Tots to Teens: Learn to sow and grow with GIY

Helping to launch the SuperValu and GIY “Let’s GROW” initiative students Una Coyle (10), right, and Cassie Dempsey (11) at Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Inchicore, Dublin 8. Pic: Mark Stedman.

More than 50,000 primary school children will be digging their hands into the soil and learning to grow vegetables this spring, thanks to the SuperValu Let’s GROW initiative in partnership with GIY.

This nationwide campaign takes place every year and provides classrooms all over Ireland with a free pack containing everything they need to start growing. The pack comes with seeds for cress, salad leaves, pumpkins and sunflowers, compostable pots, a resource booklet with growing guides and lots of other classroom goodies.

Speaking at the launch, GIY founder and CEO, Michael, Kelly explained how impactful growing vegetables can be for children. “We know that by growing their own food, children develop a greater curiosity and understanding of how food is produced and how it gets to our tables,” he says. “Perhaps most importantly, research consistently shows that children who grow some of their own vegetables are more likely to eat more vegetables — a vital habit to support healthier people and a healthier planet.”

Schools across the country are encouraged to register online at www.supervaluletsgrow.ie to receive their free classroom growing kit before supplies run out.

Exciting lab experiments at a Designer Minds Club

Keeping their minds busy

Designer Minds runs clubs and camps for curious children. Think of kids who never stop asking questions, who are always developing and making things or who are constantly engrossed in the technological worlds of gaming, computers, and robots.

If you’re a parent to one of these children and you’d like to develop their skills in these areas or show them just how much potential there is in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths (so-called Steam subjects), these clubs and camps could be for you.

Designer Minds Clubs are currently run at various locations throughout Clare, Cork, and Limerick on Saturday mornings. They run for an hour a week, offering an engaging range of Steam activities. A term of 13 clubs costs €169. Camps take place during the school holidays at over 70 locations nationwide. Find out more at www.designerminds.ie.

Account to follow

The Instagram account @curious.parenting wants to help parents empower a generation of resilient kids. Set up during the pandemic by an American couple with a background in childcare, it has since attracted more than 720,000 followers.

The focus is on how we can move away from using negative tactics such as guilt shame and control and towards building a relationship of trust with our children.

Each post is presented and contains practical tips on topics such as how to encourage children to persevere when they want to give up on a difficult task or how to talk to babies when you’re not sure how to do so.

MohuComfort blanket

Sensory wellness

Clare woman Alison Power was inspired to create the Mohu range of products in 2014 when she met a young woman who had autism and sensory processing difficulties. Alison wondered if there was anything she might be able to do to help and this led her to work with occupational therapists to develop the Mohu sensory range of calming and engaging tools.

The MohuComfort blanket (€140) was its first product. It’s a patchwork quilt in a choice of colours and designs, all in soft soothing textures.

The MohuCover (from €155) combines the quilt with a weighted blanket for extra comfort. There are also the MohuPatches, 15 texture and activity patches that can be attached to the quilt. These allow for each quilt to be adapted to an individual’s sensory and engagement needs, helping to reduce their anxiety and stress.

Find out more about the full range of products at www.mohudesigns.com.