Kids! Kids! Next week Saturday, October 18, 8am to noon, Coppell Farmers Market is all about the younger generation as we celebrate our fourth Kids’ Day at the Market in conjunction with National Food Day. Kid-friendly nutrition-oriented activities stand to make this a memorable market morning. The Coppell Farmers Market is located at 768 W Main Street in Coppell.
The Food Day website says, “Children who know where our food comes from and how to cook meals will have a big advantage when it comes to being healthy and avoiding chronic diseases. Introducing kids to new fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—along with a few basic recipes—can put them on track to make smart food choices for life. If you teach a child to cook, a lot of other things fall into place.” Find more ideas, information, and recipes here.
For touch and feel time, Cathy’s Critters are a new addition this year. Cathy brings the farm animals to the Old Coppell Square for a morning of meeting and petting animals that provide food, dairy, and clothing. These carefully monitored tame animals will be in a temporary enclosure in the west parking lot near the ranch vendors.
Taste buds are important too. This is the annual day that kids are front and center as the final Market to Kitchen of the season also fetes children. Chefs Robby and Victoria Hooker, familiar faces from the Two Chefs tortilla chips and salsa vendor booth, have again agreed to present a continuous interactive demonstration aimed at the younger set, encouraging healthy eating using market offerings
The Hookers have been an integral part of the market for years, leading the meal preparation and serving of the annual Farm to Table Dinner and hosting prior children’s cooking demonstrations. Robby is District Executive Chef for Lewisville ISD and Victoria is Executive Chef at SMU. As parents of two daughters, they know about kids in the kitchen.
A quiet time can be found on the lawn with a mini children’s library reading area. Kids can stretch out on blankets and peruse library books on farms, markets, and vegetables, including some facts and some fun fiction. They just might happen onto a story time there too with a familiar face in the reader’s chair.
For a fun color-while-you-learn activity, locate the My Plate guide to a balanced diet with an activity at the tables on the lawn. My Plate replaced the former Food Pyramid as a more realistic guide to planning what to eat at a meal.
Economics of feeding a family is important too at a pint size level. Many of the vendors will have child size portions for Kids Day so ask if they have smaller amounts, easy for a child to select, purchase, and carry.
Movement time is critical to a healthy lifestyle. Continuing next Saturday with Living Well in Coppell, Karmany Yoga will lead a free yoga class for participants of all ages. Find them out on the grassy area at 9:00 a.m.
How about some fun music? This week the Lost High Rollers entertain customers and next week The Boxcar Bandits will be strolling around with their lively tunes. Remember: tips are always appreciated by our musicians who add a fun atmosphere to the market.
The nonprofit booth on October 18 is also geared toward children. The Assistance League of Coppell will be collecting new and clean, gently used children’s books for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas near Children’s Hospital. During next week gather up children’s books no longer needed in your home to share with families temporarily living away from home under stressful circumstances.