Nan’s Corner DVD

One of the best things about summer is taking a break from the fixed schedule – and sometimes hectic pace – of the school year. As my family relaxes, so do the routines. Bedtimes creep later and later as the days grow longer. Habits we worked so hard to develop start to fade and become forgotten.

If your child’s bedtime, mealtime or any other “in-between” time have turned into a struggle, the Nan’s Corner DVD offers helpful solutions in an enjoyable and fun format. Through songs, stories and role-playing parents and children work together to solve common problems found in everyday life such as getting up and ready in the morning, homework, mealtime and bedtime. It encourages communication and cooperation between parents and children.

The DVD is geared to children between the ages of 4 – 10. My 7 year-old enjoyed the singing and dancing while my 9 year-old appreciated hearing the children tell their side of the story. I was glad for the opportunity to reinforce to both the need to be courteous and respectful – parents included!

We are offering one reader the opportunity to receive the new Nan’s Corner DVD. Just visit their website, check out their fun children’s songs, then come back here and leave a comment telling us why you’d like to win (not “choose me,” “I want to win,” “great prize,” etc. Those comments will be deleted as spam.)

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All of this gives you a grand total of six chances for entries! This giveaway ends on July 21, 2009 and is open only to US addresses and is void where prohibited.

Gardening With Children – Developing a Love of Nature

Gardening is an activity that isn’t limited by age. This means you can try gardening with children and possibly develop within them a live-long love of nature. What could be better than gardening for a gift that can last a lifetime?

One of the benefits of encouraging your child to join you when you’re in the garden is that you can talk about anything without feeling pressured. It could be something as simple as valuing the earth and protecting the environment, to more serious subjects such as life and love. Whatever you talk about, because you’re in a non-threatening atmosphere, you may find you’re talking about things that your children are concerned about most.

You’ll definitely want to encourage your children to give gardening a try if they show any interest in it at all. Don’t expect them to actually ask you if they can help; you may have to invite them to come join you while you’re in the midst of planting.

Let children use their imagination when planting or helping in the garden. They may imagine a tiny village behind the plants or in the rocks; maybe they’ll even try to create the village they imagine out of natural materials found in the garden. Since children often have vivid imaginations, let them run wild while you share time among the dirt and plants.

Children have short attention spans, so don’t become upset if they work a little while and then run away to do something else. You may want to find them work they can do in short periods of time. You may also want to buy them some child-sized gardening tools so they can accomplish more while they spend time with you in your work.

Teach them how to dig in the dirt so they can place plants into it. You may want to explain to them how the dirt provides the nutrients the plants need to grow and show them how to make the dirt healthier for the plants by using peat moss, sand, and compost. Explain the reason for adding these components and help them understand why they shouldn’t handle commercial fertilizers.

Perhaps after you’ve spent some time in the garden and are comfortable with your child’s knowledge, you might think about creating a small garden that is entirely the child’s. Remember that you want their experience to be a positive one and passing off too much responsibility too soon could squash their interest in the activity.

Your goal in inviting your child to join you in the garden is multi-faceted. You want to teach them about loving nature and natural things, to make light of the work needed in the garden, and to spend quality time with your child. Be sure to give your little helper a hug and hearty thank you for their help and let them know you enjoyed your time together.

Creating A Sensory Garden for Children

Children love to go outside and explore. They love to hear the sounds of birds tweeting and crickets chirruping. They love to pick dandelions and blow the fluff into the wind as it whips across their face. If you create a sensory garden, your children will be thrilled as they explore everything.

What exactly is a sensory garden? It’s an area set aside in your yard or garden that is created to be accessible for visitors to touch, listen, smell, taste, and see. It’s a multi-sensory area for children and adults to enjoy together.

Design your sensory garden so that you can have each sense in its own area. Make weatherproof signs to show which areas are which; you could make an ear for hearing, an eye for seeing, a nose for smelling, a mouth for tasting, and a hand sign for touching. These will be easy for even young children to understand.

Hearing Section – You might want to plant some rattle snake grass, sweet corn, or Canterbury bell. These plants all make noise as the wind breezes across them or they attract bees which make a buzzing sound. You may also want to include a moving water feature like a fountain or wind chimes. A bird bath and bird feeders will encourage birds to visit the garden which will add to the sounds. These will enhance the overall aural experience.

