Outdoor activity with kids - Make a compost pit

Last week Raghu and Meera decided to make a compost pit from vegetable scraps and dry leaves they had gathered. Today we bring to you an outdoor activity you can do with your children in your garden. Making compost will introduce kids to the natural cycle of growth and decay and should encourage them to become recyclers! 

An effective and environmentally friendly solution for turning yard waste and kitchen scraps into a beneficial soil additive, here are the steps to build a compost pit in the soil with kids -

1. Explain to the child what composting is in a fun and simple way. Let  them know - Composting, although managed by people, is a process entirely undertaken by small "critters" such as insects, fungus, and bacteria that will work in nearly any conditions.

2. Find a place in your lawn/backyard and dig the hole for your compost pit. Your compost hole should be about 1 foot (30 cm) deep. The area of the hole will be determined by the amount of organic matter you want to add.

     3. Chop your composting materials finely. Underground composting proceeds more slowly than above ground setups, and maximizing the surface area of your scraps is key to speeding the process. Aim for pieces of scraps no bigger than 2 or 3 inches (5 - 8 cm) in any dimension.

    4. Add the organic materials to the compost pit. Pile your food scraps and yard waste into the hole you dug to a depth of about 4 inches (10 cm).

Put in	Don’t use
Fruit and vegetable peelings Dead flowers and plants Grass cuttings and nettles Small branches and twigs Tea bags, coffee grounds and filter paper Shredded and scrunched paper and cardboard Egg shells Saw dust	Meat and fish Dairy products Processed foods such as pasta and bread Pet litter Large branches

  

    5. Cover your compost with soil. Once you have finished adding your organic scraps to the compost pit, you can refill it with the soil you removed.

    6. Keep the compost pit wet while it is decomposing. Underground compost decomposes slowly, because it doesn't have access to as much fresh oxygen as aboveground piles. To speed the process, ensure the area stays fairly wet. You can use a garden hose to wet it in the dry weather.

    7. Sow plants/vegetables above the compost after it has decomposed. A major benefit of underground composting is that you don't have to perform any extra steps to harvest the compost and amend your soil. The soil below is now perfect to create a vegetable garden on it!

Compost

May 5th - 11th 2014 International Compost Awareness Week ...
Let's Recycle and make some compost!

Adventures of Raghu - Nothing goes waste!

“There’s just so much to do for tomorrow’s puja that we’re having in the house! Raghu and Meera you both are busy learning to tie knots when I need your help in the house! Can you both please get here this minute!” cried out Raghu’s mother as she scurried to the kitchen to continue chopping the pumpkin. Raghu and Meera quickly left their ropes and came running to the kitchen. Meera was Raghu’s school friend and lived near his house. Raghu hardly spoke to girls, but Meera was different. She was fun, adventurous and was always up to exploring the outdoors with Raghu.

“Meera, can you please start piling up all the vegetable scraps in one place. Raghu, can you please go out and rake up all the dry leaves. Lunch is in the garden tomorrow afternoon and I need the garden to be clean” ordered Raghu’s mother to both the children.

“Aunty, should I help you cut the veggies?” asked Meera. “No dear, the veggies are over and I need to now go buy more vegetables from the market. It’s such a hassle really since it’s so far away!” called back Raghu’s mother as she grabbed the car keys and rushed off. Raghu’s house was on the outskirts of the main city and the vegetable market was almost 10 kms away.

Once the kitchen was clean, Meera walked out to the garden to be with Raghu. She sat on the bench as she watched Raghu gather a huge pile of dried leaves and grass on the side. Suddenly Meera called out - “Oh my god Raghu!” “What?” exclaimed Raghu. “I have a great idea!” said Meera. “Oh no, not more of your crazy ideas Meera. Last time you made me jump off the banyan tree into the lake and you know what happened after that!” laughed Raghu. “No Raghu. It’s different this time. Let’s make your mom a vegetable garden by first creating a compost pit! Just look at the piles of leaves and vegetable scraps, let’s put them to some use! It’ll be so much fun.”

Raghu stood silent for a moment. “I remember Mrs Vani, our science teacher talking about this, but I forget, what exactly is compost?” said Raghu. “Compost is the end product of decomposition of organic matter. It works like a fertilizer for plants. We can always look on the internet for instructions on how to get started to make compost and if we have any questions we’ll ask Mrs Vani at school.”

