Parents


I remember that every day of summer vacation my parents would force a little bit of quiet time on us kids just after lunch.  I think they needed the break and potential nap more than we did.  After I was too old for napping it became a reading time. 

If you have similiar quiet reading times in your house, consider allowing that reading time to take place outdoors, under a shady tree, on a blanket.  Or your child can find a spot to read in a tree (I read in my favorite climbing tree a lot).  The outdoors is calming, provides some fresh air and may be a little less of a confining feeling for your child if they can be outside when they read.

No matter where you read you can join the Wichita Public Library’s Summer Reading Program.  It starts today, but you can join anytime before July 26.  It’s called Dream Big - Read!

This cool summer reading program is for kids 17 and younger.  To sign- up visit a Wichita Public Library location.  When you sign-up you receive a bag, book and reading chart.  Each child sets a reading goal, and when they reach their goal and return the reading chart they will receive a prize bag full of goodies!

Prizes include:  passes to All Star Sports/Adventures, Wichita Ice Center, Wichita Thunder Game, Wichita Wingnuts; discount admission to Exploration Place’s Star Wars Exhibit; and free drink or food coupons for Andover Popcorn Co, Carlos O’Kelly’s, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Pump It Up, and Texas Roadhouse.  Prizes must be picked up by Aug 2.

There are 2 OK Kids events going on in Wichita on Saturday, May 19.  Join in the fun at one or both locations!  See this link for all the details.

#1.  OK Kids at the Great Plain Nature Center will be an outdoor adventure for all.  Saturday, May 19, 10a-2p!

Your Adventure at GPNC will include:

  • Live animals up close and personal
  • Building a fort
  • Fishing (sign up the day of event)
  • Target shooting
  • Building a bird house or bird feeder
  • Bird watching (win a pair of binoculars!)
  • Orienteering
  • Planting a tree (take home and plant)
  • Make a recycled toy

#2 OK Kids at the OJ Watson Park,  Saturday, May 19, 9a-noon.

Your Adventure at OJ Watson Park will include:

  • Fishing & water safety
  • Volleyball
  • Moon walk
  • Kayaks
  • Train rides, pony rides, mini-golf, pedal boats & concessions for a small fee.

Some of my favorite memories of my family spending time together are when we were outdoors.  It wasn’t anything fancy, just dad playing tag with me and the kids from the neighborhood, the entire family going for a bike-ride in the evenings, mom showing us how to pick strawberries in the garden. 

Celebrate Mother’s Day this year with something simple outside:

  • Go on a bike ride
  • Picnic under a shade-tree – It doesn’t have to be a whole meal.  A snack picnic is just as fun.
  • Family games – TV Tag, Man-From-Mars, Simon Says, Mother-May-I (of course!)
  • Try out a new park
  • Read a book together outside on a blanket
  • If it’s warm play in the sprinkler
  • If it’s windy fly a kite

What about a gift for mom that she and the kids can use together outdoors?  Zoo passes or membership, picnic basket, umbrella (for sun or rain), gas card for a road trip to a nature preserve or park, binoculars, bird id book, hiking shoes…what else?

Check out the graphic the National Environmental Education Foundation created to help us understand and share the importance of outdoor play for the health of ALL kids (and parents t00).

Do you struggle with getting your kids to step away from the TV or Computer?  Well, if you did some great outdoor things to celebrate Earth Day, or you’re going to, then, use Earth Day as the jumping off point for some changes in the family’s screen time.

The entire family can decide to spend more time outdoors and less time in front of the TV or computer this spring and summer!  Click here for great ideas from the National Wildlife Federation on how to ween kids off too many TV shows and video games.

Kids with limited screen time who play outdoors are more social, do better in school, are problem solvers, and are good time managers.  Let’s all get off the couch and go play outside!

Boeing Wichita Presents: Earth Day Kansas

Thursday, April 19, 2012: 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Celebrate Earth Day Kansas!  This free environmental fair gives everyone the opportunity to learn how to protect and care for the world we live in. With hands-on activities and interactive exhibits, there are many learning opportunities for children. Activities are geared towards third through fifth grade.

