StarChild Science Healthy Living Initiative

SHF: What is the StarChild Science "Do You Hear the Call?" poster?

Judy: The poster depicts an enticing neighborhood with brightly colored houses and oversize images of fruits and vegetables. Children see the houses and their favorite foods and instantly want to be teleported into this world.

SHF: How is the poster used?

Judy: Kids see the poster and just naturally want to know more. You can use it to create teachable moments. Parents and educators can explain that this is a healthy living neighborhood and you can live there if you want. All you have to do is grow something you like to eat. It's a way to engage kids' imagination and start a conversation about gardening and good food.

SHF: Why a neighborhood?

Judy: Children know about neighborhoods and what happens in a neighborhood. They also know about sharing and the many opportunities to share with neighbors. Gardening and sharing go hand in hand. Children feel good about themselves when they share.

SHF: Where would you hang the poster?

Judy: Any place where there are children and educators. They are often hung in doctor's offices, schools, libraries, daycare, youth centers, etc.

SHF: If you spark a child's interest in backyard gardening, why is this good?

Judy: A child who becomes interested in gardening is intimately connected to schoolwork and lessons in a number of areas of study. A child that is into gardening can be taught biology lessons via flower anatomy. Literature lessons can examine the forces of good and evil in the garden. Green living lessons can involve composting and fertilizing. Mathematics lessons can cover seed germination percentages. There are many more examples.

Any gardener will tell you that gardening is a magic journey full of promises and faith. Life lessons learned during this journey stick with people longer than facts learned from text books.

But what it all comes down to is if children become gardeners and grow their own food, they will improve their health.

You can purchase this poster at :

http://www.starchildscience.org/emt_hearthecall_poster.html