New Tangling Ideas

Zentangle 11

It was my plan to write, for this blog, about Suzanne McNeill's new book in her numbered Zentangle® series. We've had this book in stock since mid-March so thought I'd write about it after the release date of April 1. However, Linda Farmer posted it immediately on TanglePatterns.com. So why re-invent the wheel? Here's what Linda posted:

Zentangle 11 – Lettering, Quotes & Inspirational Sayings, CZT Suzanne McNeill’s latest in her Zentangle®-inspired crafts series is now available.

From the publisher’s description:
“Discover how to tangle with quotes, sentiments, and uplifting words. Give your drawings a voice by combining letters with inspirational Zentangle art. Text-inspired tangling can be anything you want it to be, from classic tiles to expressive shapes and words. You can make your letters fun and casual, or formal and flowery, with messages that are personal, social, reverential, or whimsical. Use them to create motivating and meaningful note cards, bookmarks, gifts, fine art, and more. You don t need to be a calligrapher to create awesome art with the elegant letters and 28 original new tangles inside. Use the bonus workbook to explore sample alphabets, learn new techniques, and practice tangling.”
From the back cover:
“Zentangle can free your mind to soar! Discover how to tangle with quotes, sentiments, and uplifting words. Give your drawings a voice by combining letters with inspirational Zentangle art.
Text-inspired tangling can be anything you want it to be, from classic tiles to expressive shapes and words. You can make your letters fun and casual, or formal and flowery, with messages that are personal, social, reverential, or whimsical. Use them to create motivating and meaningful note cards, bookmarks, gifts, fine art, and more.
You don’t need to be a calligrapher to create awesome art with the elegant letters and 28 original new tangles inside. Use the bonus workbook to explore sample alphabets, learn new techniques, and practice tangling.”
Kitchy and craft-oriented, Suzanne’s booklets are inexpensive and very popular.

As usual. Suzanne has included new Zentangle patterns. This book has some new fun ideas for those scrapbooking,  journaling and card-making.

Weekly Tangles

If you are new to Zentangle® and are interested in possibly learning a new tangle each week, join Square One on Facebook. Each Friday a pattern and a link to the step-out is posted. This is a good way to guarantee a weekly appointment with your pen and tile.

Another way to ensure that you regularly tangle is to join these challenges:

• “It’s a String Thing” (link in the sidebar) is hosted by CZT Adele Bruno. Each Tuesday, Adele posts a string and a few tangles to be used. Many of the results people submit are stunning. While you’re on her site, check out her many helpful tutorials.

• “the Diva’s weekly Challenge” (link in the sidebar) is hosted by CZT Laura Harms. Laura posts every Monday. It’s now in week #214! The tangle Diva Dance was created by Maria Thomas in honor of the Diva’s 100th challenge. Maria writes, “She has created an arena for people to share, encourage and admire Zentangle art from around the world. She not only challenged us to do things we might never have thought of, but then asked us to get up the courage to exhibit them on her site for all to see.”

• If it’s Zendalas you enjoy drawing, try “The Zendala Dare” (link in the sidebar). Just finishing the 100th Dare, CZT Erin Goetz Olson produces a weekly challenge “that incorporates the principles of mandalas with the techniques used to create a Zentangle® inspired piece of art.” New templates are posted on Tuesdays.

The Green Bronx Machine

Stephen Ritz and The Green Bronx Machine

This past Saturday, whirlwind Stephen Ritz swept onto the stage at the Juice Plus Leadership Conference in Sacramento, CA. It was an incredible opportunity and an intensely inspirational experience to hear him speak. Stephen is the heart and soul of the Green Bronx Machine.

Originally an after-school, alternative program for high school students, Green Bronx Machine has evolved into K-12+ model fully integrated into core curriculum. Our students grow, eat and love their vegetables en route to spectacular academic performance. 30,000 pounds of Bronx vegetables later, our favorite crops include healthy students, high performing schools, graduates, registered voters, living wage jobs and members of the middle class. Our work, vision and mission are as organic and locally grown as it gets – straight from our classroom to our community.

— http://greenbronxmachine.org

I encourage everyone to watch this video and go to the website. Stephen is making a difference in children's lives, first in the South Bronx and now in sharing his vision across the country. I'm proud to say that Juice Plus+ is strongly committed to Stephen's vision.

Learn more about Stephen and see another great video.

Inspiring Healthy Living!

