An Issue From the Zucchini Archives!


THE ZUCCHINI CLUBHOUSE NEWSLETTER
...the official newsletter from The Zucchini Brothers!
www.zucchinibrothers.com

SPRING '03


Greetings from ZucchiniLand! And welcome to this archived edition of our Zucchini Clubhouse Newsletter, a quarterly publication filled with interesting facts, news from ZucchiniLand, stories, educational tidbits, projects, and much more! Please feel free to print this out and share with as many people as you want!

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NEW & EXCITING ZUCCHINI PROJECTS

The Zucchini Brothers are working with the New York State Department of Health again. This time we're writing and recording songs about lead poisoning prevention. We're also working on a new Zucchini Brothers CD!

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STEVE'S CORNER

Steve Zucchini here-I'm the brother that Mom put in charge of organizing the spring cleaning. It was going fine until the vacuum cleaner bag got too full and decided blow its contents around the clubhouse...Now everything's covered in a fine dust...I mean EVERYTHING: tables, chairs, floors, walls, Jack, Sam, and Polly (our dog for you new subscribers). AND, operating the vacuum, almost unrecognizable, looking like a giant dustmonster, two feet from the bag, is me - dusty ol' Steve. Guess I should'a checked to see how full that bag was before I started vacuuming! Now might be the time for some of those vacuum cleaner demonstrations that I'm always avoiding. "please telemarketing vacuum people, the Zuccs NEED your toughest, most powerful, miracle-working vacuums for Clubhouse Dust Storm ASAP!" But, hey, things could be worse! The Zucchinis want to make you smile, sing, and forget about things like spring cleaning, broken dustbags and other less than exuberant things. check our concert schedule and come on out to one of our concerts. No vacuum required!

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JACK'S CORNER

Springtime with the songs of birds, weather's warming have you heard...it's mud season here in zucchini Land-snow's all melted and, in our clubhouse yard, there's lots of nice big puddles and little streams to play in. That's why Mom and Dad took my brothers and me to Pete's Sneaker Store the other day to get rubber boots...Mom doesn't want us to ruin our good shoes, so we'll just put the boots over 'em to protect 'em. Mine are green, Sam's are yellow and Steve's are red. But Steve likes wearing Dad's blue ones that are way too big for him. The other day Steve was wearing Dad's big blue boots and he tripped right over his own two feet and fell face first into one of the puddles we were playing in. Where upon Dad's big blue boots filled up with water and Steve's feet got all wet! Well, after all was said and done...and believe me there was some sayin' and doin'...I think Steve learned his lesson 'cause he wears his own red rubber boots now-a-days and he hasn't fallen over ever since.

And now that winter's over and spring has sprung, my brothers and I have been doing some spring raking around the clubhouse and I've noticed a mole has already been digging tunnels in our back yard--Dad's not happy about that! Oh, and now that it's bike season, we've decided to start our own Zucchini Land neighborhood bike club. To be a member you have to live in Zucchini Land and have a bike or know someone who has one, and you've definitely got to have a helmet. So far, my brothers and I, our friend susan and our dog Polly are in the club (Polly's in because she knows us and we've got bikes). But, it's been pretty windy lately so we've decided to hold off on the bike club and instead form a kite flying club. In fact, I'm going to go get my kite out of the garage right now-that wind's really whippin'- yee haw!!!

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SAM'S CORNER

It's time to start the Clubhouse garden once again! As soon as the ground un-froze, I planted some pea plant seeds and put up the vine trellis for the peas to grow up on. The peas can always be planted earlier than everything else because they like the cold weather. Around the rest of the garden, my brothers and I are getting the soil ready, doing some early weeding, and planning where we're gonna plant what. Looks like those moles that Jack mentioned have spared our garden plot, and haven't dug holes in it. So we're good to go!

We planted garlic last fall, which is sprouting up already, and pretty soon we'll be planting string beans. After the last frost rolls by we'll plant the rest of the garden: peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, eggplants, and of course-zucchini! We'll also be planting some more adventurous stuff like swiss chard, purple basil, strawberry spinach, bok choi, chinese cabbage, and kale. We'll keep you posted on the progress. Wish us luck!

