It’s no secret that kids like to get dirty. But parents who object to soiled fingernails should stop being quite contrary and start asking their children how their garden grows.

A recent study from St. Louis University’s Obesity Prevention Center found that children who are served homegrown fruits and vegetables on a regular basis not only eat more of the fresh fare but actually prefer it to other foods. Debra Haire-Joshu, the author of the report, stresses the importance of having wholesome treats at hand.

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Tight budget.

Are there two more anxiety-producing—and familiar—words in the English language?

No matter what tax bracket you fall into, you've probably got a food budget. If you're like Jennifer Martin, a stay-at-home mom from Haddon Heights, New Jersey, you've got a very tight food budget: $90 a week to feed a family of four. Moreover, you're trying to make sure everyone in your family gets three healthy meals a day, made with organic ingredients whenever possible.

"Buying organic is really important to me," says Martin. But that's not always easy when she's juggling the preferences of her husband Matthew, a high school history teacher who is "meat and potatoes" kind of guy, a three-year-old daughter, Katie, who's something of a picky eater (no peanut butter!) and a 15-month-old son, Patrick, who eats "smaller portions of whatever we're having."

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Milberg is three. She’s wearing a pink hooded sweatshirt and a pink bike helmet. She’s also wearing a big fuzzy beige mitt on one hand. And the mitt is oozing with black paint.

Anya’s whole family—brother Devin and parents Vanitha and Justin— is part of a team of other kids and adults spending their Saturday morning touching up the fence around St. Nicholas Park, in Manhattan. The mitts, it seems, are more effective (and more fun) than brushes. Organized by Children for Children, a New York City nonprofit, this project is just one of a surprising number of service opportunities the organization offers teens and toddlers alike.

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It’s difficult to classify one vitamin as more important than another, but as far as bone development goes, vitamin D definitely tops the list.

This fat-soluble vitamin is necessary for the normal growth and development of a child’s bones and teeth. Late in life, it helps prevent bone fractures. And then there’s the possible cancer-protection benefit. “Vitamin D is used by a lot of the body’s cells to keep the immune system functioning properly,” says Pamela Hops, MD, a family practitioner at New York City’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing.

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Of all the sports out there, tennis is one of the best for kids. Not only does a child learn to rely on herself during healthy one-on-one competition, she also develops confidence on and off the court.

“Tennis is different from other sports,” says Brian Lutz, owner of Tennis Tip, a New York City-based company that offers tennis lessons nationwide. “On a tennis court, you’re on an island, and you have to figure out a strategy on your own. It helps boost independence.”

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1. Use a reusable tablecloth or blanket
2. Pack organic fruit salad (include some kiwifruit)
3. Stay local; walk to the park instead of driving
4. Make sure to clean up after your party
5. Make organic sandwiches; try Sunbutter—made from sunflower seeds—and jelly
6. Prepare a fresh salad
7. Use reusable, earth friendly containers

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