Just for Kids

Stories by Lynn Haley

11 year-old twins Meg and Rayel live on a mixed family farm near Olds, Alberta. When they link up with their city-slicker pal, 10 year-old Geneva (whose family is in the meat business), a whole lot of fun starts happening. Here’s their top picks for this issue’s kids page.

What Makes Plants Grow?

Got the gardening bug? Our fearless trio does. Planting is fun; eating veggies right out of the garden is even better. Meg, Rayel and Geneva know it takes 7 things to make plants grow…

1. Room to grow: Plants need space for leaves to expand and make food. Below ground, roots need room to expand. Planting things too close together will result in crowded roots and small growth.
2. Temperature: Plants are like humans – they like to be cool at night and warm during the day and they really don’t like drafty spots. Here’s the rule – if you’re comfortable temperature wise, your plants will be too.
3. Light: Plants grown indoors need bright light. So, put your plants in windows facing south or west. A plant will tell you when it’s not getting enough light because its stems will be thin and it will lean towards the light.
4. Water: Water helps plants move nutrients through stems and leaves. Plants like to be watered when the soil is slightly dry. Stick your finger into the soil about one inch. If your finger is dry, it’s time to water. (A little goes a long way.)
5. Air: Like you, plants need to breathe. Things like smoke, gases and pollution make them sick. Plants use carbon dioxide and return oxygen into the air. Did you know that trees are really important for keeping the world’s air clean?
6. Nutrients: Most of the nutrients plants need are dissolved in water and taken up by the plant through its roots. Plants need nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to grow, divide cells, flower and make seeds.
7. Time: It takes time to grow healthy kids and blooming plants. Be patient!

Put Rayel and Geneva in the kitchen and stand back! In between shrieks of laughter and tons of giggles, comes a great meal. Here’s a dish they call –

Meatball Mania

1. Wash your hands – big time – before and after handling raw ground beef.
2. Put all of these ingredients into a bowl. You’ll need; 500 g (1 lb) of Alberta lean ground beef, 125 mL (1/2 cup) of breadcrumbs, 50 mL (1/4 cup) of finely chopped onions, 1 glove of garlic minced, 10 mL (2 tsp) of Worcestershire sauce, 2 mL (1/2 tsp) each of salt and pepper.
3. Mix everything together, and then form the mixture into little 1 inch balls.
4. Put the balls in a large shallow baking pan, or on a cookie sheets (with rims on the side). Remember – wash your hands again.
5. Bake at 500°F for 8 – 10 minutes or until there is no pink in the centre. It is really important to cook ground beef until it is completely brown inside and out.

Put the meatballs and pour a jar of your favourite tomato sauce into a pot and heat gently. Cook up some pasta and presto – dinner is served! And remember, good cooks always clean up after themselves.

Chickens in Space

Meg figures chickens really should be able to fly to the moon – after all, they are birds. But she knows Alberta chickens are raised for meat – right here on the ground. Here’s some chicken talk she’s learned from a visit to the kids page at www.chicken.ab.ca.

• A chick is a chicken that’s less than 2 weeks old.
• A chicken is any kind of chicken, less than 6 months old, that’s raised for meat
• A hatchery is where fertilized chicken eggs are incubated and hatched into chicks
• Chicks are transported to chicken farms within 24 hours of being taken out of their incubator
• Chicks move freely around in chicken barns to eat, drink and chirp like crazy! Chickens don’t like surprises – farmers usually knock on the barn door before entering so the birds aren’t startled.