Seeing Section – Of course, the easiest way to encourage sight pleasures is to have many colorful flowers. These would include giant sunflowers, poppies, zinnias, pumpkins, and marigolds. Include several sun catchers or an eye-catching mobile. Weather vanes would also be a sight treat for children. You may also want to create a wall where children can apply their artistic skills. Multi-colored pebbles or slate chips could add another dimension to the seeing area of the garden.

Smelling Section – There are so many flowers and plants that could be added to create an olfactory sensation that anyone visiting will remember. You could include flowers such as honeysuckle, lavender, roses, as well as herbs like peppermint, chamomile, and lemon balm. Be sure to warn children about the thorns on roses, but allow them to smell the flowers. You’ll also want to let them break the leaves on the herbs to let the smells out.

Tasting Section – Berries of all kinds are an obvious choice for the tasting section of your sensory garden. You could also include organic vegetables, several varieties of mint, and other herbs such as chives, parsley, and Stevia. While children are in the tasting area of the garden, be sure an adult is present to keep them from tasting something that shouldn’t be eaten.

Touching Section – Several plants would add to the sense of touch your children can enjoy. Lambs ear is a great plant that actually feels like a lamb’s ear. Gum trees have spiky seed pods that children may find interesting. You may want to have a protected touching table that has soft moss pieces, tree bark, smooth pebbles, and rough stepping stones.

If you’re unsure about which plants to include when you create a sensory garden, check with local nurseries for suggestions. Then design a garden to incorporate each of the five senses. You, your children, and any guests will enjoy the things you can learn from what you can see, smell, hear, taste, and touch.

Outdoor Pesticides and Kids

Since there’s so much life in a garden, people may think it’s a safe place to be in. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, particularly if you use pesticides in your garden. Knowing what pesticides do to the insects and animals in the garden, it may give you cause to think. Outdoor pesticides and kids – is it really worth the risk?

Of course, there are other things in a garden that could be harmful to a child. There is something you can do about it, however. You can learn about everything in your garden – pesticides that may be used, the natural flora and fauna you might find, and how to properly use any garden tools, and being watchful of children while they’re in the garden with you. With diligence you can avoid the potential hazards in your garden and keep pets and people safe.

If you choose to use chemical pesticides, at least do your best to keep them away from your children. You can do this by clearly labeling them as poisons, properly closing them after use, and storing them in such a way children can’t get to them. The easiest way to avoid any potential problem associated with chemical fertilizers, weed killers, and insecticides, however, is to not use them.

While you might find one or two pesticides that aren’t hazardous to pets and people, they are few and far between. One such pesticide is known as “milky spore,” a bacterium that is not known to be dangerous to people, animals, or any beneficial insects you may have in your garden. In fact, it is a very selective insecticide that will only kill certain types of beetles.

Pesticides are used to prevent insect infestation, kill them, or make it so that plants aren’t palatable to the insects and thus repel them. Nearly every type can be harmful to people, animals, or the environment. To understand how dangerous pesticides are, manufacturers must label them with signal words:

• The word “Danger” is the apex of words used on labels. Use of chemicals with this label requires extreme care. Improper use could result in children being sick, hurt for an extended period, blindness, or even death. This designation is also used to indicate the chemical could explode if it gets too hot.
• “Warning” labels indicate a less severe danger. This doesn’t mean they’re safe, but are not quite as dangerous as those with the “danger” label. Serious injury or illness could still result. This label also identifies chemicals that can catch on fire quite easily.
• “Caution” labels lead users to be careful when using them. While the dangers aren’t quite as serious as those with “danger” or “warning” labels, there are inherent problems associated with using them. You could develop skin irritations, illness from breathing the fumes, or serious damage to your eyes if it is splashed into them.

Store pesticides in containers that will keep them from curious eyes. But what should you do if someone is exposed to them? Quickly find out which chemical was spilled, breathed, or ingested so you can give this information to Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911 when you call them. If the chemicals got into the eyes, rinse them out for 15-20 minutes under a shower or running water. If splashed, clothing must be removed and the skin rinsed for the same amount of time.

Remember that pesticides are poison and be sure to treat them accordingly. Knowing what they do, when considering outdoor pesticides and having kids, is it worth the risk?

Six Frugal Father’s Day Ideas

Father’s Day will soon be here. You know you’d like to get him something nice, but maybe an expensive gift isn’t in the budget. These six frugal ideas for a special father are sure to make the father in your family feel loved and appreciated.

