Strawberry Picking and Grinning

The first time we picked strawberries the boys were very tentative and mystified by what we were doing. They picked everything; ripe strawberries, green strawberries, leaves and stems. This time, they were experienced. The boys understood what strawberries were, where to find the best ones, and how to pick just the best red ones. With this knowledge, we skillfully filled two baskets with beautiful strawberries in only a few minutes, which left more time to devote to the orchard’s playground. They also understood for several weeks that if they cleaned their dinner plates, the reward would be a bowl of the strawberries that they had picked themselves.