 ‘How to build a compost pit in your garden’ typed Meera on the computer. “Compost pits can be created by digging the soil in your garden. The hole needs to be anywhere between 4-8 feet. You can cover it with a board, and later when it’s ready you can plant vegetables on top of it.

It says the the microorganisms that decompose leaves and other plant parts need an even mix of green stuff such as kitchen veggie scraps, grass clippings and brown stuff such as dried leaves, sawdust and newspaper. They also need air and water to live and work. If you put all these together you get a compost! Yipeee!!!” said Meera. “I know just the perfect spot in the garden to make our vegetable garden.” called out Raghu as he ran outside to look for a spade.

Outdoor activities with kids - Storytelling around the campfire!

Sitting around the campfire at night is one of the most intimate parts of camping. It’s as though in those moments, all the people sitting around the campfire are connected to each other through an invisible thread of vulnerability and adventure. It is at this time that fed by the dancing flames, ones creative energy finds stimulation under the moon and stars. Use this time to connect with your children through stories that are engaging. They could be traditional tales, myths, legends or simply inspirational stories. If you involve the kids in the process in a fun way, they’ll never forget the story you told them!

We share with you one such inspirational story below -

“When I travelled to the Himalayas sometime back I met a man there who knew how to get many things done with very little resources. He had almost nothing to work with, but accomplished great things.
Whether the task was to build a fire underwater or stop a waterfall from falling, it seemed he could take care of it. I was so amazed to see the things he could do, I finally asked him how he did it.

He told me that a long time ago he had found a magical solution to nearly all challenges that came along. He said it was all contained in a single, ancient word that had mystic powers. When you understand the meaning of the word, it unleashes immense strength and abilities; it makes your mind more clear; it makes your imagination run wild with ideas.

Well, of course, I could hardly contain myself and I just had to know what this powerful magic word was. I pleaded with him to tell me and he finally agreed.

He said the word is, 'YAGODDAWANNA'. <ask the children to say it along with you>

In order to accomplish anything, whether it is small or big, easy or difficult, trivial or of utmost importance, in order to be successful, YOU’VE GOTTA WANT to do it. To earn good grades, you gotta wanna earn them. To become an champ you gotta wanna be one. The main reason people don't succeed at something is because they don't really want it bad enough. By really wanting something, you come up with ideas, make plans, and then do it.

Remember, to do something YaGoddaWanna do it. So next time you come upon a task that seems almost impossible, you gotta stop and tell yourself “YAGODDAWANNA” “

Here we give you a few ideas for storytelling in the outdoors –

Create your own story: let the kids tell you a story, or come up with your own to tell them. 

Visit myths and ancient stories from further back than you remember from your own childhood, maybe ones you learned about in a college class, or from a grandparent

Take a peek deeper into the civilizations the children are studying in school in their history classes, find a story from that culture and time to help make it real and tangible for them.

Look into your own family lineage, and heritage for stories and ancient traditions, old customs or practices and share them with your children.

Research tribal tales and stories to tell your children.

Ghost stories and other scary stories are always a favourite with the ambiance created by the campfire!

Adventures of Raghu - Camping with Uncle Seher

It was that time of year again! The days were getting longer and warmer with summer vacations fast approaching. Therefore, the only thing on Raghu’s mind was the camping expedition

planned with his Uncle Seher in the coming month.

Raghu was 11 now and since the age of 8, he had spent at least 2 weeks of every summer vacation bag packing in the outdoors with his uncle. They had visited Kodaikanal, Coorg and had even gone to Madhya Pradesh once. This time however, uncle had planned a trip to the Himalayas.

Raghu was thrilled! It was the first time ever he would be visiting the great Himalayas.He had read about them in his text books, heard stories about them from his uncle, seen documentaries on TV, but he had never actually been there. To top it all, travelling with Uncle Seher was really an adventure of its own.

They would just carry basic food items and camping equipment with Uncle always looking to take remote alternate routes. He told umpteen stories on the way and would talk about the flora and history of the place as you walked with him. There was always something to learn when he was around.

Raghu was looking out his window when the phone rang. “Hi Boy!” said Uncle Seher. “Hope you’re ready for the hills!” Raghu laughed back in excitement as Uncle Seher continued - “We’ll be heading to Jalori pass and Sarolsar Lake in the Himalayas the second week of May.

