Tropical Leaves

Happy Dancing Blog

Home Grown Stewards – Daily Activities

Jul 3, 2020
2 min

Home Grown Stewards – Daily Activities

The third component of our new Home Grown Stewards program is our private Facebook group where we post daily activities for families. For 9 weeks this summer, from June 15 – August 14, participants can log in every weekday to find a new activity that can be completed at home, either with no materials needed or items you already have on hand. Each week has a different theme that the activities are based on. Monday’s activities with Kim are aimed at our younger learners while

Eco Camp at Home

Jun 25, 2020
2 min

Eco Camp at Home

Eco Camp at Home is taking registrations now. You can register right now for July and August sessions. For over ten years, Happy Dancing Turtle has been home to Eco Camp, week-long day camps focused on coaxing out a curiosity for sustainability and nature in young ones. It is, without a doubt, the highlight of our year. We love interacting with the kids, showing them new things, and just being goofy. Just look: However, we made the prudent decision to suspend our in-person ca

Book Review – “Balanced and Barefoot” and “There’s No Such Thing as Ba

Jun 23, 2020
3 min

Book Review – “Balanced and Barefoot” and “There’s No Such Thing as Ba

This week’s blog post is written by Kim Norman, who will be entering her 6th year as an eco-counselor at HDT for this summer. For more information on Kim you can watch Kim’s introduction video. Head on over to our main page for more information on HDT summer programming, Last summer I began a mission to grow in my children a love for the outdoors. We are not adventurous in the realm of camping or hiking, but merely enjoy exploring the world outside our back door. In my seeki

Home Grown Stewards – Family Activity Kits

Jun 19, 2020
2 min

Home Grown Stewards – Family Activity Kits

There are two kits that will be offered over the summer. The first kit, which is available to order until June 29, has a gardening theme. In this kit, families will find instructions for 10 activities and the materials required to complete them. One of the best parts of the kits is that you are able to do the activities in your own time, at your own pace, in whatever order you choose to do them. With an increase in screen time across the board, we made sure to keep time on an

World Environment Day – Teaching Our Children

Jun 5, 2020
2 min

World Environment Day – Teaching Our Children

It should never be understated the importance of raising awareness amongst future generations, our children, of sustainable practices. It is essential that future generations see our planet in a different way than we do, i.e. that they don’t see it as a source from which to extract any needed material to satisfy any slight desire. Today, Friday, June 5 is World Environment Day. It’s a day that was created to bring political and social awareness to the environment on a global

Arbor Day 101

Apr 24, 2020
3 min

Arbor Day 101

Arbor Day is an international holiday that encourages celebrating participants to plant and care for their trees. Did you know that the word arbor is the latin word for tree. The first Arbor Day celebration was organized in a small town in Spain in 1594, but the first recognized celebration in the United States was in the Kansas Territory in 1872 where an estimated 1 million trees were planted. Across the world, Arbor Day has been celebrated at different times due to the rota

“Log In At Eco Camp”

Apr 3, 2020
2 min

“Log In At Eco Camp”

Eco Camp registration is now open! If you’d like to learn more about a specific camp, visit our website for more details. You can even register and pay online. Right now, we all need something to look forward to, especially our kids. What better time to sign them up for Eco Camp! This year, our theme is “‘Log In’ At Eco Camp” with a focus on the forest and trees, specifically maples, oaks, birches, and pines. Kids will get outside and be up close with nature. Here are the dat

Back to Basics 2020 – A Review in Pictures

Feb 21, 2020
1 min

Back to Basics 2020 – A Review in Pictures

On Saturday, February 15, we held our 14th annual Back to Basics sustainability event at the Pine River-Backus School. There were a record number of participants and a wide variety of new and repeating vendors & presenters. We were able to have a roving photographer (Thanks Marisa!) take some awesome shots of the event, and we would like to share some of them with you. Workshops This slideshow requires JavaScript. Keynote Speaker This slideshow requires JavaScript. Vendor Fai

Alternative Holiday Wrapping

Dec 20, 2019
3 min

Alternative Holiday Wrapping

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the average American spends so much on wrapping paper during the holidays that they could use it to cover almost 6,000 football fields with shiny, Santa clause covered paper. This year, we should try to see if we can minimize how many fields we can cover with these alternative wrapping ideas: 1. Furoshiki If you are a long time reader, you may remember Quinn’s article on Furoshiki. Furoshiki is a traditional folding techniqu

Holiday Gifts – Made from the Heart

Dec 6, 2019
5 min

Holiday Gifts – Made from the Heart

As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, there are a lot of great alternatives to material gifts – volunteering/donating, giving experiences, spending quality time together, travel, etc. However, if you are choosing to give a material gift, there is something you can do to make it far more meaningful and extra special: Make It Yourself. Sound scary? It’s not! I promise. Let’s start with the warm fuzzies of why you might do this before moving on to tips and ideas. Reasons t

How Much Sleep Do We REALLY Need?

Sep 27, 2019
2 min

How Much Sleep Do We REALLY Need?

