Are you an Eco-Hero? Do you know an Eco-Hero?

Our friends at Action For Nature, a San Francisco-based non-profit, are now taking applications for the 2010 International Young Eco-Hero Awards! The awards recognize accomplishments of young people (ages 8 – 16) whose personal actions have significantly improved the environment. Award recipients will receive up to $500 cash, an award certificate, and other forms of recognition. The application deadline is February 28, 2010.

Their judges are experts in environmental science, biology and environmental health. They select Young Eco-Heroes from applicants from around the world. They are looking for young people to follow in their footsteps.

Kevin Huo, First Place Winner (Grade 4-5) of our “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest Contest!” won an award from Action for Nature.

Please find more information, including guidelines and the application form, at www.actionfornature.org.

Action For Nature, Inc.
2269 Chestnut Street, #263
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-513-2421

Kevin Huo is the First Place Winner in the 4-5^th Grade Category in Smart Poodle Publishing’s recent “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” Contest. The extraordinary artistic talents of this ten-year-old from Northern California astonished the contest judges and many contest followers as well. As soon as Kevin received his prizes in the mail (thank you Rand McNally!) he called me to say thank you! No one ever calls to thank me, so I was impressed. I asked Kevin (and his parents) if he would be interested in doing an interview. He said yes. Read on for answers many questions you may have about what inspires him to paint. You’ll also learn more about Kevin’s commitment to Green Living.

Kevin Huo, Age 10

Before we ask Kevin some questions, here is a list of awards he has won:

Smart Poodle Publishing “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” Writing and Art Contest – Kevin’s spectacular painting of Costa Rica and clever story landed him First Place in the 4th-5th Grade Category.

Kevin’s award-winning entry “Living Color: Costa Rican Rain Forest”

Go Green SamTram Bus Contest – When he was in third grade Kevin won the Grand Prize for this contest for his painting of a bus with an energy conservation theme, reducing the carbon in our atmosphere. His artwork was featured on some of the actual SamTram buses and on the bus passes.

Kevin’s spectacular art was displayed on Sam Tram buses

Filoli Art Contest – The San Mateo County Board of Education and the Filoli organization sponsored an art contest. Filoli is an historic country estate that is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For this contest, Kevin created a painting of the California countryside.

Action For Nature Young Eco Hero Awards- This nonprofit organization in San Francisco encourages young people to take personal action to better their environments, and to foster love and respect for nature. Kevin was honored for his environmental activism. Click here to see the pdf. Apply for the 2010 Action for Nature International Young Hero-Eco Awards 2010. Deadline is Feb 28, 2010.

Town of Atherton, CA Evironmental Program Contest – While in 2nd Grade, Kevin won the Grand prize for his title Green Kid Saves the World.

Kevin proudly displays his artwork and blue ribbon

Mangrove Art Project International Contest – This is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to the protection of the world’s mangrove forests ecosystems. Kevin was the only award winner in the US. He painted this outstanding picture of mangroves, which was included in the organization’s calendar.

Kevin’s award-winning painting of mangroves

Environmental Awareness Camp; Cultural Exchange – Kevin was interviewed by Michael Caduto, Director of Programs to be featured in his upcoming new book about young activist kids

Hip Housing Contest – Kevin won 2 awards for his participation in the San Mateo County Hip Housing Project. In 2007 his painting  “My home is my moving castle” depicted houses being saved from a hurricane after Katrina.  The pictures were included in Foster City, CA calendars.

Kevin won the Hip Housing Art Contest 2 years in a row

San Mateo County Board of Education – Kevin’s work was displayed at a solo exhibit at the school board office, after he was inspired to create 6 paintings of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. (This was not a contest, but rather an exhibit of his work)

Interview

How old were you when you started to show an interest in art?

I was about 5 years old when I started to draw. My Dad draws a lot because he is an architect. Watching him work really inspires me to draw and paint. He’s so good at what he does. My Mom is very creative too. She used to work as a stage manager in the theater.

Kevin with his parents, Kenneth and Gina Huo

I understand that you and your parents are very interested in “Green Living.” Can you tell us how your family got interested in that?

Sometimes my Dad designs Green Living houses and other buildings. He’s taught me a lot about preserving our environment. Our family loves nature too. Through a great organization called V-O-CAL we volunteered for a project to help clean up some nature trails.. We talk a lot about the environment at home and at school. Also participating in the Go Green SamTram contest got me even more interested in the environment. It is important to learn about keeping our world clean.

What is your favorite art medium?

When I first started to draw I used colored pencils only. Now that I’m a little bit older, I also use watercolors.

What inspires you to paint?