1. Let the children make him a T-shirt with their handprints on it. The craft is very simple and your children will love the opportunity to create something special just for Dad. Find fabric paints in Dad’s favorite colors and purchase a 100% cotton T-shirt for each child to decorate. Put the fabric paint on a disposable plate and then have the children place their hands on the shirt. Follow washing instructions after the paint has dried. You may want to have the children sign and date the shirt so Dad can see how much the children have grown.

2. Let Dad know you support his dreams by opening up a “dream fund” for him. You don’t have to fill the entire fund up immediately, but you can add a little here and there every year to help him make his dream item a reality. Maybe you could save change in a jar for him to add to his dream fund or put aside as little as $5.00 a month. Before long there will be a good sized amount in the account and he’ll be well on his way to getting that dream tool or new big screen TV.

3. Many newspapers will run special advertisements for major holidays, and that would include Father’s Day. Purchase a small ad in your local newspaper to let Dad know how much he means to you and how much you love him. Just remember to put his name on the ad or someone else might think the ad’s for them!

4. Gasoline prices change every day. Why not give Dad a gift card specifically for his next fill up? Not only is this gift practical, it will also let him keep that much money in his pocket for the week. He can either put the money into his dream fund or splurge and eat out with the guys at the office one day during the week.

5. If the Dad in your family is like most men, he most likely loves to grill. Why not purchase an inexpensive white barbecue apron and decorate it yourself? You can dye it any color and then use fabric paints to write “Kiss the Cook” or “Never Trust a Skinny Cook.” He’ll be sure to use the apron the next time he grills.

6. Plan an outing for everyone in the family to enjoy on Father’s Day. This might be something as simple as a picnic in the park to something more elaborate like planning an entire day going fishing with him. Whatever his favorite activity is – golfing, bicycling, playing card games, or just watching TV – do that activity with him. The time spent with him will mean more than any cheesy tie you could ever buy him.

Don’t forget to feed Dad on his special day. Many restaurants have special prices for Dads. If you can’t afford an entire meal out, why not treat him to his favorite ice cream? Perhaps these six frugal ideas for a special Father’s Day have sparked some creative ideas of your own. Remember, whatever you choose to do with Dad on his day, as long as you let him know how much you love him, he’ll probably be happy.

Organic Gardening

Rising fuel prices may be the reason why the number of people planning a backyard garden has increased in recent years. The number of pesticides used in commercial farming is another reason why many people are choosing organic gardening. Healthy eating habits including eating locally grown foods can make the difference in how much your children like the vegetables your garden produces.

There are many reasons to choose to grow your own garden and to do so organically. Here are some of them:

• Vegetables you grow out of your own garden are fresher than commercially grown vegetables. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with a garden leaving the food sitting around for more than a day or two. Commercial produce, however, has been picked before it is ripe, sprayed with chemicals to continue the ripening process during shipping, and then traveled up to 1,500 miles to reach your table.
• Organically and locally grown vegetables are healthier for you and your family. Fresh produce quickly loses nutrients. If you can eat it soon after it’s picked, it retains more of the nutrients.
• You don’t have to worry about any of the vegetables being genetically modified. Genetically modified seeds aren’t currently available to individuals and you probably don’t want to use them in your garden anyhow.
• Should you have more vegetables than your family can eat, you have three options. You can share the vegetables with friends, family, or neighbors. You can sell it at a local farmer’s market or a stand in your yard if that is permitted where you live. Or you can put it up (freezing or canning) for use later in the year.
• Any vegetable, or fruit for that matter, that you grow on your own property is going to taste better than vegetables from other areas of the country. You may actually hear your children say homegrown vegetables ‘taste like summer.’

Another reason to plant your own vegetable garden this summer is that you can use it as a way to teach your children about nature and how to care for the environment. You can also spend quality time with your child if you can get them to help you.

The biggest benefit of growing your own garden, however, is knowing where your vegetables came from. You’ll know what, if any, pesticides were used on them. You’ll also know that you and your children can go out the back door and pick them fresh.

Children who may be picky eaters when it comes to vegetables may be more willing to give them a try if they’re fresh from your garden. There’s no guarantee that your green bean-hating child will suddenly turn into a green bean lover, but there’s more of a chance that’ll happen if they have a hand in growing, caring for, and harvesting the beans themselves.

Organic gardening in your own back yard often leads to healthy eating habits. Let your children go outside, pick some cherry tomatoes and let them pop them into their mouth. You know what went into growing them and that they’re perfectly safe.