It’s a game that I like to play with myself, sometimes. I’ll be binge watching a show (lately it’s been Westworld or The Good Place) and once the closing credits appear, if it’s been a particularly good episode (or a cliffhanger), I decide that one more episode probably wouldn’t hurt me…that is until I pause the feed, check the clock, run the numbers, and see that morning alarms are only a few hours away. Lot’s of fun, right? There is solace in knowing that I’m not alone in t

Tools for a Pollinator Friendly Farm

Aug 23, 2019
3 min

Tools for a Pollinator Friendly Farm

We don’t want to be an alarmist blog. But there’s something you need to know. Here goes: Modern Agricultural Practices Will Kill Us ALL!!! Did I get your attention? Good. Now, let me walk that statement back a bit. The industrial agricultural model, or “conventional” farming, is built on a combination of mono-cropping and use of chemical inputs. This is an efficient system designed to produce high volumes of a specific product (like corn, wheat, soy, or cotton) to meet the de

If you Appreciate Your Lake, you should Love Your Soil

Jul 29, 2019
3 min

If you Appreciate Your Lake, you should Love Your Soil

Summer is in full swing and our lakes are busy. What is more paramount to Minnesota than summer time at the lake; swimming, fishing, boating, water skiing, paddle boarding, the list of fun goes on and on. But many of our lakes are hurting. Decades of use, and sometimes abuse, have led to water quality declines for many of these precious resources. Just last summer, one of the most popular and enjoyed lakes in our region, Upper Whitefish, had a major weed and algae bloom. Fo

It’s Clean Beaches Week! BLA’s Best Beaches

Jul 1, 2019
6 min

It’s Clean Beaches Week! BLA’s Best Beaches

July 1-7 is Clean Beach Week, and boy does the Brainerd Lakes Area have some doozys! Let’s be frank: They don’t call it the Brainerd Lakes Area for nothing. As we get into the dog days of summer, there’s no better time to make use of the area’s namesake. But before you double-check your packing list and apply your sunscreen, take a moment to see which beach might fit your needs. I grabbed my kids and we spent a hot afternoon doing a little research of the area’s best beaches.

Getting Your Bike Road Worthy

Jun 13, 2019
3 min

Getting Your Bike Road Worthy

You’ve been riding your trusty rusty two-wheeler for a month or so now, and you’re looking at your garage thinking, “maybe it’s time to bring out the ‘good’ bike”. But, how do you make sure your good bike is ready for summer riding? Here’s a few quick tasks that’ll make sure your jewel is trail-worthy. Clean Up Your Bike: A clean bike extends the life of all the other components, just like a clean car lasts longer. Use a basic biodegradable cleaner like “Simple Green” and tak

Turtle Talks Podcast – Episode 23: Lab Grown Meat vs Real Meat OR All Meat is Not Created Equa

May 21, 2019
1 min

Turtle Talks Podcast – Episode 23: Lab Grown Meat vs Real Meat OR All Meat is Not Created Equa

In this episode we talk about the growing “faux” meat market and what it could mean for climate change and agricultural practices being used in the US. Lab Based/Plant Based companies discussed: Impossible Foods: impossiblefoods.com/food/ Just: www.ju.st/en-us/stories/clean-meat Beyond Meat: www.beyondmeat.com/products/the-beyond-burger/ Music used in episode: 1) What to Expect by Jake Bradford on the album Sharp 2)Free Yourself by Maya Isac 3)jell-o by Egozi 4)Sparkle

Local(ish) Earth Day Events

Apr 17, 2019
2 min

Local(ish) Earth Day Events

This year’s Earth Day falls on a Monday (this April 22, to be specific). Taking the time off to properly celebrate our communal home may be difficult because of that. However, with the Easter weekend taking place directly before Earth Day, finding the time may be easier. In fact, many of the events celebrating Earth Day will be held during this upcoming weekend. So, if you’re out of ideas for things to do for Earth Day, here are a few highlights to give you a head start. Loca

Earth Day, a History

Apr 4, 2019
3 min

Earth Day, a History

In 1969, Americans were preoccupied with the divisive Vietnam War. But another battle was occurring on the home front, with rivers and lakes polluted, cities like Los Angeles blanketed in smog, and litter a common sight everywhere. US Senator Gaylord Nelson was instrumental in the creation of Earth Day. Meanwhile Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson had witnessed the effects of the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Nelson, a Democrat, decided a “national teach-in” abou

Cold Weather Comfort Foods

Feb 22, 2019
3 min

Cold Weather Comfort Foods

As a lifelong resident of the Midwest, I’ve come to the realization that there is no escaping winter. It will have it’s way with you. Some people have chosen to embrace it, like our beloved Nora, who can be seen, even on the most cold and daylight deprived days, out frolicking in the ice and snow. Other, more rational, people have made the choice to fight against the oppressive, bitter winds and the unrelenting below-zero temperatures by turning to the kitchen. There, they’ve

Turtle Talks Podcast – Episode 19: Reconnecting Indigenous Cultures, a Q&A With Sean Sherm

Feb 15, 2019
1 min

Turtle Talks Podcast – Episode 19: Reconnecting Indigenous Cultures, a Q&A With Sean Sherm

Jim, Allison, and Chris went to the MDA Organic Conference last month and Sean Sherman was the keynote speaker. Jim took a shot and asked if Sean would be interested in speaking on Turtle Talks and to our surprise, he said yes! So, we’re very excited to have Sean Sherman on this episode. More famously known through his food production company, The Sioux Chef, Sherman talks about his mission to bring indigenous foods back to indigenous communities, helping to grow opportuniti