I love to look at drawings and paintings from famous artists, but I do not have a single favorite artist. There are so many good ones! I am also inspired by nature and really love learning about and painting animals of all kinds. I love to research animals and places and then combine my interest in nature with my art.

Do you draw from memory, use photos or get your perspective from real objects and scenes?

I usually look at pictures in books for ideas and to see what shapes things are, but I also draw from looking at real objects. Before I start, I always spend time imagining what the finished drawing will actually look like. I often finish the painting, and it looks just like I imagined it would.

How often do you paint/draw?

Whenever there is a contest announced that I am interested in, I paint. I also paint when I am inspired or just get a new idea. Sometimes I paint every week, but not always.

Have you had any professional lessons?

No I haven’t. I have only watched my Dad. He doesn’t just design houses and buildings. He also draws or paints sometimes, and has given me direction or has helped me with ideas.

What did you learn about Costa Rica that interested you most, while researching to write your essay for the Smart Poodle “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” Contest?

I knew there were forests in Costa Rica, but I had no idea how many unusual plants and animals were there. I was fascinated to learn about alien possums, which I wrote about in my essay. And the number of different species of plants is amazing! I loved learning about the rain forest, and I cannot wait to visit Costa Rica to learn more.

Kevin, it is great t hear you say that, because the purpose of our contest was to encourage kids to learn more about Costa Rica and the plants and animals of the rain forest. What did you learn about mangroves for the Mangrove Art Contest you won? That painting is spectacular!

I visited mangroves in Taiwan and found it fascinating. I remember the sounds, the smells of the decaying plants and all the animals that live there. Both visiting and reading about mangroves really helped me understand it all. Doing that painting was a lot of fun.

Did you know that we have mangroves here in Florida too?

Yes, I knew that, though I have never been to Florida to see those mangroves. Some day I’d love to visit.

I realize you are only 10, but do you have any idea what you’d like to do for a career when you grow up?

I can imagine myself being an architect and designing green living houses.

That sounds perfect with your talents! Will you design a house for me?

Sure. I’d love to. (laughing)

What else do you enjoy doing other than art?

I love to read adventure stories like yours – Lilly Badilly – and others. I enjoy studying history, like I did with Paul Revere. I also like to travel. I’ve been to Taiwan, where my parents are from and also to Japan. But when I get older, I’d love to travel a lot more and see the world.

What advice do you have for other young students who want to become excellent at art?

The most important thing is to just try. There are so many things that can inspire you to paint; it does not have to be just one thing. Try imagining what the finished drawing will look like in your head before you get started. Don’t be afraid to draw or paint, because if it doesn’t work out the way you want, you can always start over. No one even has to see it. Just keep on trying, and you’ll eventually get it. Never, ever give up.

Kevin, thank you so much for sharing your artistic talents with us. You may be only 10 years old, but you have inspired so many children and adults with your artwork. You are living proof that having a passion can lead to great accomplishments – no matter what a person’s age may be. You also know how important it is to say “Thank You.” That will take you very far. You also remind us that the only way to win numerous contests is to enter them often! Please stay in touch with us and let us know about any future projects you have. Your future is looking as bright as your watercolor paintings!

Epilogue

We all know that “passion” is the main ingredient to success. It is achieved through incurable curiosity and unstoppable motivation. Passion is not something we have to wait for until adulthood; it can appear at an early age. Kevin’s love of art and nature are not forced. These are simply part of his soul. How inspiring for us all!

You know that feeling when you meet a family for the first time and you instantly hit it off with them, knowing you will fast become good friends? Well, that happened to me while at the NCGE conference in San Juan last week. I met Theresa Blain, owner of Visualize World Geography, which teaches students to visualize nations by turning the world into memorable shapes. Theresa and her husband Gregg, homeschool their two talented sons, Hunter (age 14) and Gregory (age 12). The family lives on a sprawling ranch in Western Texas, and the boys recently took it upon themselves to start keeping bees on their property. Naturally, I was curious about this and just had to ask them all about it. Beekeeping is fascinating!

Gregory (left) and Hunter (right) Blain suit up for their beekeeping duties on their Texas ranch

What made you decide to become beekeepers?

Hunter and Gregory: We were talking to our parents about multiple land uses of the ranch. Beekeeping came up as a possibility because it is compatible with cattle raising – our main use of land. Also, wild hives were infiltrating some of our barns, and had to be moved. This indicated that the ranch was a good bee habitat, and if we did become beekeepers, we could then have better control of where the hives would be located, and also receive the benefit of collecting honey.

How did you figure out what you needed to do to get started keeping bees?