We’ll also do some rock climbing this time so I want you to begin learning some basic knots before we go. We will also be trekking long distances so I want you to start building your stamina. Start running and biking a few hours a day Raghu. We’ll take our own tents and food supplies and will camp each night. The routes I’ve planned are a little out of the way! Pack some swimming gear too. There are plenty of waterfalls on the way! You’ll be happy to know I’m getting Leela along this time Raghu.” Leela was Uncle Seher’s beloved Labrodar that he brought along on trips sometimes. Raghu screeched – “Leela!!!! This is like the icing on the cake. “

Raghu put down the phone and thought to himself - “I’ll start with the Figure of 8, Clove Hitch and bowline knots. I remember uncle once mentioning that they are the most commonly used knots in rock climbing.

Figure of eight knot

I’ll also take my telescope this year and learn to find the different constellations. I remember how we saw a million stars in the night sky when we went camping last year." Hiking shoes, bag pack, mosquito repellant, sleeping bag and woolen clothes lay all around Raghu’s room as he sat day dreaming of the adventure that awaited him. 

Adventures of Raghu - Everest, a dream

Raghu stopped midway, eyes glued to the TV and sat down on the living room sofa. His elder brother, Raj was watching an interesting documentary about Mount Everest on the National Geographic channel. Raghu had read all the facts about Mount Everest in his Geography class at school, but to actually see it in it’s full glory on TV with the dangers people faced to reach the summit was truly a different ball game.

Crossing glaciers, crevasses, ice holes, climbing steep ice hills using ropes – it was one of the most intense physical risks one could take.

“The snow sometimes freezes into ice and breaks apart like a very large crack in the street. When this happens you have to use a ladder to go across the crack. One of these cracks is called crevasse.

You have to be very careful when stepping across a crevasse on a ladder. You do not want to fall. Sometimes a crevasse can be as deep as a tall building. Sometimes you cannot even see the bottom because it is so deep” spoke the TV anchor as they showed people climbing towards the peak. “Wow!” gasped Raghu as he watched breathlessly.

 “I really want to climb Mount Everest one day Raj” said Raghu quietly yet earnestly to his brother once the show had ended. Raj laughed. “Raghu really! Sometimes you have such childish fantasies. You have to build your body, your mind and stamina for it. More than anything it takes tremendous will power and determination. You have to work hard for it, really really hard. That’s why the expression – It’s like climbing mount everest.” Raj smiled and walked away. But Raghu wasn’t joking, he really wanted to climb the summit. But what was he to do? How was he to at least take a step towards his dream?

Raghu went straight to his computer to read more about Everest. ‘After years of dreaming about it and seven weeks of climbing, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.

They were the first people to ever reach the summit of Mount Everest’, ‘The Nepalese who live to the south of Mount Everest have always known that it was special. They called it Sagarmatha, which is translated variously as "goddess of the sky" and "forehead of the sky." The Tibetans living north of the mountain called it Chomolungma, or “mother goddess of the world” ’ read Raghu aloud.

“But how do I start?” thought Raghu as he read - ‘It doesn’t require 10 years of climbing to attempt Mount Everest. 2-3 years could be enough if you climb very often, including some high climbs. But you should still take your time to learn the skills and practice climbing various mountains around the world. Take a course in rock climbing, practice, climb more difficult walls and tricky sections. Take a class in ice climbing,

join guided expeditions to high mountains, go on an expedition on your own. You’re now ready for Everest.’
“This is going to take time, but I will start with taking up a rock climbing course and practice till I grow older and mother allows me to take up more serious expeditions" promised Raghu to himself.

As Raghu was closing the computer, he eyes caught the last line on the page - ‘Everest shows you the grace of great dreams, fears overcome and triumph following some of the most desperate and trying times. This lesson is perhaps Everest’s most powerful gift to us all, whether actually climbing to the summit or simply reading testimonies of others sitting at home. If you are hoping to experience Everest one day, it’s time to begin. ’ 

Adventures of Raghu - Through the eyes of a telescope

"Rasiya, just look at all the stars up there! Sometimes I wish I could just touch them, go closer, feel and see them more closely." said Raghu as he lay under the Banyan tree in his garden looking up into the night sky. Rasiya was lazily coiled on the banyan tree branches listening to Raghu and half falling asleep. "Hmmm" muttered Rasiya.

