Grandpa Richard's Kids

Image by Uncle Saiful

Everyone wants to do something for their kids, especially if it is something that will make them healthier and happier. While schoolwork is an important portion of every kid’s life, you should not discount the importance of recreational periods, in which kids spend time with each other following leisurely pursuits. Recreational time is important for kids not only because it helps them to stay healthy and provides a welcome break from school work, but also because children learn a great deal about peer interaction and cooperation when they engage in games, make believe, and other after-school or weekend activities. Playtime can be either structured, with specific activities planned for each recreational period, or it can be more freeform, which involves allowing children the opportunity to discover and organize the activities that they want to do. You might find that kids are sometimes better off being left alone to use their imaginations, because that can be a welcome break from the more structured experience that they have most days in the classroom.

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It may be the start of spring, but it’s not too early to begin thinking about which summer camp is best for your kids. There are a lot of camps out there and each has different goals and activities. Choosing which one is right for your kids, then, is more than a matter of selecting the one that is closest to you.

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Taking the children and family traveling can much simpler when following these great tips!

1. Never Forget
•It’s always important to remember medication.  Headache remedies, motion sickness medications, sleep aids, and prescriptions need to be kept handy, to avoid trying to find stores and pharmacies open late at night.

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Image by Irina Zadorozhnaja

Kids today have it much easier than kids of yesterday, but the easy nature of things usually makes them lazier and less interested in the outside world than before.  While at one time the streets of neighborhoods were littered with kids riding their bikes or swimming in their pool, today most kids are locked into their video game console for hours each day.  Luckily, with some ideas, a yard can easily be turned from a boring open area to a place that kids beg to spend time in each day.

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Image by hslo

There are a lot of different factors that go into the development of our children, both in and out of the classroom, but even outside of school, there are plenty of activities to keep your kids active and happy, giving them an alternative to sitting indoors playing video games or watching television. Sometimes getting outside is all a child needs to let off some steam and decompress from all the time spent indoors, and do more physical activities instead of more mentally demanding ones.

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Spring is springing and it’s time for the golf equipment to come out. Perhaps this is the year to introduce the sport to your child(ren).

(NC)—Parents searching for fun activities that will get the kids excited about exercising outdoors might be surprised to hear that learning golf might just be the ticket.

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Help your children to see you making an effort to do the right thing this Earth Day. If you engage them in the following tips on a regular basis, they will grow up respecting the earth more. We need “Green” citizens both now and in the future.

(NC)—April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, reminding us that there are still things we can do to lighten our impact on the planet. Here are some easy ways to cut your home energy use, courtesy of Warrington Ellacott an energy efficiency expert for Whirlpool Canada, the 2009 Energy Star manufacturer of the year.

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(NC)—Kids are the eco-heroes of tomorrow. By supporting their efforts today we can help them inspire future change across Canada. Celebrate Earth Day (April 22) by learning about how you can protect the planet and do something to help. Here are five easy resolutions you can make to get started.

1. Recycle Materials for Art : Items like egg cartons, cereal boxes and old newspapers (for paper Mache) are great to keep for your craft projects at home or school. And ask your parents to buy earth-friendly craft glues and paints, too.

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“Being able to read is like being able to unfold a world of possibilities. You can make your own world by the books you read,” says Robert Munsch, well-loved children’s author of best sellers including Love You Forever, The Paper Bag Princess, and Mortimer.

As an author, literacy is obviously important to Munsch, which is why he has been the Honorary Chair of Family Literacy Day for the last seven years. Family Literacy Day is an annual initiative created by ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation and Honda Canada in 1999 to promote the importance of reading and learning together as a family.

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I purchased a Flip Camcorder the weekend of my grand daughter’s party and “shot” about 45 minutes of video. I finally got to doing the edit portion of the job, and ended up with a 17 minute video. Probably a bit long for a simple home movie, but Jasmine will probably watch it a number of times, despite its length. I could always make a more popular 5 minute version later.

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