While you’re probably pretty good at understanding a concept after you hear it, your kids – or grandkids – process new information very differently. Kids are more naturally kinesthetic and visual – they want to touch and see what you’re telling them.
Keeping this in mind, here are some projects to do with your kids to put them on the road to a lifetime of choosing, and actually preferring! – healthy foods.
Be Out Standing In A Field: Take the kids to tour an organic farm. It’s one thing to see carrots, peeled and sealed in a plastic bag on the kitchen counter. It’s a completely different thing to stand in rich loamy earth and pull a carrot out of the ground. Or pluck blueberries from a bush and put as many in your pail as you put in your mouth. Or see how easily the vine releases a scarlet tomato when it’s ripe for the picking. Walking through the fields and groves of local farms will help kids feel a new respect for where their food comes from – and might even make them want to try their hand at growing something.
A Feast for the Eyes Ends Up in the Tummy: Knowing that the things that are most accessible are probably the first thing the kids will reach for, reserve the front of your refrigerator and cupboards for the healthy foods you want them to eat. A grove of broccoli “trees” standing in a bed of hummus; bite size celery pieces; grapes washed and off the vine and frozen; cherry tomatoes – when they’re prominently displayed and readily available, the kids will find the healthy foods first – and gobble them up.
Get Kids in the Kitchen: If the only time your kids see their food is when it’s prepared and plated, they will continue to have a passive relationship with it. Instead, make it fun – and mandatory – that they actively participate in planning and creating healthy meals and snacks with activities that match their age and skill set. For very young kids, “Ants on a Log” is a great choice. You cut the celery and fill the stalk with almond butter, while they add the raisin “ants.” As they get older they’ll be able to use knives, a blender and other appliances with your direct supervision. The important thing is to let the kids have the hands-on experience of creating healthy, nutritious meals or snacks for family and friends.
Show how Food is Medicine and Fuel: For this one you’ll need a stack of family-friendly magazines, scissors, glue and a piece of poster board and the internet. You’re going to be illustrating what foods are important for specific parts of the body, or for sustaining energy.
“Let there be more joy and laughter in your living.”
– Eileen Caddy
Long before growing miraculous 40-pound cabbages at Findhorn in Scotland and creating a library of inspiration books, Eileen Caddy was looking within for guidance and wisdom.
Living in England in in 1939, she and her first husband were active members in the Moral Re-armament (MRA), a global community launched by American minister Frank Buchman. Buchman’s goal was to help nations and individuals re-arm spiritually and morally, and essentially “battle for peace” by emphasizing teamwork, cooperation and integrity in all aspects of life.
Part of MRA’s process was the discipline of deep meditation. During these “quiet times,” group members would listen for divine guidance. Even though that marriage didn’t last, Eileen’s dedication to going into a deep Alpha state for spiritual guidance and insight became an essential part of the rest of her life.
During one such meditation after her marriage dissolved, Eileen heard what she later called “the voice of God.” It commanded her to, “Be still and know that I am God.” Frightened at first that she was mentally ill, Eileen began tuning in to this inner voice regularly, and powerful, positive things began to unfold in her life. She married fellow spiritual seeker and visionary Peter Caddy, and together they transformed a run-down hotel in Scotland into a four-star destination by following the guidance of the voice. They had similar good fortune with a second hotel, and next began practicing organic gardening near the Scottish village of Findhorn.
To their surprise and delight, their crops yielded exceptional produce, including 40 pound cabbages that attracted international attention. Eileen attributed the phenomenal results to her claim that she was communicating with plant spirits. Soon a large spiritual following began to form around Eileen and Peter, which became known as the Findhorn Community. People from around the world came to visit and participate in the healing work Eileen and Peter directed at Findhorn for body, mind and spirit.
In 1972 Eileen received divine guidance to take her message of hope, joy and love to the world. She traveled to spiritual gatherings and wrote a number of inspirational books, which were translated into 30 languages. One of her most popular works is God Spoke to Me . Daily at the Optimum Health Institute missions in San Diego and Austin, Texas, one of Eileen’s quotes is offered in the morning prayer circle. OHI guests are invited to meditate on the thought throughout the day, seeing how their understanding of the words changes and evolves as their awareness changes with each new task and opportunity.
The very words that this spiritual teacher heard in her head and heart decades ago continue to motivate, encourage and bring joy, long after her death in 2006.
You can purchase God Spoke to Me, and other books by and about Eileen Caddy, at the Optimum Health Store. You can also order Eileen’s divinely inspired works by calling the store at (800) 993-4325.
Come experience the healing power of Eileen Caddy’s words as part of a transformative experience for all your senses and your body, mind and spirit at OHI. We can help you achieve your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual goals for optimal health in 2013. Call us at (800) 993-4325 to make your reservation.