Colors of the Market: Coloring Contest for Kids

August is Kansas Farmers Market Month and we want you to celebrate with us!

To help connect young Kansans with those who grow their food, we're hosting a coloring contest. It's not so much a contest as each child who submits an entry will receive a Kansas Farmers Activity Book from the Kansas Department of Commerce. We will be posting the submissions here in a "Colors of the Market" gallery beginning September 3rd.

Download the "Colors of the Market" coloring page and entry form.

Markets are not only fun but they can also be good for you and your family. Giving children the opportunity to meet the farmers and see what they grow helps kids understand the difference between processed foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. And food doesn't get much fresher than what you'll find at a farmers market where fruits and vegetables are harvested just hours before you buy them.

“Many Kansas communities feature farmers’ markets where freshly picked fruits and vegetables are available at competitive prices,” Acting Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty said.  “If your family hasn’t visited the farmers’ market in your community, I encourage you to do so soon.”

When shopping at a market, some families give their children a few dollars to choose their very own goodies. This can be a great way to encourage kids to try new fruits and vegetables. Your child says she doesn't like carrots? Has she tried the red ones? Or the little ball-shaped kind? Who knows, you might leave the market with your very own Bugs Bunny!

Markets not only expose children to healthy and delicious food but also help them connect to others. In his recent Kansas Farmers Market Month Proclamation, Governor Mark Parkinson noted that markets serve as an integral link between urban, suburban and rural communities and they give farmers and consumers an opportunity to interact. 

Markets are often more than farmers and food. Chances are you'll run into friends and neighbors at the market. Did you know that there are nine times more social interactions at a farmers market than at a grocery store? Your children might get the chance to hear a bluegrass band, participate in a watermelon seed spitting contest or watch a chef demonstration and taste the dish. Who knows, you might leave the market with your very own budding Alice Waters!

We hope you'll take your children to a market this month exposing them to the good fun and great tastes of locally-grown fruits and vegetables. And we're looking forward to seeing all the "Colors of the Market" pages.

Contest Notes

1. Only one child per entry submitted.
2. More than one child per household is allowed with separate entries. (Can be mailed together.)
3. Drawings submitted will not be returned.
4. Winner will be posted on the ksfarmersmarkets.org website on September 3, 2009.
5. Each entrant will receive a Kansas Farmers Market Coloring Book.
6. Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, Kansas Rural Center and ksfarmersmarkets.org are not responsible for undelivered coloring books.