Many years ago, as I was about to go into the Peace Corps in West Africa, a college friend surmised that it would be a perfect place for me: I didn't like to eat with utensils, I rotated the same 2 sets of clothes all the time, and I liked to go barefoot in the dirt.
It turns out that going barefoot in West African soil isn't always such a great thing to do as the larvae of hookworms can enter the body through bare feet. However, a recent study shows there are multiple benefits to playing in the dirt, if for no other reason than it provides natural exposure to a beneficial bacterium. The bacteria is called Myobacterium vaccae. According to research by Dr. Christopher Lowry at the University of Colorado, ingestion of this bacteria (by breathing in soil particles in which the bacteria reside) may be useful in the prevention and/or treatment of a variety of ailments and diseases, including treating allergies and treating major depression by increasing levels of serotonin.
New research also suggests it may improve children's ability to learn. According to Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, serotonin also plays a role in learning. Matthews and her colleague Susan Jenks tested the exposure of mycobacteria in soil on the ability of mice to learn. They found that the mice who were exposed to soil with the bacteria were better able to learn compared to those not exposed. However, the effects were temporary, meaning that when the exposure went away, so did the effects.
I recently taught a General Biology class to college students and brought this new research in when we were discussing bacteria. It's amazing to think that we have evolved these natural support systems with other organisms, such as bacteria, that play such beneficial roles in our mental and physical health. One of the students commented, "so there's some truth to that 5-second rule," and I responded, "or even 10!" The class laughed, but it's true. My four-year-old loves to eat carrots straight from the ground. While we rinse them, I feel good knowing that some of those beneficial bacteria may make their way into his system as well. I have long felt that getting dirty was healthy, and now there is some research to support it. Yet another reason we all need to be outside with our children, getting a healthy dose of happy soil!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Heirloom Bean Tipis
One of my favorite bean tipis was one we designed for the Santa Fe Children's Museum. We grew a variety of heirloom beans up bamboo poles. The best part of this design was the element of surprise it provided for children. When the beans were ready for harvest, children could pick different shaped pods, never knowing what was inside. Imagine their surprise as they opened each mystery pod to find Apaloosa, Anasazi, Scarlet Runner or glowing white cannellini beans.
Bean tipis are very easy and affordable to build. Children can help with all of these steps, if you allow enough time and patience for their participation. They will enjoy digging, helping plant the poles, and inserting beans of all shapes and sizes into the ground. And of course, they can help water and weed along the way, too!
1. First, prepare the soil where the beans will grow. Add compost and loosen the soil in a circle approximately 3-4 feet in diameter. It's important to prepare the soil in advance as it's hard to do this once the poles are in place.
2. To make the tipi structure, you need about 6-8 bamboo poles each 12 feet high. Place them in the ground to form a circle (with wider spacing for the opening) to the desired dimensions. It's nice to leave enough space for 1-2 children, as they appreciate the coziness of a smaller tipi. Fasten the poles at the top with any kind of string, rope, or wire.
3. When the poles are in place, plant the beans! It's fun to use a variety of beans. There are also soup bean mixtures which come with a variety of beans already mixed together, or you can choose your own. I also like to mix in some morning glories for extra color.
Check out the Zursun Idaho Heirloom Bean website for some interesting bean varieties:
http://zursunbeans.com/beans/
Or my long time favorite:
Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/default.aspx
4. Water. Allowing children to water gives ownership and adds excitement as they watch the beans grow.
5. It's nice to add some kind of soft mulch or leaves inside the tipi as bedding and seating for children.
Sometimes beans are susceptible to bean beetles (yellow ladybug looking beetles, yellow eggs and larvae on the undersides of leaves). These can be physically removed (and children will love to help with this task). Or you can cover beans with netting during the early stages of growth.
Bean tipis are very easy and affordable to build. Children can help with all of these steps, if you allow enough time and patience for their participation. They will enjoy digging, helping plant the poles, and inserting beans of all shapes and sizes into the ground. And of course, they can help water and weed along the way, too!
1. First, prepare the soil where the beans will grow. Add compost and loosen the soil in a circle approximately 3-4 feet in diameter. It's important to prepare the soil in advance as it's hard to do this once the poles are in place.
2. To make the tipi structure, you need about 6-8 bamboo poles each 12 feet high. Place them in the ground to form a circle (with wider spacing for the opening) to the desired dimensions. It's nice to leave enough space for 1-2 children, as they appreciate the coziness of a smaller tipi. Fasten the poles at the top with any kind of string, rope, or wire.
3. When the poles are in place, plant the beans! It's fun to use a variety of beans. There are also soup bean mixtures which come with a variety of beans already mixed together, or you can choose your own. I also like to mix in some morning glories for extra color.
Check out the Zursun Idaho Heirloom Bean website for some interesting bean varieties:
http://zursunbeans.com/beans/
Or my long time favorite:
Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/default.aspx
4. Water. Allowing children to water gives ownership and adds excitement as they watch the beans grow.
5. It's nice to add some kind of soft mulch or leaves inside the tipi as bedding and seating for children.
Sometimes beans are susceptible to bean beetles (yellow ladybug looking beetles, yellow eggs and larvae on the undersides of leaves). These can be physically removed (and children will love to help with this task). Or you can cover beans with netting during the early stages of growth.
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