"Hey Rasiya! Get up!!! Let's make a telescope! I remember my teacher talking about it in class last month. At the time it sounded so boring, but today when I look up at the night sky, I really want to make it. Come on! Get up Rasiya!" cried out Raghu. "Oh no, not right now Raghu. Its almost 8pm and all I want to do is sleep." But Raghu had already ran indoors to collect the items that were needed to make his simple little telescope. "That boy! Did anyone teach him to listen!"mumbled Rasiya as he started shaking his body awake.

10 minutes turned to 30 minutes as Raghu came running back outside. "Look what I brought Rasiya! Paper towel rolls, A thick sheet of paper, tape and the two lenses our teacher gave to us at school. They're both double convex lenses. One is 150mm and another is 500mm. Let's get to work!"

Raghu began by rolling up the sheet of paper the long way, to form a tube that was about the diameter of the lens with the shortest focal length. "This will be the eyepiece Rasiya! Can you tape the edges of the eyepiece lens to one end of the paper tube Rasiya?" Rasiya was at it immediately. He was waiting to complete this project as soon as possible!

Raghu then began to tape the second lens with a larger focal length to the end of the paper towel tube. He then inserted the empty end of the paper tube into the paper towel tube. "Rasiya, its ready!!!" shouted Raghu in excitement. "Really!" said a surprised Rasiya. He couldn't believe it could really be that simple.

"Look through the lens with the shorter focal length and point the other end of the telescope at a distant object. Slide the two tubes in and out until the object comes into focus. You will see the image upside down and magnified. If you have trouble focusing the telescope, you may need to lengthen the tube. That's what our teacher had said at the end of the session." Rasiya looked through this simple telescope up to the sky. He pointed it towards the moon. It definitely looked magnified, he had never seen it like this before. "Wow! It actually works Raghu!" shouted a now some what enthusiastic Rasiya. "Ofcourse it does Rasiya! We'll make another longer one tomorrow." Raghu called back.

Adventures of Raghu - Nani, a pillar of strength and compassion

"Nani is coming today Dev!" cried out Raghu to Dev, ecstatic at the news that his maternal grandmother would be arriving from her village soon. "Wow! Then we'll get to hear loads of stories!" exclaimed Dev.

Raghu and nani shared a precious bond of storytelling. That too the kind of stories Raghu loved most! Her stories were often set in the outdoors with a rural setting to them. They almost always included children climbing trees, women going to the stream to fetch water, or people sitting near the river hearing its sounds and watching it flow. The elements of nature always played a significant role in the stories, whether water, earth or the sky. There were also small incidents she would narrate from her own life, growing up in the village, set amidst nature.

Nani had a very calm and balanced disposition. One could never see her screaming or getting angry at anyone at home. People around her almost automatically settled down and were often laughing and chatting her her. Whether the vegetable vendor, the house maid or any guests who came home. She was an ocean of compassion and warmth. When she was at home, everyone wanted to be near her to draw energy, support and emotional balance from her. She was a pillar of strength in the household and everyone waited for the day nani would come visiting from her village.

Nani's life though had also been through many turmoils, but Raghu always wondered how she remained so calm despite all the situations she had been through. When Raghu would ask her, Nani would say - "We led a very routine life, waking up early with early morning walks, which included hearing birds chirping, taking care of the garden, touching the soil with our bare hands and watering the plants. Being with nature, also kept me constantly connected with myself and grounded in all my daily activities."

Raghu had another reason to love nani's presence. Notorious for often cycling off into the nearby forest, Raghu had complete freedom to go outdoors at whatever time he wished when nani was around. When Raghu's mother would get upset and worried at him riding off into the forest at absurd timings, nani would always tell his mother - "Let him go. This freedom to explore nature at his will is the best gift you will ever give him."

 Have you heard of Nature Deficit Disorder?

Nature Deficit Disorder

Perhaps, the core issue of all the behavioral problems this generation faces is that we do not get to spend some quality time amidst nature. Nature does have an impact on human behavior. Richard Louv, substantiates this point in his book “Last Child in the Woods”. He says, “An increasing pace in the last three decades approximately, of a rapid disengagement between children and direct experiences in nature has profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the Earth itself".  The effects from Nature Deficit Disorder could lead to the first generation being at risk of having a shorter lifespan then their parents.”

In our children’s case, nature-time is likely to be more elusive as they grow up in the hustle bustle of a city. Indeed, they deserve to spend quality time amidst nature. Referring to the parental fear of sending their children alone to the park, Richard says, “We may be protecting children to such an extent that it has become a problem and disrupts the child’s ability to connect to nature. The parents growing fear of ‘stranger danger’ that is heavily fueled by the media keeps children indoors and on the computer rather than outdoors exploring.”