Zoo entrance is free on Thursday, April 19 in honor of Earth Day!

Celebrate Nature and Animals at the Sedgwick County Zoo.

What do you do if you find a baby animal?  Should you pick it up?  Leave it be?  Call someone? 

Finding wildlife with your kids is always a “teachable” moment.  You can watch a spider spins its web, see how a bird builds its nest, watch a snake slither through the grass, or catch a racoon going through your trash at night. 

An important life-lesson to teach kids about wild animals is that they are part of our ecosystem, but they are never pets or tamable for a pet. 

Spring is here and that means baby wildlife in parks and backyards.  You might run across baby birds, bunnies, snakes, opossums, racoons, deer, ducks and more.  If you find babies alone, do not assume that their parents have abandoned them.  Often times mom or dad are watching from afar or gathering food to bring back to the nest.  Some babies, like rabbits, are still small and look meek to us, but are old enough to be one their own.

If you find a baby animal observe them, see how they move, eat and make noise.  How are they like human babies?  How are the different? 

Picking up baby animals is SO tempting, and we want to take them out of the “harsh world” to care for them in our safe homes.  But, this is never good for the baby animal because most captured baby wild animals die because we cannot give them what they need to survive.  Wild baby animals do not get shots like pets do, and they may carry a disease that can transfer to our pets.  Plus, they are not tame and may bite or scratch us because they are not used to people.

For more information on baby wildlife check out this article by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. 

What baby animals you can find this spring?  Stand back and watch.  Don’t touch.  But take lots of pictures and tell your friends about them!

  1. All those wonderful g2g Outside events for Spring & Summer 2012!  Click HERE for a list of times and places for our g2g events this year.
  2. April 30 – Youth Volunteer Day at the WATER  Center.  Ages 8-15.  Register here.
  3. June 1-9 – Wichita River Festival, lots of community activities down by the Arkansas River.
  4. June 23Great American Backyard Campout - more idea, links, etc coming on this blog and on the NWF website.

What else should be on our radar for the summer?

Here, is a link to an interesting blog about now the most popular teen and pre-teen books are ones that paint a bleak picture of our future.  Most teen books depict young people in nature-less societies, struggling to survive.  Fictional plots set in beautiful, nature-filled communities are few and far between.  I don’t know if I can name one…

The link above takes you to an interesting blog written by a bright 13 year old tackling this topic from her generations view point.  Does this phenomenon create hopeless teens that are not looking forward to thriving futures?  Or, do these books prompt teens to take action to avoid a dismal fate?

Personally, I think it’s a bit of both.  As an environmental educator I often try to steer clear of the doom and gloom environmental messages and focus on the wonder and amazing-ness of nature in order to inspire young people to enjoy, and then want to preserve the environment.  However, teens are also motivated and stirred up by drama.  So, what would some actual or perceived crisis harm?

Like most things in life, it’s probably a fine balance.  We will never be perfect, but I hope that as adults, mentors, educators, parents, and role-models we can get it right at least more times than not.  Let’s think about what we can do to create more of a balance between the hopeful future that 13 year old Miranda describes in her blog and the harder future we are trying to avoid in our favorite teen books. 

I know we usually talk about kids and the outdoors on this blog.  But, we all know that today’s kids spend time indoors, on computers and online.  Here is a great opportunity to learn how we can keep our kids safe while they’re navigating through cyber-space towards adulthood.

Attend the Internet 101 for Parents 4 week class, Thursdays in April (April 5, 12, 19, 26) from 5:30-7:30.  Cost is $20 for the month of classes.  Dinner will be provided. Adults only.  Parents of children of all ages are welcome.  Register at 660-0127.

The presenter will be Exploited & Missing Child Unit/ Internet Crime Against Children ( EMCU/ICAC) Detective Jennifer Wright. 

For details click:  Internet 101 for Parents

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