where the food comes from they are more excited about tasting it,” she said. Her kids said that the milk tasted good and fresh.

At Dakin Dairy kids can also make butter with fresh milk from the farm. Rebekah said that after visiting the farm, she ran out of butter at home and her 3-year-old son Judah asked her, “why don’t you make some? We have milk, don’t we?” Since then, the family has made butter, cheese and yogurt at home. “The next thing I want to do is get an ice cream maker, so we can make our own ice cream,” she said.

Even in the city, most families live less than one hour from a local farm. While many industrialized farms are not open to the public, there are still several family-owned farms that offer tours and other activities for families. Visiting a farm is not only educational. Families are able to support local farmers and see that animals are treated good.

Sustainable Dairy

The grass that the cows eat is fertilized and watered with recycled materials from the farm.

Learning Experience

A group of homeschool students take a hay ride as part of a tour of Dakin Dairy Farm in Myakka, Fla. Opposite Page: Visitor’s can watch the entire process, including milking the cows, pasteurization and bottling.

cocoandaddy.com 13

photographs and story

by Heather Hill

O

ne of the easiest ways to get kids excited about food is to help them plant a garden. There are so many lessons that can be taught through gardening and kids always love to eat food that they have planted, picked or cooked themselves.

Addison Hill is shopping with her grandmother at the Green Thumb Festival for some herbs to plant in her first garden. A good way to start is by making a container garden with a few herbs and veggies used in a favorite dish. A pizza garden is popular with kids and includes tomato plant and basil plant and other favorite herbs and veggies used in pizza. By planting a garden like this, kids begin to associate the food they eat with nature. Even pizza can be healthy when it’s made with natural ingredients and includes a good serving of veggies.

3

Top: Addison inspects the different plants, smelling flowers and squeazing veggies. Right: Addison watches as a gardener talks about the plants. Bottom Left: Grandma Julie Heishman helps Addison pick out some herbs to plant in her garden. Bottom Right: Addison plants some wheat grass at the Green Thumb Festival in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Plant a Veggie Garden

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4

Raise Chickens

T

photographs and story

by Heather Hill

he Graham family began raising chickens after a teacher from the school where their dad teaches was looking for a home for four baby chicks that were part of an elementary science lesson.

Anna Graham, mom, said she always wanted to be a farmer, but wasn’t really able to because she lived in the city. Raising chickens and growing a small garden gives her and her family a farm like experience in the city.

Anna says it’s good for the kids, who take care of the chickens, to know where their food comes from.

She also said that chickens make great pets and raising them at home is surprisingly simple.

Before you get started, check with your city to find out if there are any regulations in your area. Many cities allow chickens, but not roosters.

To get started, all you need is a coup and some food.

These items are usually available at your local animal feed store. You can also check with them to find our who sells chicks in your area. Because backyard chicken farming is becoming more popular, some pet stores are now carrying baby chicks.

Top Left: Henny (or Penny). Top Middle: Anna holds one of the chickens as her daughter Ava talks about eating the eggs. Top Right: Shiloh finds one of the eggs in the chicken coup. Each chicken produces one egg a day. Left: Shiloh holds one of the twins, Henny or Penny (she’s not sure).

cocoandaddy.com 15

5

READ

Cook Together

B

oys need to know how to cook too. And, Mary Robbins knows the value of cooking with her 3-year-old son Rowan. She says that cooking with kids helps them to better appreciate their food and creates valuable memories.

“You’re physically doing something which is how young children learn (mixing, pouring, kneading, etc.), there are the yummy smells which lead to wonderful olfactory memories, the visual sights of different colors and textures, and then you get to eat what you made,” she said.

Mary likes to incorporate the fresh greens she gets from the organic produce co-op into a quiche. She boils the greens first and then mixes them in with the other ingredients. Rowan helps his mom stir the mixture and make the grain-free crust from blended almonds. photographs and story

by Heather Hill

Bottom left: Rowan spreads the grain-free crust on the bottom of the pie plate. Mary learned how to make the crust after becoming aware of her sons grain sensitivity. Bottom Right: Mary reads the recipe out of The Joy of Cooking while Rowan stirs. Right: Mary incorporates a fresh bunch of organic kale and chard to create a healthy, complete meal.

BOIL

POUR

BAKE

GREEN QUICHE

“It's good to get them in the kitchen at an early age so that cooking becomes a part of their normal routine.”

“They love pouring, mixing and doing “important” adult things.” -Mary Robbins

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artwork by Shanlie Wolter

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