Paradox & Juice Plus+® Conference

Zendala tile by Ed Gucker
Paradox

Paradox, once mastered might become your Mac ’N Cheese

In Zentangle® lingo Mac ’N Cheese means your go-to tangle. Paradox is drawn with straight lines that end up creating “beautiful spirals.” For Instruction, Tips and Inspiration, check these out:

How to Draw a Paradox  

Paradox challenge

Paradox - Q&A

Paradox Re-Defined

Paradox and then some

Have Fun!

Very Zen-like Paradox Video

Want to be mesmerized? Watch this Paradox video. It’s very meditative because unlike other Zentangle videos it’s not supported by verbal instruction or music, just simply the sound of the pen on the paper. It’s very soothing to just watch the artist’s hand moving in a continuous line as the ink flows from her pen. For many people, Paradox is their go-to tangle because of the unlimited ways one can make gorgeous drawings. 

Juice Juice+® Spring Leadership Conference

Saturday’s Two Main Stage Speakers

Nicolas Come is the 10-year old inventor of the Nicolas’ Garden mobile app and website. I wrote about him in my April 5 blog post.
Visit:

Nicolas’ Garden app

Nicolas' Garden on Facebook

Nicolas' wonderful website

Kids can make a difference!

Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx educator/administrator and founder of the Green Bronx Machine, has motivated and taught generations of students, leading them to academic success. With Stephen’s guidance, his students and the community have grown more than 30,000 pounds of vegetables, routinely producing enough to feed healthy meals to 450 students.

His Bronx classroom featured the first indoor edible wall in New York City Department of Education.  His students, have improved their school attendance from 40 percent to 93 percent daily and he has helped creat 2,200 youth jobs. He was recently named a Top Ten Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize. Stephen's accolades include a 2014 Greenius Award, 2014 Green Difference Award, 2013 Latin Trends Award, ABC Above and Beyond Award, Chevrolet / General Motors National Green Educator Award, USS Intrepid Hometown Hero Award, NYC Chancellor's Award and various others.

He has been identified as one of the top fifty teachers in America, been recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, was invited  to Vatican City and met with Pope Francis and his fourth and fifth grade students received a personal invitation to the White House. He has been featured in dozens of magazines and TV programs.

Tower Gardens® at the Green Bronx Machine

The Green Bronx Machine is an "Apron Project" sponsored by Progressive Insurance. In this video clip, Tower Gardens® are used by students to grow fresh, healthy food, while Stephen Ritz explains the organization's mission.

For more about Stephen Ritz and the Green Bronx Machine visit:

Stephen Ritz Harvesting Hope

Stephen Ritz: Grow Something Greater
Green Bronx Machine

Kids in the Garden

Tower Garden — Great for kids!

Just as I encourage you to get your kids into the kitchen to help plan and cook meals, I encourage you to get your kids into the garden to learn how their food is grown; many children think food comes just from the super market, they have never felt the warmth of a garden fresh tomato, felt its smooth skin or the unique and earthy scent of the vine on their hands. Although I truly enjoy getting my hands in the soil to garden, that is not always an option for many people. Juice Plus+® has an answer with their Tower Garden®. It fits perfectly on patios, decks, balconies and roof tops …just about any relatively sunny place. It grows vegetables, herbs, flowers and many fruits, convenient to your kitchen. No soil, no weeding, fewer pests, less work, better produce. Grow your own fresh, healthy food with Tower Garden vertical aeroponic growing system. This five and a half minute video, What is Tower Garden® Vertical Aeroponic Growing System? explains the system. Take the time to watch it and be impressed.

Kids + Gardening = Healthier Eating

Most families struggle with good nutrition. Tower Garden® is a fun and easy way to get the kids involved. It’s easy to install and maintain. Studies have shown that gardening increases children’s interest in eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Tower Garden is a great way to get kids involved in gardening. For articles about the benefits of kids in the garden, see:

Highlights from Journal Articles 

Reaping the Benefits From Your Vegetable Garden

Get your kids involved

Gardening season is not far ahead, order Tower Garden® today. 

You can't get produce more local than you can from your own backyard!

Kids in the Kitchen

Kids in the Kitchen

Starting children on Juice Plus+® is the first step to provide them with a healthy future. Step two is to introduced them to new plant-based foods and getting them involved in the kitchen. These books will help you to interest your children in healthy balanced meals.

