Camp Betty: Farm Week

Fast-track your family’s way to farmer fandom with a trip to your local farmers market. To make the journey feel less like a grocery-getting chore, and more like a fun-filled game, present this clever farmers market bingo card to your wee ones before you visit. On your way, brainstorm questions to ask the farmers, like “Does this grow above ground or below ground?” “Where is your farm?” or “How do I eat this?” (If your kids are old enough, considering giving them some money to gather items from your shopping list.) When you get back to your kitchen, whip up some Veggie Pizza Flowers together, using your market-fresh finds.

Sizzling summer days call for cool kitchen snacktivities, and what’s sweeter than whipping up a flock of friendly farm-animal ice cream sandwiches? Check out Betty blogger Corey Valley’s post to see how her girls put their set of Farm Animal Ice Cream Sandwich Makers to delicious use (in just three easy steps, no less!). Beating the heat has never been such an adorable endeavor!

Don’t let a rainy day spoil your farm-week fun. Flex your gang’s green thumbs and make an indoor eggshell herb garden, a how-to we fell for on Just Lovely. An easy, affordable and completely biodegradable activity, kids will get a kick out of checking on their sprouts’ status well after the fun of planting is done.

With a couple of basic tools (hammer, nails or a power drill), you can transform a used Shake ‘N Pour container into a kid-sized sprinkler. With a gentle stream, it’s an ideal garden accessory for watering container gardens and window boxes. To see how Betty blogger Bree Hester and her daughter did it, check out her post.

To get a hands-on taste of farm life, look for scheduled volunteer days at area farms. Many small establishments welcome help from the public throughout the growing season to assist with basic tasks like weeding, pruning, seeding, etc. Visit Local Harvest for a listing of farms (and farmers markets) near you!