Hunter: We read books on the subject, like “The Hive and the Honeybee,” and we asked older beekeepers for advice.

Gregory: I read a lot of descriptions of products in bee catalogs.

What kind of equipment is necessary to keep bees?

Gregory: I wouldn’t go without a bee suit—which includes gloves, a veil, a hat, and a full body suit. Plus you need a smoker, and a hive tool (a hive tool is just a strangely shaped pry bar). Each apiary has a couple of large hives, some smaller ones on top called supers, and a queen excluder between them to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey comb. Also, make sure to bring an extra empty hive with empty frames to store good honey for transport and processing.

Hunter: You need an extractor to spin the honey off the frames, a capping scratcher to remove the wax caps from the cells, bottles, and a sanitary work environment. We use a hot plate, two stainless steel filters—one fine, one coarse, and different stainless pots, trays, and funnels. We wrap our extractor with heat tape to make the honey flow faster. A comb cutter is helpful if you are packaging the honey with the comb.

The beekeepers hard at work

How many apiaries do you have?

Gregory: We have two completed apiaries, and another area fenced off and ready for bees.

Did you attract your bees or purchase them?

Hunter: The two completed apiaries have purchased bees, while the other bees will come from a wild hive that is in a bad spot, and must be moved for safety reasons.

Gregory: You can domesticate a wild beehive by moving the queen bee into a man-made hive.

Do you have any idea how many bees live in your hive(s)?

Gregory: We have tens of thousands, round about, but it would take a while to “bee” exact and count them.

Hee, Hee. I am glad to know that beekeepers have a keen sense of humor! Do you need permission from your town or some sort of a permit to keep bees on a residential property?

Hunter: Because our hives are outside city limits, they have no jurisdiction over our operation. However, we do report our hives and honey production to the USDA for statistical purposes.

That is so cool that you do that! I’ve read that bees need a large water source to make honey and keep their hives cool. How do you provide your bees with water?

Hunter: Although water is not a major factor in cooling the hives (bees use their wings like cordless, portable fans), water is very important to make honey. Currently, the bees obtain their water from ponds about a quarter mile away. However, we decided that for this upcoming season, we will put 55 gallon drums of water next to each hive, making sure to cut just a small hole on top of each drum so that not much more than our bees can get into them. Giving the bees a water source right next to their hives will mean less of the bees’ time will be spent retrieving water, and more bees can be dedicated to gathering nectar, and producing honey.

That’s brilliant! Where is the pollen source coming from for your bees?

Gregory: Bees gather nectar from flowers—for the bees, moving pollen around is accidental. Our bees gather from wildflower patches that vary from year to year. Another important source is mesquite trees.

How long does it take your bees to make a jar’s worth of honey?

Hunter: Our honey production is rising as the hives become more established. This is because the bees do not have to re-make the wax cells from scratch. This year, we harvested about 110 pounds of honey.

Yum. How do you safely get the honey out of the hive?

Greogory: Make sure you zip your bee suit up completely. Use smoke to keep the bees calm and off the honey; use the hive too—check for honey content and bee larvae called brood. Honey comb with brood must be left in the hive. The hive contains a number of wooden frames—separate pieces on which the bees construct their comb. We put the good frames in an extra empty hive and drive away. The wandering bees eventually head back to their own hive.

Does it look the same as the honey we buy at the store?

Hunter: It looks about the same, except the color may vary depending on which flowers are predominant that year. Our honey tends to be sweeter because it isn’t made from a single flower type, or an agricultural crop.

What do you do with the honey?

Hunter: We bottle it, and then we eat it, give it to friends; we even sell some too.

Hunter proudly displays the honey collected from the beehives

Have either of you ever been stung?

Gregory: One time, my veil was slightly unzipped, and 6 or 7 bees unexpectedly got in. It was fine for a while, until one crawled into my left nostril. That’s when I started running. The quick reaction disturbed the bees and I found myself at a curve in the road about half a mile away, just about lost. As I mentioned before, always make sure your bee suit is completely zipped!

That must have been rather scary! What have you learned about bees that surprised you since you started doing this?

Hunter: The Africanized bees are amazingly aggressive. They form a dense black cloud and sting everything in sight.

Gregory: Bees can sting multiple times on most animals. Human skin traps the stinging organ, which is fatal for the bee.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about bees with our readers?

Hunter: After the initial set up costs, and the first year’s experience, beekeeping is easy and inexpensive. It is true that building fences and assembling hives require hard work, and that a good extractor can be pricey, but if you are going to raise bees, you have to think of them as a long-term deal.

Gregory: Dadant and Sons, a beekeepers supply company, has good, introductory books and a lot of the things you would need to get started.