The specialists in this field opine that, especially, kids who do not get nature-time seem more prone to anxiety, depression and attention deficit problems.  The only cure for such problems is spending more time in the nature. Going out and being in nature can help one greatly. There are simple things kids can do in the outdoors that can connect them to nature. Even hugging a tree or looking at greenery from the balcony can start all of us on the nature path!

So make sure your kids get out more often!

So get your kids out more often!

Adventures of Raghu - It's a bugs life!

“Dev!!! Come outside! I have to show you this!” cried Raghu from the garden facing his room window. Dev was sitting inside Raghu’s room playing a video game. “What is it Raghu? I’m in the middle of playing Angry Birds!” called back Dev rather unenthusiastic to leave his game and go outside.  “There’s this beautiful bug on the garden wall out here. It’s so colourful! You have to come see it!” called back Raghu.

It had rained the previous night and there were all kinds of bugs and insects crawling around in the garden. Raghu had been walking in the garden when his eye had caught this bright-coloured little creature sitting on the wall under his window and had rushed to investigate what it was.

“Please bring the magnifying glass in my study drawer when you come out!” shouted Raghu to Dev. “Oh Raghu! Just when the game was going so well you had to call me for this bug hunt you’re suddenly so interested in!” exclaimed Dev, rather upset at leaving his video game, as he walked out into the garden and handed Raghu the magnifying glass.

Raghu took the magnifying glass from Dev and held his hand excitedly as he pulled him down towards him. Both boys looked at the bug in front of them attentively with the magnifying glass. Dev had seen different kinds of bugs before, but this was definitely something different. “Wow! Should we take a photograph?” asked Dev. “If you want,” called back Raghu as he moved ahead to investigate the rest of the garden.

Raghu felt like a detective with the magnifying glass in his hand, carefully observing the grass, leaves, tree branches and anything around for signs of bugs.

There was a grasshopper seated on the grass nearby, a lady bug on a leaf outside Raghu’s window and an interesting black bug with yellow spots that both boys had not seen before. 

Dev was following Raghu quietly, almost tiptoeing, so that he could take photographs of them without disturbing the bugs.

“These little creepy crawlies are such amazing creatures, and we don't even take a moment to notice these little wonders of nature.” Said Raghu to Dev as he sat down near a tree. His eyes suddenly caught a beautiful caterpillar crawling on the tree branch. “Dev, be sure to capture this! It’ll be a beautiful butterfly soon.”

“I’ve caught them all Raghu! Let’s make an album and put up all our bugs on facebook! It’ll be our very own Bug Hunt album!” said Dev as he sat down near Raghu admiring each of the photos he had taken. “Great idea Dev! And we'll put the names of each of the bugs against it!”

How about going out on a bug hunt?

Adventures of Raghu - Music in the outdoors!

“This is going to be one hell of an outdoor music station!” cried out Raghu excitedly to Dev, as he tied a string between two branches of the tree. Exams were finally over and Raghu’s favourite cousin Dev was over from Bombay to spend a few weeks with the family.

Raghu and Dev were about the same age and both particularly loved the outdoors and music. They would spend most vacations together either climbing trees, bicycling into the forest or creating music with all kinds of self created instruments. Whether recycled materials like cans, bottles, utensils or shells, hollow bamboos, and mud pots, they used almost anything that they could make sounds with to create all kind of tunes and beats. 

“When you both are home, the house is like a jamming station!” Raghu’s mother would always say. “Why don’t you both create your very own music station in the garden outside, so that we all can have some peace here.” Raghu and Dev had thought it was a great idea and had decided to begin work on it immediately.

In the garden today were plastic bottles, tin cans, lids of food cans, caps of bottles, old spoons and finally bells that Raghu had taken from his sisters old ghungroos that his mom was ready to dispose. “Let’s get to work Dev” said Raghu as he tied the ends of the strings across two branches of the tree and hung the various objects on, which they had painted earlier in the day.

The bells were tied in some of the objects like the tin can and bottle lid to give it an additional tune.

They began testing each instrument, understanding the sounds each one made and then using it to create their very own music.

“Let’s make some music and perform infront of the family tonite!” suggested Raghu to Dev excitedly.