Greetings Families,

With our focus last month on protecting the Earth and the children’s growing interest in gardening, I thought it would be fun to highlight a great family activity: Farmers’ Markets!

Farmers’ markets are a fun and exciting way to learn about things like seasonal fruits and vegetables, supporting local farmers and vendors, and nutritious and delicious foods! You can have children explore and try new foods and help develop their interest in trying foods based on their colors and smells. It’s also a great way to get them interested in growing their own vegetables in gardens at home. You can find a recipe you want to make and then plan a shopping list and have the kids hunt for those items at the market. Make it a learning experience without them even knowing.

We are lucky enough to live in a city with year-long farmers’ markets.  The College of San Mateo market is my favorite! It’s on Saturdays, year-round, rain or shine from 9am-1pm. There are great ones in Foster City and Millbrae on Saturdays and San Carlos and Belmont on Sundays. We are starting to see some really nice weather again, so turn this activity into a full day adventure. Start at the market, have the kids pick food for a picnic, and head to your favorite park or beach for a fun family day!

Should you venture to the markets, we’d love to see pictures of the items your children find! You can send in pictures of plants they’d be interested in growing here at the EEC, pictures of their favorite newly discovered fruit or veggie, or even pictures of them enjoying their delicious finds! We hope to hear all about your adventures!

Warmly,

Kristen