As parents, we always do what's best for our kids, and there's a new emerging topic that has got everyone talking. Growing food in your garden is vital, and perhaps our kids should learn how to do it too.
Advancement in modern technology helps us to live better lives, and today nearly everything is a lot easier and readily available.
But in the process, we're continually losing a large portion of the much-needed real-world knowledge and skills to survive and take good care of our families all on our own.
This leaves us with a dilemma if all current technology systems suddenly collapse, do we have the basics of life to survive? This concept has also inspired a 2012 TV show, Revolution.
The series revolves around a worldwide catastrophe known as "The Blackout" that caused all electric devices on earth, ranging from computers and electronics to cars and jet engines, to be permanently disabled.
As a result, trains, and cars stopped where they were, ships went dead in the water, and aircraft plummeted from the sky and crashed. And people had to adapt to the new world without electricity.
So, teaching our children life's basic skills, such as growing their own food would be a priceless lesson.
Research shows us that when children grow some of their own food, they develop "food empathy," a deeper connection with food, which is proven to lead to a healthier life.
Food empathetic kids have better diets, eat more fruit and vegetables, and have a better understanding of food and nutrition.
People of all ages enjoy gardening, but children can get the most fun and develop skills such as:
Responsibility –they care for plants
Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition, and simple construction
Physical activity – they do fun and productive activities
Understanding – they learn about cause and effect.
Creativity – Gardening will help them discover new and exciting ways to grow food
Nutrition – kids will learn where fresh food comes from
Self-confidence – they'll feel confident and proud when their garden activities bore fruits, and they'll enjoy the food they have grown
Love of nature – they learn the outdoor environment is a safe and pleasant place
Cooperation – their work includes shared play activities and teamwork
Chef Raymond Blanc, a restaurateur and BBC presenter, has called for gardening lessons to be made compulsory in schools to help kids learn the value of healthy eating and organic foods.
Blanc says:
"We have a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with food truly. We need to engage with the outside world, with our gardens and the life within them. Children need to learn the simple magic of taking food from the seed, from the earth or the rivers, and then to transform it into something simple and delicious."
"We have a multi-billion dollar problem with heart disease, diabetes, and obesity because of intensive farming and heavily processed food. We could learn to eat carrot soup produced from our gardens."