Hunter and Gregory, I cannot thank you enough for sharing all your knowledge with us. I learned so much about keeping bees. Please keep us informed about your progress with the beehives and any other fascinating new projects you take on. With curiosity such as yours, I am sure there will be many other exciting adventures in your future!

Click here to read our weekly comic strip!

http://www.free-clipart-pictures.net

1. Picnic at the beach or the pool, even if it is a tiny blow up pool in your own back yard.
2. Run through the sprinkler with the kids and the dog.
3. Have a water balloon fight.
4. Blow tons of bubbles, and take turns popping them.
5. Sleep in a tent in your yard or in the family room.
6. Make a craft using found objects like seashells (Wreath for a door, decorate a box).
7. Pick and press some summer flowers for your garden.
8. Take turns reading and acting out a funny story out loud.
9. Make some lemonade and cookies, and share them with someone you like.
10. Turn off all the lights at night and make interesting shadows on the wall with a flashlight.
11. Wear your PJs all day long.
12. Have a game marathon all day long.
13. Paint a picture of your favorite thing about your summer.
14. Sing songs and act silly.
15. Eat chocolate chip pancakes for dinner.
16. Spend the day at your favorite park.
17. Look for bugs in the garden, and when you find them, look at them through a magnifying glass and then identify them by looking up pictures on line
18. Plant some seeds for all plants
19. Take a walk in a neighborhood you’ve never walked in before.
20. Have a special day for your pet. Play games, take her to the park, get her a special treat.
21. Have a block party.
22. Organize a baseball game with other families.
23. Make a scrapbook of your summer vacation.
24. Play in the rain (as long as there is no lightning!)
25. Have everyone in the family choose toppings and make their own ice cream sundae.

I love to talk to my daughter about unusual topics. And I mean weird. Last night we discussed humans walking upright, versus on all fours. The other night it was all about how amazing our skin is, keeping us altogether, so to speak.

Here are 6 questions to pose for conversations that will really make you and your children think:

1. What if we could not read? What would be missing out on?
2. What if there is another planet out there, with humans living on it,  we do not yet know about?
3. What if every single person in America were well educated? Would that pose any challenges for our society?
4. What if everyone sees different colors, but we do not know it because we see what we see.
5. What if you could ask the President of the USA for one favor? What would that be?
6. What was life like before computers, cell phones, ipods and even CDs? (Tell your kids about typing papers in college on onion skin paper!)

Curiosity is a wonderful thing. How can we learn if we are not curious? One of the earliest signs of intelligence in children is their level of curiosity. Curious children ask a lot of questions. Even with babies we can observe as they focus on colors and movement, and watch as they concentrate on a rattle or other toy, trying to figure out how it works.

http://www.free-clipart-pictures.net

Curiosity reveals itself best in a child’s (and adult’s) interest in reading. The curiosity that leads to the love of reading snowballs into more and more inquisitiveness. A child who avidly reads is more likely to have educational hobbies like organic gardening, rock collecting, playing a musical instrument or raising fish in an aquarium.

The wonder of curiosity can turn into a curse for an intriguing mind, young or old. It has to do with focusing. I myself am so curious about so many things, at times I have trouble concentrating on one task. Here’s an example:

I was preparing to visit a school with an organic garden. I wanted to speak to the students about my organic tomatoes and also give them some facts about organic gardening in the USA. While searching for information online about government regulations, I came across a website with a link to organic seeds. Clicked on that, which had flower seeds that piqued my curiosity. I read about all the varieties of seeds and gardening tips for my own garden, already forgetting about why I was really there. Clicked on the page which had a link with a picture of a flower to a photography website. I was mesmerized by the photos and started to research the photographers’ bios. Fascinating! That got me thinking about the photo I took at Miami Metrozoo of the giraffe eating kale. So I started to go through my humongous iphoto library to find the photo but got sidetracked by a picture of my friend from Chicago. So I called my friend and talked to her for a while. She told me about her son playing pro baseball overseas. So I started to Google him and his stats. Then I researched Americans playing baseball overseas. I found a link in Germany, which sent me down a totally new path of curiosity.

What about US government organic farming laws? Oh, I forgot about that!

See what I mean?

