Caring for plants is a fantastic skill for kids to have. There are so many benefits of gardening for kids, yet the importance of gardening in early childhood is often undervalued. Here are some reasons to teach your kids how to garden.

Gardening makes kids stronger. 【小题1】 The simple act of digging in the ground and moving things around helps build muscles and develop hand-eye coordination.

Gardening brings a strong sense of happiness. Studies suggest that children who garden generally feel happier. 【小题2】 We love to see the life-changing experiences plants and gardening brings to children.

【小题3】 In addition to being able to touch the soil and seeds, children can also see the differences between plants, in terms of size and color, and experience different smells and sounds in nature.

Gardening is good for picky eaters. 【小题4】 Planting seeds, caring for and growing produce and then picking the fruits kindles a child’s interest. It’s exciting to introduce a new or disliked food in another way, and over time they will learn to try new food.

Gardening strengthens connection. Through gardening activities, kids grow closer to their parents and make many new friends. 【小题5】

It’s Time to Stop Hugging Your Chickens

If you’re an urban or suburban chicken farmer, there’s a chance you may consider your egg-producing, feathered friends family. You may have even given your chickens names, and you certainly care about them deeply. But do you hug and kiss them?

So far in 2019, there have been 1,003 cases in 49 states linked to salmonella (沙门氏菌) poisoning from contact with backyard chickens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC). Two people have died from the infection and 175 have been hospitalized.

The outbreak of salmonella can be traced back to chicks, ducklings and other poultry from multiple hatcheries (孵化场) in several states. People who have gotten birds that began life in these hatcheries are getting sick after close contact with the birds. However, the CDC notes, all live poultry can carry salmonella bacteria, regardless of where they were purchased and even if they look healthy and clean.

Of course, not all of those who have gotten ill have kissed their chickens. Any human contact with an infected bird can lead to illness. The CDC explains how:

People can be infected with Salmonella germs when they put their hands or equipment that has been in contact with poultry, in or around their mouth. Children younger than 5 years are more likely to get sick because their immune systems are still developing, and they are more likely to put their fingers and other objects into their mouths.

People can also get sick without actually touching a bird. Germs on your hands can spread easily to other people or surfaces. That’s why it’s important to wash hands immediately with soap and water after touching poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam.

To minimize the risk of salmonella poisoning from live poultry, the CDC recommends always assuming that contamination (污染) can happen and recommends the following:

·After touching live poultry or an area where they’ve been, wash your hands with soap and water. If none is available, use hand sanitizer (消毒杀菌剂).

·Don’t let children under age 5 handle or touch live poultry without adult supervision.

·If you have clothes and shoes soiled from being around poultry, wash your hands after removing them.

·Cook eggs that you’ve collected from backyard hens thoroughly since salmonella can pass to the interior (内部的) eggs.

· Clean equipment and materials associated with the birds.

·Don’t bring live poultry inside your house.

And you might love your chickens, but the CDC specifically points out, “Don’t kiss backyard poultry, or embrace them and then touch your face or mouth.”

According to official government figures, there are more than twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia, and many Australians consider them dangerous. It is reported that kangaroos are involved in more than 80 percent of the 20,000 vehicle-animal accidents each year. In the country’s underpopulated region, the common belief is that kangaroo numbers have swollen to “pandemic percentage”.

It is believed that killing kangaroos is critical to boosting the economy. Meat, skins, and leather from kangaroos have been sold to 56 countries. Global brands such as Nike, Puma, and Adidas buy strong, soft “k-leather” to make athletic products. And kangaroo meat is finding its way into more and more grocery stores.

Advocates point out that low-fat, high-protein kangaroo meat comes from an animal more environmentally friendly than greenhouse gas-releasing sheep and cattle. John Kelly, former executive director of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, says, “Harvesting our food from animals adapted to Australia’s environment is extremely wise and sustainable. Many ecologists will tell you that there is no more humane way of producing red meat.”

Opponents(反对者) of the industry call the killing inhumane, unsustainable, and unnecessary. Dwayne Bannon-Harrison, a member of the Yuin people of New South Wales, says the idea that kangaroos are destroying the country is laughable. “They’ve been walking in this land a lot longer than people have,” he says. “How could something that’s been here for thousands of years be ‘destroying’ the country? I don’t understand the logic in that.”

Can Australians’ disagreement on kangaroos be solved? George Wilson, a professor from Australian National University, says that if kangaroos were privately owned, then graziers(放牧人) would protect the animals, treating them as possessions. They could feed them, lease them, breed them and charge hunters a fee for access. “If you want to protect something,” Wilson says, “you have to give it a value. Animals that are considered dangerous don’t have value.” If kangaroos were more valuable than cattle or sheep, landholders would work with the kangaroo industry on branding, marketing and quality control. The government’s role would be oversight and regulation.