eUpdate
April 2005
Life is only natural, so why not live it more naturally? Let Natural Family Online magazine show you how. NFO is your toolbox for natural family living and natural parenting, with whole living for the whole family. Visit us online every month for a new issue packed with information on natural homes, natural beauty, pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, health and wellness, education and learning and much, much more. Natural Family Online ... Whole living for the whole family.
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New this month at NFO
Suds it up Making your own soap is easier than you think - and it's natural, healthy, cheap and satisfying!
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/1-nb/54-soapmaking-fun.htm
It's allergy season Arm yourself with natural remedies against spring
allergies:
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/2-h&w/54-soothe-allergies.htm
Find out how local honey can help:
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/2-h&w/54-honey-help-allergies.htm
And learn how homeopathy handles allergies:
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/2-h&w/54-home-allergy.htm
Toddlers and TVs? Do they go together? Some research indicates they do - in combination with attention problems at a later age.
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/2-ch/54-toddlers-and-tv.htm
So your teen wants to go veg What's a parent to do when the teen of the family decides to become vegetarian?
http://www.natural-family.com/3veg-54-vegetarian-teen.htm
What's your kid's personal style? Communicating with your kid is easier and more effective if you recognize his own personal style.
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-ap/54-childs-personal-style.htm
More new articles: Spring cleaning tips . Natural pest control . Why grass-fed meats? . Allergy season supplements . What fish is safe to eat? .
Cashew gravy . New natural baby products . Skin care products for babies .
Tickle Turdle baby sling . Potty training: What age? . Your baby's birthstone . When kids deal with trauma . Pregnancy, diabetes and feet ...
Visit http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/ to see all our new articles for April!
DISCUSS! at Natural Family Online
"With all the controversy surrounding Terri Schiavo these days many people have suddenly become aware of living wills and medical power of attorney.
What about you - what does your state allow/require & what sort of advance directives do you have? "
Add your comment at NFO's community discussion board at
http://naturalfamilyonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=475 .
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Exclusive new article for eUpdate subscribers!
Get the Kids Outside!
By Rae Pica
Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of your fondest memories are of outdoor activities and places. Perhaps you had a favorite climbing tree or secret hiding place. Maybe you remember jumping rope or learning to turn cartwheels with your best friend or playing fetch with the family dog.
Do you recall the smell of lilacs, the feel of the sun on the first day warm enough to take off your jacket, or the taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich eaten on a blanket in the park? Did you enjoy lying on your back and finding creatures in the clouds?
Now ask yourself: Don't I want my child to have similar memories?
Wonderful,
happy memories?
Unfortunately, a great many of today's children will grow up without such fond memories because today's children spend far less time outdoors than did previous generations. According to William Doherty of the University of Minnesota
It is unfortunate because when children spend most of their time indoors, they'll not just be missing out on memories but also on everything else the outdoors has to offer them. To begin with, the outdoors is the best place for young children to practice and master emerging physical skills and to experience the pure joy of movement. It's also the place where they're likely to burn the most calories, which is absolutely necessary in the fight against obesity.
Also, the outside light stimulates the pineal gland, which is the part of the brain that helps regulate the biological clock, is vital to the immune system, and simply makes us feel happier. Outside light triggers the synthesis of vitamin D. And a number of studies have demonstrated that it increases academic learning and productivity.
Young children learn much through their senses, and the outdoors is a virtual wonderland for the senses. There are different and incredible things for the children to see (insects, clouds and shadows), to hear (traffic sounds, birdsongs, leaves rustling in the wind), to smell (flowers and the rain-soaked ground), to touch (a fuzzy caterpillar or the bark of a tree), and even to taste (newly fallen snow, a raindrop, or a freshly picked blueberry).
Children who spend much of their time acquiring experiences through television, computers, and even books are using only two senses (hearing and sight), and this can seriously affect their perceptual abilities.
Additionally, much of this learning, which falls under the content area of science, can't be acquired indoors. Nor can children who spend most of their time indoors be expected to learn to care for the environment.
Outside, children are more likely to invent games. As they do, they're able to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way.
They feel
safe and in control, which promotes autonomy, decision making, and organizational skills. Inventing rules for games promotes an understanding of why rules are necessary. And although children are just playing to have fun, they learn:
* communication skills and vocabulary, as they invent, modify and enforce rules
* number relationships, as they keep score and count
* social skills, as they learn to play together
Then, too, there's the aesthetic value of the outdoors. Because the natural world is filled with amazing sights, sounds and textures, it's the perfect resource for the development of aesthetics in young children. Since aesthetic awareness means a heightened sensitivity to the beauty around us, it's something that can serve children well at those times when, as adolescents and adults, the world seems less than beautiful.
Further, Mary Rivkin, author of "The Great Outdoors: Restoring Children's Right to Play Outside," tells us that there is on very basic reason that children need to experience being outside: humans evolved in the outdoors.
They thus have a link with nature that can't be replaced - in fact, will be atrophied - by technology. She asks if lacking intimate association with nature we can still be human.
Children learn their values from the important adults in their lives. When they're not encouraged to go outdoors, they learn sedentary habits not easily changed and, more unfortunately, that the outdoor environment is of little significance.
C Rae Pica
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of "Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activities" (McGraw-Hill, 2003). You can visit Rae and read more articles at www.movinganndlearning.com.
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