Paint eggs with white glue and wrap embroidery floss around eggs

Experiment with acrylic paint

A fish and a pig (pipe cleaners, googly eyes, feathers)

Decoupage overlapping tissue paper

Decoupage paper cutouts

More fun with acrylic paint

Regal looking eggs with acrylic paint and metallic gold paint

Top of regal looking eggs

Every year since she was 2, my daughter and I have decorated Easter eggs. We blow them out using an old air compressor (made for asthma medication) and clean and dry them well. Start by using a pin to poke tiny holes in one end of the egg until they connect into a hole larger enough for the egg to drain out. Do this on the opposite end as well. Have patience because you don’t want to break the egg shell. You don’t have to have a compressor to blow out the contents. I know that you can do this with your mouth, as I have read online. But this seems yucky to me and maybe not all that healthy. If you have any other suggestions for our readers, please post a comment about it.

We keep and display the eggs year after year, and we give them away as gifts too. These photos represent just a fraction of our huge collection. They are so fun to make and so beautiful! I hope we inspired you to spend some time this year making eggs. They store very well in a box, especially if you put Easter grass on the bottom of the box. Happy decorating!

I Received this message through my Ask Lilly Badilly question box . . .

name: yashna
age: 6
question: i am your biggest fan ever

Yashna was a little girl who came to my presentation on author night last week with her parents and older sister in Palm Beach. She danced with me, and I asked her some geography questions. She was dressed as a fairy and used her wand to help me have a good presentation.Thank you Yashna! I do not have your email address, so I hope you are reading this.

Yashna, I am YOUR biggest fan!

Happy President’s Day!

The third Monday of February is Presidents Day in the USA. It started with a celebration of George Washington’s birthday, February 22, 1732, and now it is a celebration of all the Presidents of the US.

Most children do not have school on this day. And if you work for a bank, school or government office, you do not have to work either. Yeah! In addition to enjoying your day off with your family, take this opportunity to learn, with your children, about one or more US presidents (great and not-so-great!). Ask your children to pick one or two past Presidents and see what you can learn. Make sure to find out where he was born so you can find that place on the US map.

The streets in my town are named after Presidents. One of the lesser-known presidents has Pierce Street named after him, so I did a little research to learn more about him. After all, he has a street named after him in my town, so shouldn’t I know a little something about him?

Franklin Pierce

• 14th US President (served from 1853-1857)
• At the time he was 49, the youngest President to be elected
• Political Party – Democrat
• Born 1804 in NH
• Died in 1869
• Education – Bowdoin College (studied law and graduated in 1824)
• Wife – Jane Means Appleton
• 3 Sons – 2 died at birth and the other died at age 11
• Former First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush is a descendant of Franklin Pierce

Franklin Pierce had a long political career, serving in the House and the Senate before becoming President.He was also a General in the Mexican-American War. During his presidency, he lived with great personal tragedy, as he and his wife, Jane, lost their first 2 sons at birth. Their 3rd son was killed in a train accident at age 11. Jane was understandably in a terrible state following his death, and was said to have never recovered from the tragedy.

Pierce ‘s presidency was best known for the passing of the controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act, a bill introduced by Senator Stephen Douglas. Essentially it allowed the new territories to choose slavery (or not) for themselves, overturning the 1820 Missouri Compromise (which regulated slavery). The Kansas-Nebraska Act resulted in massive protesting and turmoil for Pierce. The ramifications changed history, as some outraged Democrats bonded with Whigs and others to create the Republican Party.

Pierce was unable to obtain a nomination by his party for a second presidential term. He was believed by many to be a “weak” President and was succeeded by fellow Democrat, James Buchanan.

Reference: The Reader’s companion to the American Presidency. 2000. Edited by Alan Brinkley and Davis Dyer.

My daughter is a junior in high school, but I still try to make her homecoming after school every day just a little bit special. If you are fortunate enough to be a stay at home Mom, Dad, Grandparent or are there when your kids get home from school, here are some tips:

• Try to be available when your children walk in the door -it’s  just for a short while. (i.e. not talking on the phone, folding laundry, working)
• Start with a warm welcome and a big hug. We get our dog involved in this as well, as she feels left out if not hugged.
• Make your child his or her favorite drink. Lemonade (even if it’s cold outside), a sweetened coffee drink (decaf) hot chocolate, iced tea with honey, strawberry flavored milk etc.
• Have a warmed up blanket waiting. Just put a blanket in the dryer for a few minutes. When your little one comes home out of the cold, wrap her in it.
• Have a change of comfy clothes or PJs waiting for him.
• Make a “nest” on the floor with blankets and pillows, and spend a few minutes cozying up and talking about your child’s day at school.
• Talk to your kids about their day, and ask them what was fun about it. Even if they did not have the bet day ever, you can find something positive to talk about.

After a short, positive, relaxing break, they’ll be more likely to get down to business and do their homework. Start your own after school rituals, and your children will be happy to walk in the door every day. And you’ll look forward to that special time together every day.