Across America, farmers markets are popping up in lots of vacant and under-used spaces, turning hills and debris into a bright seasonal mix of locally grown dates. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, many markets also offer eggs and grass-fed poultry, including fish, jams, spices, and entertainment, as well as cooking shows and live music; In some cities, farmers bring their children to the market for opportunities as pets. Type your zip code at localharvest.org to find the markets closest to you.

Here are six things your child can learn at the farmer’s market. Come early for new choices and new baby energy!

Where does the food come from?

Most kids think that food just appears on the table or supermarket shelf, prepackaged. Children can see the relationship between nature and food at the farmers market. Watch and touch your plants – with the earth still clinging to the roots – taste the fruits and vegetables, and meet the people who grow them. They can talk to friendly farmers or listen to ask questions. There are often cooking shows where kids can chop tomatoes and turn them into a sauce. Does your child eat? Here, she can see the apples in the trash and also see the sauce made from those apples. Bring something nice home for dinner or indulge in dried apple chips, fresh fruit, or apple juice to keep your energy level high while you’re at the market.

Vegetables are not the enemy

“Kids who have more control over what they eat tend to be happier and more likely to eat more,” Biggs says. Young children are the most likable eaters. If foodies are only going to eat one color, or say nothing of white bread, the farmers market might be the answer. Farmer Jeff, of Payellas Farm in Orange County, New York, is fond of telling him about the time he ate raw spinach from his stand before the unbelieving eyes of his mother. “My mum insisted she would never eat it. Not only did the kid eat it, I asked for more. The kids love sampling it. Their favorites are peas and carrots in late June and early July.” A few trips to the farmer’s market afterwards, your child will help you prepare healthy meals or plan a healthy meal, and at home he can chop up the salad you bought for a salad or help you wash or wash vegetables.

Count, color, shape, size and words

Young children are sensory learners – which is why they always grab and put things in their mouths. They also use their eyes, fingers, nose and ears to absorb information. Sure, there are books about counting and other basics; Kids can experiment with quantity, color and size with all their senses at the farmer’s market. They may feel turned. Compare a large pumpkin with a small pumpkin; sniffing herbs and knowing their names; raw orange carrots with a touch of soft orange apricot; Promise everything. They love this kind of learning.

Of course, the farmers market is also the perfect place to teach a young child the five senses and the rich vocabulary associated with them. Farmers usually offer bite-sized samples of their local produce, as well as jams, juices, bread and cooked meats. Talk to your child while he is nibbling. ‘We taste it with our mouths; let us smell the herbs with our noses. Ask: ‘How does this taste?’ I think it tastes like green apple. How do you feel about it? I think it feels spongy. Or, if you’ve done enough of the Mommy Asks routine, take things home and report the baby to dad.

The Four Seasons and Other Young Children’s Science

Each visit to the farmer’s market is a lesson on the cycles of weather, life, plants, nutrition, the planet, and empirical science. Perhaps in the last week your child has been eating strawberries; There is nothing this week. What’s new in that? It’s your chance to talk about the season and what your strawberries will be like in the spring and pumpkins in the fall. Put the science of the child to work for you. Explain the difference between a fruit and a vegetable: Fruit contains seeds; Where can you find the seeds of these fruits? Oh oh, the strawberry seeds are on the outside. You can also cut the fruit you purchased and sow the seeds in your backyard.

Discrimination and advanced education

Young children love sorting and sorting things, whether it’s trucks, cubes, crayons, or silverware. The farmers market offers a more complex version of this kind of thinking. with your help. When your child sees a red apple next to a green apple of the same color, he learns that these are all apples, even if they are not the same color. Looking at green beans next to ten types of lettuce, he learns that they are all green, even if they aren’t all lettuce. It is this complex learning that helps the brain to develop more pathways and make quick connections. And by the way, should we bring it home and cook it?

social skills

Do you have a shy child? A farmer’s market can help pull it out of its shell. These places, especially in the summer, are an interesting mixture of relaxation and liveliness. This makes the market a fun, safe and inviting outdoor environment where you can help your child interact with the people they are curious about: about farmers. Even if your child doesn’t speak up enough to ask himself questions, most farmers are willing to provide information about fields, growing vegetables, and even animals.

“It’s fun talking to the young,” says poultry farmer Parmanand Raghu. “They are very happy. We tell them about the eggs and the chicken, how the chickens hatch and how to feed them. They really enjoy it. Young children gain experience working in a non-competitive environment – eg, waiting for samples. And because it is a child-friendly environment that is still not focused on children, A young child is neither threatening nor threatening to quietly investigate society and find comfort in the social space.