Let Kids Do the Shopping at Farmer’s Markets
Photo by empract
First off let me say that if you haven’t been loitering around your local farmer’s market – get the to one straightaway. Buy fresh and buy local. Good stuff, my friends.
Farmers’ markets give kids a chance to learn about fresh food and how it arrives from the grower to their dinner table. Before you make the trek, get your family together and create a list of what your family enjoys eating for the week. This is the perfect time to encourage adding one or two things to the list that your family has never tried before. Sometimes this decision is easier once you’ve perused he market.
This is a terrific opportunity to share with kids that when you purchase your produce (or any other products) locally, it supports local farmers and their families and created a stronger community. This conversation is ripe for rolling right into some discussion about how this positively affects the local economy. Once you arrive at the farmer’s market, resist the urge to lead and let your kids do as much of the purchasing as possible.
Meeting the local producers, kids get the chance to talk to the farmers that actually grew the food. They can ask questions that are met with honest answers instead of the standard answers that are given by commercial grocery stores. The farmers not only receive the benefits of not having a middleman, but they’re often the ones with the greatest recipes for their own produce!
Most of the food is purchase by weight or numbers which is a good time for kids to practice math skill outside of school. Not to mention counting out money as well as the change they receive.
Farmer’s Markets Have So Much to Offer
Kids get to see what fresh food actually looks and tastes like without the polish and advertising capabilities of the bigger stores. Along with vegetables, farmer’s markets have fruits, eggs, herbs, salsas, breads, honey, flowers and whole host of locally made and grown items to purchase.
There are samples of food everywhere for the whole family to try which is great fun. Plus there’s often food being cooked right there for lunch and entertainment such as local musicians, too. All farmer’s markets are unique to their areas and truly become a sense of pride for families in the communities. Let your kids be a part of this wonderful tradition and give them the gift of understanding how community and local economy works.
