Get Outta The House!

More on Food Preservation

10/15/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! California, Elk Grove, Food Preservation, School

Just the week before last I wrote about a food preservation curriculum the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is creating. Last weekend my daughter and I ran into women from the University of California Master Food Preserver Program at the Elk Grove Pumpkin Festival. I haven’t thought about preserving food this much since […]

Preserving Foods with Kids

09/28/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Ag Education, CFAITC, Food Preservation, Outdoor Education, Student Activities

Food preservation – freezing, canning, drying, pickling, and such – always seemed a daunting task to me; certainly, too intimidating to take into a classroom of kids. Those food safety fears recently led me straight into a California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom workshop where we learned CFAITC is developing a unit for teachers […]

Opportunity Roundup

09/10/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House!, Opportunity Roundup School

Now that school is back in full-swing, weekend schedules are getting crowded. This past weekend I planned to attend the annual Electricity Fair in Folsom and California’s Day of Preparedness in Old Sacramento and didn’t get to either one thanks to family errands that ate up our time. I did scratch out time to sift […]

Turning Food into Art

08/27/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Art, Chef Ray, Elk Grove

We ran into Chef Ray L. Duey at the Multicultural Festival in Elk GrovGrove, California this past weekend and spent several minutes at the Kaiser-Permanente booth mesmerized by his artwork with fruits and vegetables. Chef Ray, of Lodi, Calif., has won awards for his work, been to the White House, and competed on the Food Network. […]

Going Out for Ice Cream

08/15/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Health, Ice Cream

Several years ago, I heard nutrition consultant Jim Painter speak at a teacher conference. I don’t remember a lot from that talk, except that he was a fun speaker, his business card said he worked for Sun-Maid Growers of California, and he gave us some advice about eating ice cream. He said he eats ice […]

Watching a Neighborhood Park Come Alive

08/07/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Elk Grove, Jennie McConnell Park, Parks

One of the most exciting things about coming home from summer vacation in our neighborhood was turning the corner to find our renovated park finally open and herds of kids using it. This park is truly a neighborhood park in every sense of the word since the neighborhood met with parks staff to plan it […]

Grants Available to Teachers with Ag-Related Projects

07/23/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Ag Education, Outdoor Education, Teacher Grants

The CHS Foundation and National Agriculture in the Classroom are seeking applicants for 15 $500 grants awarded to teachers with agriculture-related projects. The deadline for application is 5 p.m. EST, Sept. 15. Applications are accepted online only. Applicants will be notified of awards by e-mail in October. In addition to the online application, one letter […]

Healing Garden in Sacramento Hospital Hosts Interesting Art Piece

07/23/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Common Core, Greek Mythology, Mercy General Hospital, Outdoor Education

The outdoor seating, the bridge that crosses a bit of water, the greenery in Sacramento’s Mercy General Hospital may easily draw attention away from an interesting piece of art on one wall, the depiction of the Greek god of medicine addressing the personification of Pain. This sculpture, fascinating in its own right, was created […]

Blanketing Meagher County with Barn Quilts

07/09/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Barn Quilts, Common Core, Meagher County, Outdoor Education

A handful of western Montana women kept themselves busy this past year painting barn quilts and blanketing the businesses and ranches of Meagher County with their work. This summer they introduced the public to their art by loading up White Sulphur Springs school buses with visitors and touring them on a loop from White Sulphur […]

Summer Means Saving on School Supplies

07/09/2018 Ann Hennessey Get Outta The House! Joann Stores, Office Depot Stores, Scholastic, School Shopping, Staples Stores, Target Stores

Summer means hot weather, barbecues, swimming, lazy days and screaming good deals on school supplies. Most of us don’t like to think about school during summer vacation, but the truth is, this is when the school shopping is juiciest. Office Depot/Office Max is selling basics for pennies – in some cases, quite literally. If your town […]