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LET'S ALL GET CREATIVE

: : : Sand Tray : : :

The weather is getting warmer here in Zucchini Land, but it's not quite beach weather yet. That's okay because we've been having fun playing with our sand trays, which provide us with hours of creative play. And the cool thing about sand trays (as opposed to sandboxes) is that when it's raining outdoors--as often happens during Spring--Mom and Dad sometimes let us bring our sand trays indoors and play with them on the kitchen table (as long as we promise to clean up afterwards).

All you need to make your own sandtray is a large plastic basin (23"x16" works well for us) with a lid, sand, and small objects to put in the sand. For example, we make nature scenes with objects such as pine cones, bark, twigs, and stones. Small trains, cars and other vehicles, small boxes, animal or people figurines, scoops, shells, and flattened marbles all make nice props, too. See what you have around the house that would be fun to use in your sand tray. Keep the sand moist (not wet) for best results. You might want to take your time arranging items in your sand tray to make a nice scene, or your sand tray could be a stage for active play. You can practice writing letters, numbers, and shapes in the sand if you want to--or make mountains and even ponds (by sticking a round container into the sand and filling the container with water). The possibilities are endless! We've been known to occupy ourselves for hours with our sand trays. And usually there's not much of a mess, either.

Have fun!

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FROM THE ZUCCHINI KITCHEN (Mmmm!)

: : : Yummy Noodles with Peanut Sauce : : :

This is one of our very favorite meals, that we simply refer to as "Noodles!" Of course, it's not appropriate for anyone with a peanut allergy.

Noodles: 8 oz. soba or udon noodles, spaghetti or linguine

Sauce: 1/4 cup warm water 4 Tbs. smooth peanut butter (natural style; reduced fat is okay) 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped (or 2/3 tsp. dried) 1 1/2 Tbs. dark sesame oil 1 Tbs. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar 2 tsp. honey or sugar Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Vegetables (use any combination of the following): Mung bean sprouts Cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced into half-moons Red pepper, chopped or cut into thin strips Snow peas, whole or cut in half Carrots, chopped or julienned Broccoli florets, lightly cooked Frozen green peas, thawed Scallions, thinly sliced

1) In a pot of boiling water, cook pasta until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2) Mix sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. If you don't have a blender or food processor, then you can whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

3) Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl, and toss with the sauce. Stir in veggies or serve veggies on the side. This meal is best served at room temperature or cold.

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JOKE TIME!

What season is it when you are on a trampoline? Spring-time!

Why did the egg hide when the toddler came into the room? It was a little chicken!

What is the Easter Bunny's favorite state capitol? Albunny, New York!
 
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HEY! IT'S THE WORD OF THE DAY

: : : IMMUNE  : : :

Definition:(adjective) Protected against infection through inoculation or inherited or acquired resistance. Synonyms: vaccinated, resistant, safe from, protected against.

EXAMPLE:

Our friend Susan's little brother came down with chicken pox last week, but we didn't worry about getting it because we are immune to chicken pox. (We already had it!)

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QUOTE OF THE SEASON

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." -Judy Garland

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THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!

Try saying this tongue-twister 3 times, fast:

"wristwatch"

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WEBSITE OF THE MONTH

It's been a couple of years since we featured this website, but it's worth mentioning again because it's such an impressive, comprehensive site: http://www.enchantedlearning.com. It's jam-packed with educational information on a *plethora* of topics (including animals, inventors, science, geography, and preschool activities, to name only a few). This site could take you months upon months to explore and is *definitely* worth visiting and bookmarking! Enjoy!

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This newsletter is written by Susan Meyer and the Zucchini Brothers. Thanks so much for subscribing to this newsletter and supporting The Zucchini Brothers! We hope to see you at an upcoming performance! And please consider calling or writing your local radio station to let them know you like our show!

Your Friends,
Steve, Jack & Sam Zucchini
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