COOKBOOKS

The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year, with 150 Recipes by Jennifer Tyler Lee - this book is a week-by-week guide, with each week offering a new  food to try, easy enough for the kids to help with or to prepare by themselves. Even in my empty nest home, my baby being in her 40s, I have over a dozen recipes marked for our table. Because most kids intrinsically are drawn to games, Jennifer uses a point system; it’s ingenious.

The Family Cooks: 100+ Recipes to Get Your Family Craving Food That’s  Simple, Tasty and Incredibly Good For You by Laurie David. Laurie was the producer of the 2014 documentary Fed Up. This book was written to encourage home cooked family meals. Although her approach is different when dealing with picky eaters, it’s intended to get the kids into the kitchen and trying new foods. I have tried several of the recipes; they’re delicious and easy. On March 9, in my article "Go Green Recipes," I posted a link, an excerpt from this book: One-Pot Pasta. Try it for a quick and simple meal.

VIDEO

Chew on This—Getting Kids in the Kitchen

Chew on This is hosted by one of my favorite healthy eating advocates, Stefanie Sacks (more about her in a future post). Her guest for this show is Julie Negrin. In this video Stefanie and Julie, along with several children, prepare Toasted Sesame Soba Noodles from Julie’s cookbook Easy Meals to Cook with Kids. 

This book gets accolades from  many of today’s healthy eating gurus such as Molly Katzen, Mark Hyman, Deborah Madison and Juice Plus+® Children's Health Study advisor Dr. David Katz (more about him in a future post). This book, “with family-friendly recipes that adults can cook with children ages two years old and up,” has been purchased for  my grandkids, ages 2 and 5.

Besides cooking, in this episode of Chew on This, Stefanie and Julie also take the kids to a farm stand to teach them where food comes from and to the super market to shop and learn how to read a food label. Watch this with your kids as an introduction to shopping for and preparing healthy foods.

There are many benefits to teaching children how to cook. 

*Excerpt: page 3 from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids © 2010 by Julie Negrin. 

Exposure to scratch cooking helps kids develop a mature palate and a taste for fresh, wholesome ingredients. The earlier kids become accustomed to nutritious foods, the less likely they will acquire a taste for processed foods. 

Kids are much more likely to eat what they make. Is there anything more fun than eating your art project? Cooking creates a sense of ownership. When kids help in the kitchen, there are fewer mealtime battles and more willingness to try new foods. 

Meals prepared from scratch usually contain more nutrients, fewer calories, and less chemicals and sweeteners than packaged foods and restaurant meals. 

Cooking together provides a natural way to discuss nutrition and the impact that food choices have on the environment. The more educated children are about food, the more likely they will appreciate your suggestions to eat something healthy. 

The earlier kids learn how to cook, the sooner they will learn an essential life skill. It’s hard to imagine that teaching a 3-year-old how to break an egg could result in a culinary prodigy, but kids often become quite talented in the kitchen. This makes the messy floors worth it down the road when they start to cook for you. 

Spending time in the kitchen gives kids confidence. Kids thrive on feeling accomplished. Cooking is an ideal way to boost self-worth and to teach responsibility. There is nothing cuter than watching children proudly serving their food to others. 

Preparing meals together means quality time as a family. Cooking with children when they are young offers an opportunity to communicate with them on a regular basis. The time you spend together chatting and cooking in the kitchen becomes even more important as they reach their teenage years. 

What else do they learn? Science, language, counting, fractions, budgeting, weighing, sequencing, measuring, problem-solving, sharing, fine motor skills, reading and learning about other cultures — to name just a few important things! 

Cooking app "for kids by kids"

APP - Nicolas' Garden

If you have kids consider getting this “for kids by kids” mobile app. Inspired by Nicolas Come, this app is geared to make healthy cooking, eating, and shopping fun. It allows kids to create shopping lists, search for a recipe they like, save their favorites and share with friends and family.

Nicolas Come is the 10-year-old inventor of the Nicolas’Garden mobile app and website.  Nicolas wants everyone to know that healthy food is not only good, but it can be fun as well.  In addition, Nicolas also plans to design interactive games to teach kids about agriculture, health and nutrition inspired by Sacramento's Farm To Fork movement. Nicolas will be one of the Main Stage speakers at the upcoming Juice Plus+® Leadership Conference in Sacramento. Watch for photos of this event.

Also visit Nicholas’ Garden on FaceBook.

Learn more about Nicholas at his wonderful website: Nicolas Garden.