Category: Parenting, Past Articles, Summer // Posted on July 5, 2010 // Leave a Comment
By Terra Wellington
Oh, the lure of the newest XBOX game! Or maybe it’s the Wii. Or iCarly and Hannah Montana reruns. Perhaps it’s a handheld, thumb-numbing game. Or maybe it’s of the YouTube nonsense variety. No wait! There’s 145 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to discover from streaming Netflix for your high schooler.
Whatever gravitates your child or teenager to the small screen this summer needs a bit of parent pull the other direction. And that means alternatives your kids will accept. Here are some suggestions:
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The following are three outdoor activities popular at Mad Science camps, classes and parties – and perfect for families to try at home.
“They all offer great opportunities for observation, hypothesis, experiment, data collection, and conclusion,” says Sue Theissen, owner Mad Science of Portland and Vancouver.
Backyard Safari
Plant Perspiration
Backyard Bird
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Piecing Together Three Months of Supervised Fun
By Anne Laufe
Registration forms for my daughter’s favorite summer art camp arrive in March, while the rain is still beating down outside. The camp is so popular, however, that I’m prodded from my winter torpor to fill out the paperwork, write the check, and get the application back into the mail quickly – but not too quickly! If it’s post-marked before a certain date it will be disqualified.
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Category: Holidays, Past Articles, Summer // Posted on August 30, 2009 // Leave a Comment
By Anna Seip
Dear Parent:
Several months ago, I started a new job as the editor at a small college. The human resources manager handed me a list of the employee holidays I’d receive as a new employee.
“We don’t get Labor Day off,” she said, “but you can certainly take a vacation day then.”
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Book Recommendations for Kids – From Tots to Teens
Summer reading is a great way for kids to keep their skills sharp. With that goal in mind, we offer the following selection of top children’s books published within the last 12 months. They’re recommended by The Horn Book (www.hbook.com), which has reviewed children’s and young adult literature for more than 80 years.
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10 Steps to Survive a Vacation with Your In-Laws
By Anna Seip
(Please note: We realize that many daughters and sons-in-law have perfectly wonderful relationships with their in-laws. For those who might not, here are a few vacation survival tips.)
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Category: Past Articles, Summer, Teens // Posted on May 31, 2009 // Leave a Comment
Summer Volunteer Opportunities for Teens
By Emily Puro
Service learning is becoming an integral part of the curriculum at many middle and high schools, with teens eager to gain real world experience while contributing to the greater good. Summer is a great time for these youngsters to take their volunteering efforts to the next level. And with jobs few and far between, donating time to a good cause may be especially attractive to teens this summer.
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Books to Help You Plan Your Close-to-Home Holiday
By Metro Parent Staff
When it comes to planning one of these “tourist in your own town” trips, The Great American Staycation: How to Make a Vacation at Home Fun for the Whole Family by Matt Wixon (Adams Media, 2009) is a logical standout. This book has a ton of creative ideas for things to do on your staycation as well as wisdom on what your mindset should be as you plan your “vacation at home” (e.g. “Rule # 1: A Staycation Muse Be Treated as a Real Vacation”). But, if you’re only going to buy one or two books to guide you in your staycation/daycation planning and implementation, you should probably consider the following:
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By Anne Laufe
Do you want to ensure that your children are nature lovers? From taking a walk around the block to enrolling kids in classes and summer camps, there are unlimited ways for parents to raise kids who care about the planet, by incorporating environmental education into their children’s lives.
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