Calcium is rarely absorbed in the dairy form anyway.... I wouldn't worry about that. If they eat the equvilant to a Tbs of spinich or other dark leafy green once a day (or balance out over the week) on a non-dairied (read: acidic) stomach they will get plenty of calcuim. The best way to get calcium is to eat sauted greens (not boiled, the minerals and vits end up in the water) with a bit of salt, along with a glass of fresh squeesed orange juice. This helps the absorbtion of Vit C and Vit K as well and Vit K and Calcium go hand in hand happily. My kids have gotten used to blended saute'd spinich over mashed potatoes. I do this every winter for me and for them... in the summer the grasing they do in the garden is plenty. I suggest getting frozen broccoli. Calcium is a mineral, and does not become altered by freezing or cooking (unless you boil things because then they can leach into the water). So getting organic broccoli frozen would be a good alturnative and get them eating it more. Stir fries with your deer meat and some carrots and broccoli over brown rice would give them a great calcium boost.
Another way to get calcium into kids is to make smoothies. I add raw spinich to my banana strawberry smoothies, and really, you don't taste it. My smoothie recipe is as follows:
2 over ripe bananas
1 cup frozen organic strawberries
3 cups (3/4 of a carton) of vanilla almond, soy, or rice milk (usually which ever was on sale that month)
1 T of maple syrup
1 T of flax oil
1 T of brewers nutritional yeast
2 T of soy protien powder (Simple Greens)
3 calcium pills (opened and poured in)
and a large handful of raw washed spinich
Blend for about 2 minutes until super smooth and drink with a straw (this is the BEST way to get stuff into kids in my experience...
) A 4 yr old can down 16 oz of that good stuff in no time... talk about a living breathing vit suppliment.
On to the vitamin question. I have my children take vits all year round if I remember but I pay specific attention during the winter when they are fighting of the cesspool of disease that is public school. lol... It is not because they do not get enough from their food... it is because I want them to have more than enough to grow on. I get the vegan ones from Trader Joes and they tend to be the best for my kids. If they were to start having trouble I would switch instantly to whole foods vitamins, because for ME they are the only thing that works, but for now the trader joes ones are cheap, complete, and my kids like the little teddy bear bottle they come in.
and Sam, 8 
Jody
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