Lunch Lady Magazine Issue 27

nature baby We’ve just released our first laundry bar, which was developed as a safe, gentle and effective alternative to harsh chemical cleaners. When we add something to our collection, we’re particularly interested in how it can support our vision of being gentle on baby’s skin, as well as having a regenerative impact on our planet. Even though our laundry bar is small, it’s part of a bigger story–helping to extend the life of Nature Baby garments, keeping them in circulation and on babies for longer. Georgia Faull Co-Owner edwards & co We are working on launching our double stroller in June, alongside several other products for a new collection. Our new collection will be an exciting shift for Edwards & Co as our product range expands and we can accommodate a wider range…

Tell us about yourself. I’m a mum to Gus (11) and Nora (3), and wife to Craig. We live on a homestead in Maine and spend our time gardening, raising animals and living what people would define as a ‘simple life’. In the summer, we garden, and in the winter, we work with our hands in different ways. I enjoy sewing, knitting and quilting. And Craig is a potter. What animals do you keep? Our original homestead had sheep, cows, pigs, geese, guineas, chickens, ducks, barn cats and dogs. But when we started foster parenting, there were lots of rules about what your home could be like. Nora was only three weeks old when she was placed with us, so she was allowed to stay in our bedroom until she turned one. But…

Can you start by describing yourself? I’m a Black woman, wife and mother of five beautiful human beings. I am an empath, which is my superpower that I use to fuel my passion and create ripples of change in the spaces I occupy. I am also a professor, author, consultant and coach—all of which I use to advocate for belonging and inclusion. Whatʼs your experience with education? I have been an educator for over thirty years. I have degrees in child development, elementary education, and curriculum and inclusion. I started my teaching career in the kindergarten classroom and am now a professor in the College of Education at Florida Atlantic University, where I teach undergraduate and graduate classes focused on diversity, inclusion, culturally responsive teaching, anti-racist curriculum, social justice education and critical race…

ORANGE FACES LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY Not too difficult. The hardest part is slicing the oranges. What you’ll need • oranges (we used organic oranges, as we like to nibble the rind! If you’d prefer yours without rind, just peel off the orange skin before you slice them up)• sharp knife• 100g / 3.5oz melted dark chocolate (this will be enough for 2 or more oranges)• small deep bowl• piping bag 1. Wash and slice oranges into 0.5cm / 0.2" thick slices. Place them on a clean tea towel to help them dry off a bit (this will help the chocolate stick to oranges). 2. Melt chocolate in a small, deep bowl. 3. Have a baking tray or board ready. Dip oranges into chocolate and place onto the tray. You can make different hairstyles for each face! 4. Pipe…

You’ve been writing about the disconnect between children and nature for decades. How did you become interested in this topic? Growing up in Missouri and Kansas, I spent many hours in the woods with my dog. Often, my parents didn’t know where I was, but my dog always did. Even as a boy, I realised those experiences were meaningful. When researching my 1990 book, Childhood’s Future, I interviewed nearly 3,000 children and parents across the United States. To my surprise, the topic of children’s relationships with nature often surfaced. Even then, parents and others were reporting a divide between the young and the natural world and the social, spiritual, psychological and environmental implications of this change. But at that point, there was little research about the divide or the benefits of nature…

Back in the 1960s, a growing awareness of humanity’s place (and impact) on the earth had spawned the modern environmentalist movement. This led to a push to protect ecological systems from the consequences of rampant consumerism and capitalist-driven ‘progress’—but not everyone was on board. Many of those in mainstream society were uninterested in making a ‘return to nature’ and saw it as idealist pap, while the term ‘tree hugger’ became a scornful insult to hurl at those they saw as naive activists. But it turns out those long-haired hippies were onto something: sixty years later, a growing body of evidence shows that ‘hugging trees’ isn’t just flower-child woo-woo: it’s actually very good for you, and measurably so. The physical and psychological benefits of having a physical proximity to nature have…