Learning comes pretty naturally to small children. Which is just as well: if learning things in infancy was treated the way learning in later life often is, they’d…
Christmas is a now a distant memory, you’ve rung in the New Year and relaxed yourself silly beside the beach. And now you’re home again with a month…
Have you ever wondered how to grow a giant pumpkin for Halloween? When you think about Halloween, you instinctively think of an American celebration with carved pumpkins at…
Back in the day our parents and grandparents were fortunate enough to live the quarter-acre dream. They had backyards big enough to have a large garden to supplement the…
In this busy modern world, cities are expanding and backyards are shrinking. Yet the desire to grow food is more pressing in the face of rising food costs and…
Brassicas. These are all the good green favourites that as a kid you were made to eat because they were good for you, and if you were lucky…
In the life of a garden it always feels like you are in the middle of something, the middle of a season, weeding, watering or harvesting. But rarely…
The New Year is always a time for resolutions and the chance for change. Sometimes (if not most of the time) we go for the grand gesture, only…
Getting kids outside is an uphill struggle in this technologically wired world. In their desire to build and create in Minecraft they are losing ‘Life-craft’ knowledge. Food doesn’t…
Sticks and stones may break my bones and make my carrots wonky!
As a mum I want the best for my kids and one of the most basic ways to ensure they get the best out of life is to…
One of the keys to growing great families is primarily to keep them healthy, fit and well and as a parent I care about what my kids eat. There…
Back in the spring when the garden was still mostly an idea and good intentions, seeds, pots and a good quality seed raising mix were gathered together. Some…
The first mention of ‘education and technology’ tends to bring people out in a rash of raising funds for computers in classrooms, and making sure every child has…
I was at a conference recently and one of the speakers was talking about how she was doing this science experiment with her kids that involved planting a…
The seasons are changing again and the time is right to set in motion the birth of a multitude of wee babies. The responsibility is huge. I do…
It might seem like a long way away but now is a great time to decide what you want to eat during those lazy hazy days of summer.
While not being at the beck and call of the hungry and demanding summer veggies plants, the cooler months are a great time to look at the garden…
Do you know where your food comes from? Do you know what has been done to it in order to get it to your table? Is it even…
I was once told by a wise friend that we should take every opportunity that comes our way to celebrate. It could be taking pride in our local…
It’s winter again – cold, dark, and occasionally wet and/or snowing, depending which bit of New Zealand you live in. So how can you keep the family active…
A vegetable garden is a fabulous way for a family to work together to achieve something amazing. As luck would have it, the time is right to get…
Autumn is an awesome time to explore the garden with your kids! It’s a bit cooler and there’s lots happening. My 4 year old is currently obsessed with…
The occasional drought notwithstanding, New Zealand is a pretty good place for a backyard garden; for growing a few fruit and vege plants that you can feel proud…
To use the old adage “Spring has Sprung”…well almost….it still feels a tad wintery around here in the Hutt Valley, but the Tui are out and the Kowhai…
When summer approaches it’s time to get into the garden, drag out those tools, get on the gumboots and do something productive. Kids absolutely love planting their own…
Over the school holidays our girls spent a lovely week in Dunedin with Donal’s sister and her family. While they did many fun things (such as visiting the…
February has been a funny month in our house – and that’s funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha! Ian and I have gone on a health kick. I will…