Preserving the Gift

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

Preserving the Gift
Chief Seattle was a Susquamish leader who lived in the mid-1800s on the islands of the Puget Sound. The courageous warrior is famous for a letter he is credited for writing to the Congress in 1854 when the president requested to purchase some land from the Indians.

I used to teach my students about the letter as a compare and contrast between the Indians and the settler’s philosophy about the earth and its ownership and preservation. The noble chief states that “every part of the earth is sacred to my people...We are part of the earth and it is part of us.” He charges the settlers to teach their children that “what befalls the earth befalls all the sons of earth..” and that “earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.”

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 at the urging of Senator Gaylord of Wisconsin. He himself was shocked when 20,000 people took part in the observation. That day marked the beginning of a new focus on environmental politics. Enactments of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act followed in the years that passed. Events like oil spills and nuclear accidents recently have driven home the need for concern followed by action.

Our awareness about our stewardship of the planet has improved over time, but we are far from where we should be in terms of our behavior. Some of us make a serious effort in our daily lives to reduce our ecological footprint, but we can always do more. Being a good citizen of the planet requires constant vigilance and maintenance.

Families can celebrated Earth Day on April 22 and all month long by doing things like building a birdhouse, planting a tree, growing sunflowers, learning how to compost, increasing the use of rechargeable batteries and disposing of hazardous materials properly. Help your kids write a letter to one of their representatives about their views on the environment. The list of possibilities is endless. April at Port Discover will be marked by programs like “Water, Water Everywhere,” “Thank You, Earth,” and “Green Thumb Challenge.”

“Kids Grow” a community garden project being done through a partnership among Port Discover, Project Grow and Albemarle Food Bank and is being sponsored by Ag Carolina that will begin this month. Produce grown in the raised garden beds behind the center will be used as healthy snacks during programs for kids, and the surplus will be contributed to the Albemarle Food Bank.

The outdoor area will provide more teaching opportunities and a beautiful setting for learning in downtown Elizabeth City. Stop by for a visit and check on our progress or volunteer. Bring your friends, children, and grandchildren and share in the excitement.

As our native forefather said in his letter, “Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself...Preserve the land for all children, and love it.”

GET UP, GET OUT, and GET FIT!!

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

GET UP, GET OUT, and GET FIT!!
If the few fleeting days of spring weather that we have experienced recently haven’t made you want to get off the couch, then you’d better check your heart beat. In downtown Elizabeth City walking and running traffic has picked up. Folks dressed in short sleeves have been strolling babies, taking pictures of the sights, enjoying their ice cream, riding bicycles, walking to lunch, and taking in the warm rays. Spring weather makes most people itch to get up and get out.

If you want to really experience spring fever go into any classroom on one of the warm days and watch the kids’ excitement and the teacher’s frustration at trying to keep them on task. Do you remember going home after school when you were young, grabbing a snack and rushing back out to play until supper time? Unfortunately that’s not the picture nowadays. Most students are in organized activities or hurry home to play video games until their parents come home.

According to recent studies, most children spend far too many hours involved with many forms of media and technology. Up to age 15, sixty-one percent of kids play video games every day. Girls are involved 5 hours per week while boys play an average of 15 hours per week.

As parents, grandparents, and educators we have to try a little harder to keep kids moving both in and out of school. Recess and physical education are not like they used to be. The philosophy now is to teach the kids that movement is part of the big picture of how to live a healthy life. My memory of P.E. classes where we did calisthenics for 30 minutes three times a week and were sore on the other days is a thing of the past, thank goodness. Students now learn about sports and activities that they can enjoy for a lifetime.

One of the definitions of the word “kinetic” is movement in response to stimulus. With that in mind, the Kinetic Kids exhibit at Port Discover will open on Saturday, April 2. The interactive exhibit and play space will feature three themed areas. The Scientist I Can Be exhibit will encourage children to assume the roles of health professionals and fosters this play with a variety of play acting costumes, toys, and tools. A Fitter Me space features an interactive and music-based exhibit that offers children guidance on healthy exercise activities. A Healthier Me exhibit includes a market and food preparation space that, by using play food, food labels, and utensils, teaches children how to make healthy food selections and control their portions.

We all want kids to keep that spring in their step well into the latter part of their lives. Showing them how to enjoy staying active and how to make healthy choices early in their lives is key to making that happen for them. We all need to get up, get out and get fit, and spring is a perfect time to start.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

By: Judi Stuart
Port Discover - Visitor Services Manager

How Does Your Garden Grow?
How does your garden grow? All over the country families are preparing to start a backyard garden this spring. This time it will be a victory garden of a different sort- a financial victory and maybe even a nutritional victory. The movement to eat locally grown products and buy locally is sweeping the country for many reasons.

The economic crisis the country is experiencing is a creature that has so many tentacles and is so far reaching that Americans are looking in every direction to improve the quality of their lives while saving money. People are valuing time spent together doing activities that strengthen the core of the family. Laboring in the garden together and then cooking and eating the bounty are activities that can bring family members closer while children learn. Even a small container garden will bring great rewards.

We are so fortunate to have access to locally grown food from farmers’ markets and vegetable stands and neighbors who share. A dollar spent in a community business does not leave the area and benefits many people. Vegetables purchased in some grocery stores often have spent days or weeks in storage and transit. Even organic food loses some benefits if it has to travel a long distance.

Local vegetables have been handled less, are safer, and retain their fresh taste plus most people just think they taste better. Many people only eat tomatoes in season because there is no comparison in taste with those purchased in the winter. Vitamins and minerals are retained more successfully when the produce is eaten soon after it is picked.

You might want to ask yourself how much eastern oil did it take to get the apple to me? Transporting goods makes us more dependent on costly foreign oil. Also, the effects of pollution produced by trucks carrying the products are harmful to the environment in general.

Eating locally produced honey can have even more benefits than many people may realize. Honey contains small amounts of pollen from the ecosystem in which it was produced. By eating local honey, you receive allergens which is almost like getting a vaccine in small doses which may reduce allergy symptoms.

On first Saturdays in the coming months kids can bring a 2 liter bottle to Port Discover and plant a vegetable to be transferred to their gardens later. AgCarolina Financial provides funding for Project Grow at the center. Programs at the center during March focus on National Nutrition Month. Angie and John Lamberson, registered dietitians and owners of Nutrition Pair, LLC presented a Kinetic Kids program “Eat Right with Color,” made possible by the Albemarle Hospital Foundation.

The health benefits of having your own garden or buying locally are numerous. Get out in the fresh air and sunshine this spring. Plant a garden or go to the Farmers’ Market in downtown Elizabeth City or buy produce at your favorite vegetable stand. Make it a family affair and experience the benefits first hand.