Fwd: Simple Times - 04/20/09 - Go outside with your kids; family field trips

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Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:46 pm

Simple Times - 04/20/09 - Go outside with your kids; family

field trips

 

 

 

Simple Times

________________________________

 

Vol. 11, No. 8 -- April 20th, 20090

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

DSimple

Copyright 2009 Deborah Taylor-Hough

ISSN: 1527-1269

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Subscribe: join-simple-times

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Celebrating more than a decade of saving your time, money and sanity!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

-- " Dear Readers " :

-- Simple Living Quote

-- Five Reasons to Go Outdoors with Your Children

-- Frugal Family Field Trip Ideas

-- Letters to the Editor / Reader Tips

-- Assorted Information (archives, etc.)

________________________________

 

< < < O.U.R  S.P.O.N.S.O.R > > >

 

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in a free, weekly publication called " The Computer Lady " .

 

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Dear Readers,

 

Do you have a product, book or other resource that may be

 

of interest to Simple Times readers?  We currently have a

 

number of openings in upcoming issues of this e-newsletter

 

for sponsors.  If this is something you'd like to know more

 

about, contact Laura at Laura

 

 

 

And on another note, I'll be holding another of my workshops

 

in the Seattle/Tacoma area of Washington State.  If you live

 

in the Puget Sound region, give some thought to attending.

 

And the admission's free!  :-)

 

 

 

On Saturday, May 2nd from 10am to 12 noon, I'll be holding

my " Writers Write, Right? " writing workshop at White River

Presbyterian Church in Auburn, Washington as part of the

church's new " First Saturdays " program.

 

Writers write, right?  Wrong!  Sometimes they sit and stare at

the wall, or fold laundry, or even wash the dishes. 

 

But eventually all writers -- whether it's Mom starting a free-lance

career

or Junior working on his term paper -- need to sit down

and actually put words on paper (or on the computer screen).

 

Come learn simple ideas for jump-starting the writing process,

overcoming writer's block, and just generally getting up the

gumption to actually write something down.

 

Think you can't write?  Think again!

 

Kids, teens and adults interested in writing -- or just feeling

overwhelmed with the process -- are welcome to attend.

 

The church is located at 526 - 12th Street SE, Auburn.  Visit

http://whiteriverpres.synodnw.org or call the church office at

253-833-2990 for more information.  Discounted copies of

all of my books will be available for sale and proceeds will

benefit the church's weekly Community Dinner.

 

 

Simply Yours,

 

Debi

(Deborah Taylor-Hough)

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

--Author of the popular Frozen Assets series; A Simple Choice: A

practical guide for saving your time, money & sanity; and Frugal

Living for Dummies®

--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

________________________________

 

Visit my simple living blog!

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

________________________________

 

SIMPLE LIVING QUOTE

 

" There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness,

and truthâ€

 

--Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

 

________________________________

 

FIVE REASONS TO GET OUTDOORS WITH YOUR CHILDREN

Copyright Sheila Carroll

Used with permission. =2

0All rights reserved.

http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/

 

 

Does it seem odd that we might need reasons for enjoying the

outdoors? Nature is good for children. This seems fundamental

and hardly necessary to point out.

 

Yet, in recent decades parents have little by little eliminated

unstructured outdoor time for their children. They opt instead

to carpool to team sports, martial arts classes or other pastimes

that don't involve direct experience with nature.

 

Worse yet, children spend an average of 6.5 hours a day with

television, computers and video games. Research has shown

that a child is six times more likely to play a video game than

ride a bike.

 

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our

Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, says that children spend

approximately 15 minutes outdoors each week.

 

Louv points to the rise in attention-deficit disorders and suggests

that corresponding decrease in outdoor time may be part of the

problem.  Why is it so important for children to be outdoors?

 

 

Here are five reasons to get outdoors with your children:

 

 

1) Strong bodies

 

Vigorous outdoor play stretches muscles which signal the

body to build more. Play improves hand-eye coordination.

Vitamin D, dubbed the sunshine vitamin because that is

where we get most of this essential element, is needed for

the uptake of calcium in our bodies. Regular experience of

the rhythms of nature lowers the blood pressure and makes

 

the body ready for rest.

 

 

2) Strong minds

 

Close study of insects, plants animals builds the basis of

scientific inquiry. Albert Einstein, the greatest mind of the

twentieth century, said that if we look deeply into we will

understand other things better in the light of it.

 

Direct experience of nature is essential to optimal cognitive

development Cognitive development is the growth of perception,

memory, language, concepts, and thinking in children. Certain

kinds of physical movement and experiences which can only

be found outdoors help a child mature with all his abilities.

 

 

3) Emotional health

 

Time outdoor gives a child a perspective on the day’s events,

reduces anxiety and stress of sitting in school for long hours.

Learning to care for something of the natural world -- plant,

animal or insect -- teaches caring and considering the needs

of others.

 

 

4) Self-esteem

 

Learning to climb a tree, make a snow man, tunnel through

leaves, get lost and find your way home, build a fort, find a

salamander under a log, watch a sunset till it’s all the way

down -- all these build confidence in our ability to overcome

a fear, accept a challenge, or learn to be quiet. Without these

experiences we tend to feel we are weak or able to function

in only certain types of situations.

