Everyone already knows that if you have little kids at home and you’re looking for an activity that might inspire healthy eating and a green thumb, the answer might lie in planting a garden. Green beans are a good thing to plant because they grow so fast.
I planted some bean seeds on a whim, right next to a part of the fence which receives a bit of extra sunshine in the morning. They’re climbing up a metal trellis we’ve had for awhile.
A couple weeks ago it occurred to me that it’d be fun to track their growth, so every morning I’ve been dutifully putting a chalk mark on the trellis, right next to the top of each plant as it winds its way up towards to the sun.
I knew beans grew fast, but I didn’t think they grew THAT fast. Sometimes the vines grow over six inches in the span of 12-15 hours. It’s been neat to mark the progress.
It is a sweet activity to do with kids, and there’s so much to learn here. If you want to take this activity up a notch you can also:
- Measure the space between the chalk marks every day with a ruler and track it in a journal together
- Revisit Biology 101 and talk about why plants need the sun to grow
- Harvest the beans and make something delicious out of them. (Personally I think they’d enjoy eating them right off the vine.)
I’ve written about Westboro’s the Village Quire before, but to summarize (a) the Village Quire is a Fishbowl patron and (b) my go-to place to buy cards, stationary, and wee gifties of all kinds. Three cheers for shopping local!
The store is celebrating an anniversary this year, and YOU are invited to the party. The Village Quire has been part of Westboro for 12 years, and it’s been three years since they moved to their current location beside Truffle Treasures.
Customers new and old are invited to drop by on Friday July 11 between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. for cupcakes and snacks. There’ll be door prizes too! One will be from one of our favourite local card makers, Alice Hinter, and another door prize will feature a fun collection of party supplies. (There may even be loot bags too!)
Can’t make the party? I have a little something for one virtual party goer.
- This giveaway is for a $40 shopping spree at the Village Quire. (Cards! Ribbons! Gifts! Wrapping paper! You won’t believe ALL THE CUTE.)
- In order for your entry to qualify, please leave a comment below.
- Twitter users can earn a bonus entry by following and tweeting @thevillagequire #villagequirebday and linking to this giveaway. (Don’t forget to use the hashtag, otherwise we may miss your tweet! Sample tweet: “Happy birthday to Westboro’s @thevillagequire! #villagequirebday http://ht.ly/yUxLT”)
- This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
- If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason you can email it to andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.
I will draw one name using Random.org at 9:00 p.m. EST on July 15, 2014. I’ll contact the winner via email at that time and post the name here as well.
That’s it! Over to you. Good luck, and I hope to see you at the party!
07 Jul, 2014
By andrea tomkins in Ottawa
Yes. I spent (almost) an entire day on and around Preston Street this past weekend. It was time well spent. It’s changed so much over the past decade; the transformation is pretty amazing. And did you know that once the sun goes down there’s a totally different vibe? When’s the last time you’ve been to Little Italy?
