Winter Fun...

My long underwear haven't got this much use since I lived in Colorado and skied for a living. Unfortunately, I no longer live in the mountains and when it snows I shovel.....

We haven't seen temperatures above freezing for far too long and a lot of parents are asking—what do we do with kids when it's cold outside?

Set aside some time, bundle up and get outside! (note: wear layers)

Stay warm with plenty of moving:
*sledding (and running back up the hill)
*set up an obstacle course and have races or activities like seeing who can jump the farthest in the snow.

If you have a quiet woods to walk through:
*observe and make note of the differences between summer and winter.
*which local animals are active during winter? follow tracks. can you find animal homes?
*if you're warm enough, consider hunkering down, listening to the sounds and sketching what you see and writing about the experience, i.e. what you see, smell, hear, touch etc.

Just outside your back door:
*make peanut butter and seed covered pine cone bird feeders and hang within viewing distance
*is there enough snow to make snow forts? or to tunnel under the snow?

Mix it up with outdoor activities at the local park district or places like the local botanic garden or zoo. A simple online search might keep you busy for weeks. Or partner up with other families that might have other ideas or places to visit.

Through it all, remember, while it may seem like a hassle (we're busy, the kids are comfy on the couch, it's tiring, etc) make the commitment. If we need time away from "the modern world," developing kids need it more! So, for stronger minds, stronger bodies and great sleep—get outside!

Don't try, do it,
Tim :)

P.S. I'll admit it—I need a new picture. This one is nearly a year ago, taken during a trip in a mud bath at the top of a volcano in Colombia last February...

The Election, The Media and Planning and Working for Better Lives.

It’s Sunday night, less than two days before election day, and I’m antsy.

I’ve followed these campaigns for nineteen haircuts. In addition to listening to my barber every month, I’ve listened to and read hundreds of opinions on the various candidates. I’m ready to cast my vote and discover the outcomes.

With good friends who have strong opinions on both sides, I’ve paid careful attention to the messages coming from the media on this presidential race. If you’re a Republican, the New York Times, NBC and the like treat Obama as a savior and give him a free pass. If you’re a Democrat, your blood boils knowing most of our corporate leaders trust the Wall Street Journal and blindly listen to Fox, Dobbs and Limbaugh.

Either way, we’ve become too partisan and it doesn’t have to be that way—both sides have more in common than not. At the most basic level, we all want what’s necessary for a good life today. And a better life for our children and grandchildren.

So, let’s start with what’s necessary for life: fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and soil to grow our food. In our quest for “growth,” we continue to think short-term and sacrifice all three. Why not plan for, and work towards, a day when we can again drink water straight from our rivers and eat fish from lakes? It shouldn’t be crazy to think we can eat real food grown with current sunshine and without chemicals.

Put a price on pollution and waste, and innovation will flourish. We move towards efficiency and then millions of new jobs transition us to an economy that becomes effective.

Why not look out a generation or two and set goals that enable us to spend more time with our families? Where we no longer work more hours so we can spend more...

For one hundred fifty years, growing the GDP meant better lives. “More” no longer means better. Why not demand the government work with us to improve quality of life? Why not measure success with a Gross National Happiness index like Bhutan (the Asian nation whose household income is a fraction of ours, but measure progress with life satisfaction)?


What does all this have to do with Green Sugar Press?


Not only is getting kids outdoors important for healthy childhood development, it’s critical for the well-being of life on the planet. The more time we spend connecting with the environment, starting with ‘nature nearby’ as an early learner, the easier it is to see how to make things better for all life.

To be continued…

Do we really need another blogger? Who has time?

With banks imploding, our IRAs plummeting and elections looming, do we need another blogger?

With all the time chauffeuring your kids to extracurricular activities and running ragged being the best parent possible, do we need to get our kids hooked on nature too?

Who has time to add more to the never-ending "to-do" list?

I'm still not sold on the blogging part, but consider investing time connecting your kids with nature. Days spent near electrical outlets is not natural. Unstructured time outdoors is crucial for healthy childhood development—and should be a stress reliever for you. So, for your kids and for you, the best investment you can make is to find nature nearby. Besides, it's free.

More to follow,
Tim
http://www.greensugarpress.com

P.S. You can buy early release copies on the website (and have them autographed too).

You can also wait 'til next year, Green Sugar Press has signed a distribution deal with Follett Library Resources. They sell more books to K-12 schools and libraries worldwide than anyone else. Ask your school or library to buy them.