 

 

5) A capacity for wonder

 

Rachel Carson, in A Sense of Wonder, wrote that a sense of

wonder has something far20more powerful at work than mere

delight. It gives us reserves of strength, a sense of proportion,

and a deep abiding desire to know more. Wonder open our

hearts and minds and keeps us from being jaded about life.

 

 

Go outdoors with your child!

 

Share the discovery of nature with your child. A child learns

to spend time outdoors through the companionship of an adult.

He learns how to respond, explore, and find his way with

someone who has the same curiosity as himself. The adult,

of course, has the pleasure of re-discovery.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Sheila Carrol is the founder of Living Books Curriculum, a home

education curriculum based on the teachings and philosophies of

Charlotte Mason, a British educator from the last century.  The

curriculum packages provide instruction in the traditional subjects

such as history, language arts, and science and incorporate classic

literature, nature studies, narration, storytelling, and the use of

local

resources to enhance the educational experience.  For information,

go to:  http://livingbookscurriculum.com

 

________________________________

 

O.U.R  S.P.O.N.S.O.R

 

 

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                   (How about 20?)

 

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FRUGAL FAMILY FIELD TRIPS

Copyright Deborah Taylor-Hough

Used with permission.  All rights reserved.

http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

 

 

Family field trips are a simple, fun and fairly inexpensive

educational enrichment activity you can enjoy regularly

with your children. Although admission prices to various

destinations can be expensive, here are some simple ideas

for frugal outings.

 

 

 

Have fun!

 

1)  Many manufacturing plants offer free tours to families or

small groups, and any free samples given out make great

souvenirs when on vacation. Call ahead to find out about tour

availability.

 

 

2) Field trips to local attractions such as zoos or aquariums

can be expensive, but purchasing an annual family pass pays

for itself in just a couple trips. Knowing you can come back

again and again, frees your family to thoroughly enjoy them-

selves without feeling the need to hurry and see everything in

one day to get your money’s worth out of the admission price.

Return to the same site whenever you want a family outing,

and then buy a pass to a different educational attraction next

year.

 

 

3) If your family enjoys attending live performances, check for

free concerts, plays and other cultural events in local parks

during the summer months.

 

 

4) You can also contact college or comm

unity performance

groups (drama, ballet, orchestra, etc.) to see if they’ll allow

you to watch them rehearse for free.

 

 

5) Many local theater groups need volunteer ushers for their

live performances. Volunteering in this manner is an excellent

way for the adults and older teens in your family to gain free

admission to a wide variety of cultural events, plus it provides

a useful service to the local arts community.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

--Deborah Taylor-Hough (free-lance writer and mother of three)

is the author of several popular books including Frugal Living For

Dummies® and Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat

for a Month. For more articles dealing with simple living, frugality,

and parenting, go to: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com/

________________________________

 

Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / READER TIPS

We'd love to hear YOUR tips and ideas for simplifying daily life.

Send your simple living comments and tips to: DSimple

 

 

== Reader Feedback ==

     I always think that being 65 years old and a gardener

and well-read cook means I have run into most tips.

     Your newsletter always surprises me!

     I was very impressed by " Gardening on a Dime. "   Some

of the suggestions like using the deli trays with lids to start

seeds just knock my socks off.  I=2

0am currently starting a

bunch of seeds in my kitchen, and just today Itook one of

the trays out to my carport storage to get it out of the way.

Why didn't I think of this great seed starter?

     I can't even imagine that vinegar will kill my Hilo, Hawaii

weeds, but I'm going to try it.  If that works, it will be a life

changing experience.

     --Tanya L., Hilo, Hawaii

 

 

== New This Spring in Our Home ==

     Having two teenagers now (one with activity limitations)

this has been a completely different spring! 

     What are we doing different?  I'm not planning anything;

they are doing whatever they would like to do, whether that's

reading, writing, art, sleeping, playing games, or finishing up

last year's lessons.  We " school " through the summer here

in Florida taking about 2-3 months off in the springtime as

the weather is nicer.   I find it strange not to have children

saying, " I'm bored, " but then again, it is nice to see them

involved in their own interests.  My daughter has been resting

more than the usual, but she needs it, so it's a blessing to

be able to let her rest.

     For our Spring Vacation Central poster idea, visit my blog:

http://homeschoolenrichment.com/members/blog/suzmom/

~SuzB

 

________________________________

 

SIMPLE TIMES RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Book list for frugality and simple living

Go to: http://s

nurl.com/simplebooks

_______________________________

 

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Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? Contact

Laura at marketing Subject line: simple-times

Discover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.

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As always, a special " Thank you! " goes out to Gary Foreman

and the friendly folks at The Dollar Stretcher for making this

mailing list possible!

 

== http://www.stretcher.com/ ==

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EDITOR'S BOOKS AND RESOURCES:

Books and resources by Deborah Taylor-Hough

Editor, Simple Times Email Newsletter

http://snurl.com/debisbooks

________________________________

 

DEBI'S ON-LINE RESOURCES:

Personal Blog: http://dsimple.wordpress.com/

Frugality/Simplicity: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

Cooking Ahead: http://frozenassets.wordpress.com/

Bright-Kids: http://brightkids.wordpress.com

Tupperware®: http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware

Kids' Books: http://snurl.com/books4kids

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NEWSLETTER INFORMATION

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Copyright 2009 Deborah Taylor-Hough. .

3930 A Street=2

0SE, Ste 305-119, Auburn WA 98002

Contact us at:  DSimple

 

 

 

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