Magic Beans!

Lima Bean Plant Growing Up and Out 

 Part of the joy of having children is experiencing life through their eyes. Things I take for granted are transformed into exciting adventures simply because they are brand new for my kids. In some ways, it’s like getting a fresh start in life and I love it.

Last week, Jayden’s class began a new project that had him practically jumping up and down with joy. He got to grow his own lima bean, nurturing it from a dry little kernel to a vibrant green plant. He adores his little lima bean green, and he’s learning all about the root system of the plant by watching it grow in real time.

If you have young children, this is a wonderful and easy project for them. All you need is an old CD case, some dirt, scotch tape, a dry lima bean and water.

Directions:

G-M-Oh-Oh (Part 3)

Pretty scary stuff, don’t you think? What I find most disturbing is how quickly GMOs have entered our food supply without proper research and understanding of their long-term impact on our health and well-being. We have already had confirmed instances of harm.

For example, in 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically altered version of the food supplement – L-tryptophan. A settlement of $2 billion dollars was paid by Showa Denko, Japan’s third largest chemical company.

But that’s not all. There are so many other potential risks we face as a result of the spread of genetically modified crops. Here’s a sampling:

G-M-Oh-Oh (Part 2)

In G-M-Oh-Oh (Part 1), I talked about what Genetic Modification is, and the different methods with which it is done. In this post, we will take a look at the many common foods that have undergone Genetic Modification (GM). Hey, you can eat whatever you choose, but, isn’t it a good idea to know what it is that you’re putting into your body before you reach for it? I think so. If you agree, read on.

The public was first offered a commercially grown GM food in 1994, when the FDA approved the sale of the Flavr Savr tomato. This tomato had been engineered to slow the ripening process, which was supposed to have enabled farmers to let the tomato ripen before harvesting, as opposed to the traditional method of harvesting green tomatoes and allowing them to ripen during transport. It didn’t quite work out as intended. The unfortunately-named Flavr Savr tomatoes actually had very little flavor, which, combined with how difficult they were to transport, led to their being off the market only 3 years later.

G-M-Oh-Oh (Part 1)

GMOs have been in the news a lot lately, so I’d like to talk about what they are and how they impact our lives (hint: it’s a pretty big impact!). And because there’s so much to say, I’ll be dedicating 3 blog posts to this topic. I hope that you’ll share this information, folks, because, at the very least, it’s important to be informed about what you’re putting in your body.

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms.  They are also called transgenic organisms, as well as Genetically Engineered Organisms( GEOs). Sound like something from a futuristic sci-fi movie? Well, it kind of is. Let’s take a look, shall we?